It can be very emotional booking an artist to do a portrait of your pet especially if they have recently passed on.
It is a sensitive time and as someone who has lost horses and dogs and cats that have meant the world to me I know that there is a lot of grief involved and they leave a little hole in our hearts that can never be filled. Missing them is a measure of how much we loved them and the impact they had on our lives but over time the pain softens and we are able to look back and appreciate the time we did get to spend with them.
I understand how important it is that the portrait of your pet represents them, and I take the time to really concentrate when i'm working on not just the photo I am drawing from but what I can feel from them and the sense of how they fitted into your families and your lives.
I will always try my best to be sensitive to your emotions surrounding the booking of this honoring of your pet and knowing a little of their story, if you are ready to share, helps me understand the unique impact they have had on your lives.
Art is emotional.... there is no two ways about it. It's why artists have created art from the beginning of time and why it continues to resonate with others. I have lost count of the amount of times I have cried when reading your messages on your pets lives and when feeling their energies and their love for their owners while working. This emotion I feel motivates me when I am drawing and it goes into the piece as well.
I often feel like I am a bridge between them and you and the portrait is a special by product of that. Everyone needs to make a living and I am the same which is why I charge my worth for my portraits but the emotions and feelings involved around dealing with you and working on your pets is personal and that side of it transcends any monetary transaction.
I will always be here through the process of creating your portrait for you and your pet, any time of the day. It is why I will only work on one portrait at a time. Because for that time frame I am your bridge to them and I fully immerse myself with the creative, spiritual and emotional experience of creating your pets portrait for you.