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Trials of a Pet Portraitist

© Jen Longshaw

Commission work is the bread and butter side of the artist's working life. Whether it is a general request for a "landscape with some cows in it" or a more specific order for a painting of a loved-one, the assignment is generally welcomed as a much-needed infusion of cash as well as an indication that your work is appreciated.

I have been painting portraits of pets for three years now and it has been a steep learning curve. I knew that people could be highly critical of pictures of themselves but had no idea that they would be as exacting of their pet's image as well. Perhaps it isn't surprising as many pet owners often refer to their animals as their "fur babies". What is unforeseen however are the miracles that they expect the artist to work.

As animals are not renown for their patience or ability to sit still it is usually necessary to work from photographs supplied by their owner. Although it is preferred that more than one view is supplied (and preferably in close up) often this isn't possible. I remember one lady commissioning a painting of her mother's Bichon Frise and giving me a tiny snap shot one inch square with the dog standing ten feet away! She then finished with the statement "I guess if I don't like it I'm stuck with it". Another lady gave me a black and white photograph of her son's bullmastiff. It was a beautiful shot but of course in monochrome so I had to find other similar pictures so that I could match the dog's colors. She was pleased with the finished result and said that she wanted to commission another painting, this time of her friend's boxer "But you only need a black and white photo to work from though, right?"

Then there is the tension on delivery of the painting. Is it any good? Will the owner like it? Sometimes this can lead to disappointment on both sides. One woman commissioned a doorstop of her lovely marmalade Persian cat "Humphrey" in the style of another work of mine that she had seen. She had given me five photographs of him but unfortunately they were all taken in different lights giving a varying look to his coat. It took five weeks for me to strike a happy medium but she was severely disappointed in the end result and I nearly gave up commissioned work permanently. It is difficult for "non-arty" people to realize that each artist has their own style and this will reflect in the finished work otherwise it would be much easier just to take a really good photo and have it framed.

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