What's your favourite thing about your pet? My family had a Norwegian Elkhound growing up, and the reason we picked him over his siblings was because of his spunk. He was up and exploring the kennel, tail wagging, while the others seemed more melancholic. “We want him!" we said, and he came home with us that day and was thereafter known as Kelby.
Kelby's adventurous streak never faded, and had his life been turned into a movie, it would have rivalled Homeward Bound for sure. He regularly chased racoons up trees (and once even chased a black bear!), he survived being rat poisoned twice, and he had an entire Island to explore at his pleasure (he lived on a small island in the Pacific for six out of his ten years).
Kelby has long since passed and when I think back on him, I think a bit about his beautiful fur, with black-tipped hairs and a thick undercoat that shed each spring like a cotton tree. I think a bit on his curly tail. But I mostly think about his face, and more specifically, his big brown eyes. A dog's eyes are...different than cat eyes. They seem deeper somehow, and a little more vulnerable; they're more emotive.
Zeroing in on a pet's face and expressing those beautiful eyes really makes the best type of Pet Portrait. The Portrait, though, is only as good as the reference photo supplied, but fortunately Doreen did the work to dig up three great photos of three great dogs: Boo (pictured above), Daisy (pictured below), and Vienna.
Doreen reached out to me in response to a promotion I ran for my email subscribers (if you want to get in on future promotions, subscribe to my email list!), and after some back and forth discussing various reference photos, we landed on three. Doreen had previously been the recipient of my Pet Portraits when a family member gifted her a set of three paintings of her beloved cats. “I look at my Kotty & Minos and smile everyday." Knowing the lasting value of a Pet Portrait, Doreen thought to commission three paintings of her daughter's three dogs, in anticipation of her birthday. When they arrived at her place, her response was priceless.
"OH MY WORD!!!! Katrina!!! I absolutely LOVE them!!! ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you SO much!!! I can hardly wait to give them to her!! Guaranteed tears!!!"
If you are interested in your own Pet Portrait, reach out!
