The Pets We Love

Mike, me, and Angie at the end of our visit, with the painting of Bella.

Remembering Bella

A short while ago I learned that Bella, a sunny, often beribboned Shih Tzu, and loving companion of dear friends, was ill. Over the course of the following days, I saw Facebook posts such as one that showed a small, tired looking, black and white dog reclining in a cushioned dog bed draped with warm blankets. The posts talked about her further declining health and a terrible decision that had to be made.

These posts reminded me of my own experiences with pets in the past. The highs of the love and fondness I felt for them, and the deep grief over the eventual loss of my dear friends.

Time passed, and my friends, Angie and Mike, made the humane, but most-difficult decision, to end Bella’s suffering.

I followed Angie’s posts and my heart clutched when I saw the photo collages she posted. This beloved pet shared their lives for many years; picnics, car rides, quiet cuddles on the sofa together, and I could see that the loss of her would be very painful. I wanted to do something to memorialize her in a deep and lasting way.

Inspiration

My artist Instagram feed is filled with posts from many amazing artists. I kept seeing the work of a handful of talented pet artists. My favorite feeds feature close-up portraits of mostly dogs and cats painted in a lush and brushy style with special attention to soulful eyes, shiny wet noses and anthropomorphic expressions ranging from restful attention, loving adoration, playfulness, to “are you kidding me, I’m busy lounging here.” All were adorable.

A Portrait of Bella

It so happened that we were going to be spending a long weekend at a mutual friends’ cabin, along with Mike and Angie. As I scanned the pet-artist’s feed one day the week prior to the trip, it struck me that a painting of Bella would make a deeply meaningful gift for Mike and Angie.

I scanned through Angie’s Facebook feed and found a suitable photo amongst others in a collage. It was a tiny photo, sized down for posting, but it showed the sparkle in her eyes on a happy outing in their car on some past adventure. I decided to paint that.

Emotional Response

I completed the painting over the course of the next few days and signed it the morning we drove the 3 ½ hours north to the cabin.

Before we left, I asked my husband, “Do you think they’ll like it?”

He looked at it closely and took a few seconds before answering. He said simply, “They’re going to cry.”

The evening of the first night there I presented the painting to Mike and Angie. I looked at their faces and could see the dawning recognition of their beloved Bella and the welling of emotion it brought.

They did cry.

While I felt touched by the depth of their loss, and a little guilty at bringing their emotion to the surface, I knew these tears of sadness would dry eventually and the painted reminder of Bella would bring them joy.

On the drive home I thought about all the pets I’ve had in my life. All of the love, joy, companionship, loyalty, and, finally, grief. But that is life, perhaps even the “meaning of life,” and the positive will hopefully always outweigh the negative. We must always look forward to love if we are to survive in a hopeful way.

Remembrances of this love are a beautiful way to keep our positive memories dominant over the negative ones, to preserve our hopefulness about life.

Toby

It was with this in mind that I listed all my pets, with Toby, a playful Beagle our family had when I was a small child, being the first.

I created a composition that tells a story of playing fetch with Toby in a park on a spring evening. Exhausted with running, jumping, and frolicking, he falls to the ground in a field of crocuses and pants a smile to cool off. The buttery sunshine of late evening silhouettes the trees in the background and illuminates his deep brown eyes.

This is how I choose to remember Toby.

I have completed the pencil drawing using a grid to aid in accuracy, fixed the drawing with permanent pen, called a sinope, and stained the panel with a thin application of paint and solvent called an imprimatura. Now I am poised to begin applying the first layer of opaque oil paint.

Emotional Response

Every time I look at Toby’s face in this painting now, I feel a stir of peaceful happiness and am reassured that I am creating an image that will produce a positive emotional response, at least in myself. This is one of my primary goals in creating artwork for others to see and call their own.

Progress

Join me as I continue to share progress photos on Facebook of Toby as I move the painting forward.

Thank You

As always, I appreciate the time you spend reading my musings on life and art. Thank you!