Busy Time of Year

This is the time of year that commissions always pick up. Of course, they make great gifts at Christmas, but that means I have much less free time - no complaints here though, I love doing portraits!

Tequila, the adorable little Chihuahua, is almost complete. A few more area's to darken here and there, plus an addition of some memorial text and the the portrait will be finished. I've added the other half of the portrait below, and will post the full image once all the bits and pieces are done.

I am also currently working on a beautiful, male Husky for a client, in coloured pencil. This portrait is coming along nicely, and I'm really pleased with the textures and tones that I am able to create with the pencil crayons. This portrait will be completed as  9"x12", and is also a gift for my clients other half. A small sample below of the portrait progression so far.

In the mean time, Brandy has managed to pick up two, yes that's TWO qualifying runs in Steeplechase. A class that we always had difficulty with, and I can not count the number we've taken a stab at it and failed. We have always used the class as a warm-up, something that I didn't overly care about, and it gave her a chance to wind up before the rest of the runs. Steeplechase is always first where I trial, so it was perfect warm-up run. Never in a million years did I think that these "warm-up" runs would amount to anything, but they certainly have now. Our goal, 8 more qualifying runs next year to obtain her Steeplechase title. Lofty? Perhaps. Is she capable? Most definitely. Am I capable? Sometimes I wonder, but we're going for it anyway.

A New Pet Portrait

Initial stages of a new portrait - Tequila

I love what I do, truly, I do. The art of, well, creating art fascinates me, entertains me and keeps me busy. I delight in handing over a finished piece and seeing how people react. I enjoy being able to create something special for people, that captures a memory, a look, personality or spirit.

There are times, however, when my job is heart breaking. I am often called upon to do "memorial" portraits of loved ones passed, be they animal or person. Though it is sad to reminisce that these lives have left us too soon, I am thankful that I am able to provide a special image, a memory for families that can be cherished for years to come, and I really hope that my work does justice to those who have gone before us.

This new piece that I am working on is heart breaking indeed. I was contacted by a client to create a portrait of his girlfriends beloved chihuahua as a Christmas gift. We worked out the details, and I met him and the adorable little canine one night after work to pick up the reference photos. What a beautiful little dog, full of life and happiness, just bursting to be petted and loved, a personality that I absolutely adore seeing in a dog.

With photos obtained and client met, I sat down to begin creation of this portrait. The finished product will be a double, with two poses of the little dog, and a name title on 11"x14" paper in pencil.

I received an email from the client over the weekend, full of horrible news. There was an accident and the dog, so full of life and love, unfortunately did not make it. I was shocked, and left speechless. It is extraordinarily difficult to lose a beloved pet, and the relationship that can be built with an animal is nothing like relationships that we share with our own species. The unspoken love and the awe of innocence is one of the most powerful feelings you can harbour, and the loss of a pet is just as great as the loss of a parent, sibling, child, friend or family member.

So now this portrait is a memorial, a dedication to this little dog that was taken away from her owner far too soon.

Though the outcome of this is heart breaking, it lifts my spirits that I have been blessed with the ability to provide the owner with something that she can cherish and remember her tiny companion by for years to come.

RIP Tequila.