Sometimes I do commissions for animals who are no longer alive. I work from the owner’s story. I try to express the bond between the human and their pet. On a particular commission for a much-loved dog who had died a few months earlier, I worked from photographs, but the accuracy I was able to attain came from listening to the owner describe Lady Bear – her dignity and grace, the heart-shaped marking on her head. Her human loved her, and in a small way, I was able to bring her back to him. Painting her was very emotional for me. In the end I felt as if I knew her.
The Process of a Portrait
Sometimes I do commissions for animals who are no longer alive. I work from the owner’s story. I try to express the bond between the human and their pet. On a particular commission for a much-loved dog who had died a few months earlier, I worked from photographs, but the accuracy I was able to attain came from listening to the owner describe Lady Bear – her dignity and grace, the heart-shaped marking on her head. Her human loved her, and in a small way, I was able to bring her back to him. Painting her was very emotional for me. In the end I felt as if I knew her.
2 Comments
John Petersen
4/4/2012 02:27:13 pm
I love your painting of Ladybear so much! I see it everyday and it brings great joy to me. Thank you Mary-Jo :-)
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7/11/2012 09:52:29 pm
This post was very nicely written, and it also carries a lot of useful facts. I appreciated your professed way of writing this post. Thanks, you have made it very easy for me to understand.
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Mary-Jo I strive to capture that moment when animals are trying to cross the species’ communication barrier. Archives
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