Sarah contacted me when she learned that her mom's cat Ducati—or “Kotti" for short—was quite sick and needed to be put down. Her mom was wrecked over the circumstance. Sarah thoughtfully sought to gift her mom a Pet Portrait of Kotti to help her in her grief. The loss of a long-loved pet is devastating, but a carefully captured Pet Portrait can help preserve years of fond memories.
Her mom also a second cat, Minos, which Sarah thought would make a nice addition to the gift. Then, she thought to add a third commission, this time of Kotti & Minos together, the best of friends.
Kotti was a striking cat and the pictures submitted to me showcased well her green eyes and grey and white colouring. I experienced a surprising intensity while working on her classic cat eyes, which seemed fixated on me during the artistic process.
For Minos, the most adorable picture was submitted, which was Minos sitting in a large red purse. The combination of the dramatic black and white colouring, the big, green, innocent-looking eyes, and the pop of red from the purse made for the most endearing Pet Portrait. It's still one of my favourites, but I've also learned that the quality of portrait is hugely dependent on the reference photos provided. This one takes the cake!
I finished up the painting, along with the other two Sarah had commissioned, making a nice a series of three pet portraits. I mailed them off to Sarah.
"Wow. Amazing. I've been looking at these paintings all day. You've an incredible talent. Thank you so much for such beautiful gifts. Xo"
Later, after Sarah's mom had received the gift, Sarah emailed again with further feedback: “My mom LOVED these!" Hearing this feedback certainly made my day! It is always an honour to be involved in capturing the essence of a pet long loved and to help comfort a family in their loss.
NOTE: Kotti and Minos have been made into greeting cards and are available for purchase. Both cards are blank on the inside. Kotti's card is simply the image of her, and Minos' card includes the caption “Thinking of you" under the image.
If you would like to commission a Pet Portrait, drop me a line!
Reference Photo
Finished Painting