Custom Surreal Portrait Order
Boxer Puppy Detail
Now and then I receive an order where a client is very specific as to what it is they like to have painted. This was the case with this painting, which is very surreal and has plenty of symbolic elements. My client wanted four of his dogs painted, one of which has passed away and he wanted them placed over a sky image of a photo he had taken and really liked. He wanted me to add either praying hands or a halo or whatever I felt would signal the passing of the beloved pet that had passes on. To make matters even more complicated each one of the dogs came from a different photo reference. That's the reason you did not see any in progress shots, since I had a heck of a time figuring out how to pull this special request off. I moved these puppies all over the place until I ended up with this grouping.
The white boxer puppy is the one that has passed on and I created clouds that look like wings. There is also a dove right over that puppy.
The brindle puppy came from a very dark photo reference and went from being too dark to being to light and back to dark again. Sometimes, when I can't see what's going on in a photo the feedback from the client helps a great deal to get the coloration of the fur just right. The end result is the painting you see below. My client is happy and I am glad that I was able to realize his vision for this painting.
