This acrylic portrait painting is of a beloved grandfather, Brad Forsyth, with Darla, a much loved family dog. The portrait was for a grandchild of Mr. Forsyth, and it was an honour to suggest memories by painting his smile and Darla's demeanour.

Painting a portrait with a person and a dog presented an interesting opportunity to experiment with the subjects eye direction. While people typically pose for a portrait looking at the viewer animals rarely do, and so these subjects have different eye directions.

I sketch subjects before painting to ensure likeness. While it appears one photo was used for the portrait, many reference photos were pulled together to create one painting. With both subjects having passed away, a photograph like this portrait would not be possible.

Painting a pet portrait is much like painting a human portrait, as animals have their own unique features that help each of them be recognized.

In painting a portrait of Brad Forsyth I captured the likeness of a family man who was an avid outdoorsman, veteran, musician and community member in Berwick, Nova Scotia.