Sometimes It Breaks Your Heart

Awhile ago I was asked to create a large portrait of a German Shepherd named Tucker. It was to be a gift to a father from his children. Tucker was his constant companion as they hiked the Colorado mountains together. But the reason for the gift was that Tucker had ALS and didn’t have long to go–and they wanted to create a lasting image to preserve the memory of those hikes for after he was gone.

Painting rainbow bridge and memorial portraits is part of being a pet portrait artist–and I am honored that I can help my clients through my art to deal with grief and to create something that allows them to remember their beloved pet. Having lost pets of my own, I understand the depth that grief can take. But this painting–it got to me, because Tucker was still here but not for long. And I crossed my fingers, hoping that my finished painting would be good enough.

It would be a 30″ x 24″ painting and needed to capture both the dog and a sense of the beautiful local mountain landscapes.

This was the final sketch that was approved.