Treacle
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Treacle’s portrait was all about capturing his wise, kind and loyal nature, although, as his owner Samantha admitted, he does also have a dash of the ‘determined and stubborn,’ mixed in. His portrait was commissioned as a gift from Samantha’s brother but I was put directly in touch with Samantha to work with her to gather these special insights.
Getting the right source image to work from was a particular challenge. Treacle’s eyes, perhaps the most expressive element of his character, was the hardest part to photograph, due to his very bushy, impressive eyebrows getting in the way! I helped Samantha snap the right shot, advising her on the angle and light, and we got there in the end!
The final painting simplified the background and fully focused on Treacle’s charismatic face and fur. The African beaded collar, which had special associations, was obscured in the original source image, so I wove it in.
“Susannah is a joy to commission and a very talented artist. She took the trouble to understand the character of my dog and brought this out in her wonderful portrait of him. She is a very kind person and her work is amazing. I am so happy with it I am commissioning her to do portraits of my other dogs. Having a portrait by Susannah is a million times better than just having photographs.”
