Dog Portrait

This post is dedicated to Oscar.  Two weeks ago we had to put down our beloved Tibbie, Oscar.  He was my first dog – our first dog – the first for Bob, Ley, and Aves, for all of us.  More than being the first, he was the best.  In sweetness, he broke the mold.  No dog will ever be able to match him. 

I haven’t been able to share about this loss beyond my closest circle mainly because I haven’t fully come to grips with it.  Death and grief is not something I have much experience with – our grandparents and older relatives lived and passed on the other side of the world.  I loved Oscar so much and miss him tremendously.  I dedicate this post to the loving memory of our sweet Oskie boy.

when Ava and Oscar were about 3 years old Ava would dress up as a doggy every day and they would share toys.

Oscar was the first dog I was motivated to paint.  He was a beautiful, beautiful dog inside and out with a heart of gold and those deep almond-shaped loving eyes.  The portrait I painted is based on the photo the breeder shared with us.  It had been decided Oscar was not ‘perfect’ enough to be used as a stud for reproducing show-quality Tibetan Spaniels.  You see his father was a champion who came from a champion, who came from a champion…but Oskie had a crooked back leg and in the show dog world, this was enough to cut him from the show circuit.  Fortunately for us, the breeder was a compassionate woman, not at all running a puppy mill.  She was looking for a nice family and to give Oscar a good home.  Our girls were young back then and they adored him to pieces.  They would wrap him up in blankets like a doll and play with him on the floor with all their mutual toys.

In the years that went by, I shuffled along wearing many hats, one of which was being a children’s art teacher.  Having an artiste as a mother myself, painting is 2nd nature to me.  I don’t call myself an artist by any means… or a teacher for that matter.  I like my current title of coach 🙂  I am a facilitator and love watching other people thrive with a little guidance.  So back then I was an art facilitator who also dabbled in it from time to time.

My pet portrait side business sprouted from that first painting of Oscar.  One of our daughter’s friends mom saw the painting of Oscar hanging on our wall and asked if I could do one for her family.

Chloe was painted for a friend’s daughter who wanted to give it to her dad for “Father’s Day” 🙂

By word of mouth I was asked to do another –

Painted on commission for an acquaintance for her daughter who lost her dog after a battle with cancer in memory of her dog Maddie.

And then another…

Miley!  Painted for my good friend who has a son that adores his pup.

Last year I was asked to donate a custom order pet portrait towards the Art in Action (a fantastic local parent-taught art education curriculum for kids ages K through 8th grade) annual auction.  I agreed to help not knowing the sale was going to trans-morph into a two-for-one double deal.

Auction item donated to Art in Action – the winner last year couldn’t decide which one of her dogs to have painted so we chose both!

I didn’t realize that agreeing to help last year would renew into being on the auction list again this year.  Today I got an email from a woman who said she had won my custom dog portrait services at this year’s Art in Action auction.  I was surprised and had mixed feelings about doing this job.  Thinking about picking up the a paint brush to paint another dog that is not my Oscar makes my heart hurt.  At the same time when I look at his original painting now, done when he was so young and strong, I look at it with such fondness in my heart.  It makes me want to try my best to reproduce this family’s dog that I’m sure they love to pieces…and so I will.

A few years ago before a girls trip I made a friendship ‘bracelet’ for Oscar too.

In the end Oscar no longer had the strength to walk.  Oskie, I hope you are in heaven, running through the grass with your old Tibby friends.  We love you to infinity.

Ovenhuggers, thank you for listening.  Writing this post is helping me process this change in our family a little.  If this post touched your heart and you have a furry dog child at home, consider whipping up some “Love My Pups PB Dog Treats” -our Oscar loved them.  I think I’ll make some for our other little fur son Buddy soon.  He’s missing Oscar too.

I’ve already drafted next week’s post, “Care Package Worthy Classic Four Ingredient Peanut Butter Energy Balls”.  Stay tuned!

 – Bita