I need some suggestions

Denise Hall · 07-24-2004, 09:21 PM

Mary,

I am so sorry to hear about your dog. I have a shi-tzu that is like one of our kids too and can't imagine losing her - but dogs don't usually outlive us, do they? I just wanted to say hi and also how sorry I am.

I think the picture you showed us is very endearing to your kids as well as a wonderful shot of the dog. He is beautiful. I hope you can find a way to paint them together.

Good luck to you!

Denise

Joan Breckwoldt · 07-24-2004, 09:39 PM

Oh Mary, I'm so sorry about Bailey. That was so fast, as you said, I think it's better that he didn't have to suffer.

I think the photo of Bailey with Liza sitting on top of him would be great. Though since Bailey has been part of your family for so long it would be nice to paint him and all three children, you have been wanting to do a portrait with all three children anyway, right? From this shot you have Liza and Bailey, you could maybe get the two boys from another shot you took? I think it would be worth it. Even if you put this away for now and take more photos of the boys in a week, or whenever you feel like getting back to it, all four of them would make a beautiful portrait that I think your family would treasure for years.

Joan

P.S. How could that cute little girl have ruined your Ben portrait? She's darling!

Garth Herrick · 07-24-2004, 10:22 PM

Oh Mary,

I am so sorry to hear of the sudden loss of your beloved Bailey. I just came upon your thread. How fortunate, that you were able to get those final pictures a couple of days ago.

When you feel up to it, I hope you can do a sketch of your daughter (or all the kids) with your dog while the image is still fresh in your head. If you want to do a painting something like Timothy's, maybe you can get some more shots of the kids posed on the porch with the camera twice or three times as far back from the porch to reduce the perspective distortions in the photo you have posted. I like your photo. Your four year old is so much closer to the lens than everyone else that he seems almost out of scale. This should not be too hard to adjust. Lots of good things are happening here to help remember this moment.

Envisioning the painting of Bailey is a wonderful inspiration, and I hope it comes to fruition for you and your family in the coming months.

Good luck and best wishes,

Garth

Mary Sparrow · 07-25-2004, 11:02 AM

Thank you all. Boy, this is tougher than I thought it would be

But Garth, your post made me laugh out loud. My 4 year old REALLY IS that much bigger than the other two. He is a GIANT. He wears a 7/8, while the 6 year old is extreme in his size still wearing a 4t.

Several months back I posted a question here about "changing the facts", now you can all see what I am talking about when I say my younger boy is truly larger than the older one.

Garth Herrick · 07-25-2004, 12:27 PM

Hi Mary,

I apologize for drawing attention to your kids heights. I now recall your thread about "changing the facts". I see no reason to change what's real. I was reacting more to the up close nature of the camera perspective with legs projecting out, etc. If you can get more camera studies from farther back, I think Bailey can be placed into a tweaked composition just fine as he is.

Sorry about that. At seven, my daughter is often so much taller than her close friends that I am frequently surprised when they are revealed by birthday invitations to be of the same age.

Garth

Mary Sparrow · 07-25-2004, 01:03 PM

I see what you are saying about the legs and such. I agree. It just made me laugh and reminded me of my original question.

At any rate, we have decided since the boys have big obnoxious portraits of themselves already, that Liza and Bailey could take center stage on this one, I have several of her and Bailey that I really liked.

Jean Kelly · 07-30-2004, 11:24 AM

Hi Mary. I've meant to comment on this for a while now but neglected to. I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how I would feel if something happened to my Zoe. Will you get another dog? I feel that it would be very nice to be a pet in your house, you seem to radiate love and warmth in your writing and artwork.

Today I'm faced with a sad situation also. I have an appointment to photograph a little girl with her pet cat. Unfortunately the cat had to be put to sleep two days ago, she was very old (18) and the session had been put off by the client. They wanted to wait for a certain type of flower to bloom in their backyard. I'm hoping that they have some decent photos of the kitty, and not looking forward to this.

I think your tribute to Bailey is beautifully done, please post it in "unveilings" when you are finished.

Jean

Linda Brandon · 08-01-2004, 11:12 AM

Hi Mary,

I just spotted this thread while trying to catch up on a few weeks of missing Forum posts. SO very sorry to hear about your dog. If I were you I'd paint a small head and shoulders, maybe a 12" x 12", just to have hanging around the house. You might find that your children want to "borrow" it for a while, or of course it can hang in your studio.