The Golden Hour
January 28, 2025(This website is best viewed on your desktop. You can click the image to see it larger, but not from your phone!)
A friend got in touch last week. The last of her dogs had passed away and she wanted to commission a painting as a gift for her husband. The landscape behind these two is one of his favorite places, which makes it doubly special.
I used a combination of pastels throughout the entire painting, layering pencils and hard pastels over soft pastel in the background, keeping it soft and muted, and doing the opposite with the dogs who required more detail and precision.
I worked from a photo which was in portrait orientation, but I felt that broadening the landscape provided a better context for the painting as a whole, because of its expanse. I considered eliminating the sky altogether, but that too is another element important to the atmosphere of the area. I think it also provides a nice counterpoint to the warm tones below and also brightens the grasses.
The range of colors in the dogs’ fur is delightful and along with my arsenal of pastels, it was the perfect opportunity to break in my new Faber Castle Pitt-Pastel pencils. I have a few sets of pastel pencils, including Koh-I-Noor Giacondas and Stabilo Carbothellos. Each brand has their own palette and consistency, but they all work well together.
My work is always a labor of love, but especially when it comes to projects like this one. It’s a privilege to be asked to create portraits of people and pets who hold meaning in others’ lives, and it’s an honor to do so.
If you have questions about portraits, commissions, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!