ABOUT THE WORK
Is this a painting or a print?
It is a fine art giclée print. I create each portrait digitally — with a digital brush, not physical paint — and it is then printed with pigment inks on fine art paper. I say this plainly because I would rather you know exactly what you are buying. What people react to is that it does not look like a photograph or a filter: it has visible brushwork, real depth, and the texture of the paper underneath. From across the room most people take it for a painting.
What is it printed on?
Textured fine art paper, printed with pigment inks. The paper has a tooth to it, which is what gives the surface its depth — light catches the raised paint and the texture underneath in a way that flat photo paper cannot do.
Will it fade?
The inks are archival pigment and the papers are acid-free, 100% cotton rag. Kept out of direct sunlight, a piece like this is made to last generations rather than years.
CHOOSING YOUR COLOR
What background color works best for a black or dark dog?
A light one. A dark dog against a dark background disappears — the coat and the background sit at the same brightness and the animal loses its shape. For a black, dark brown, or deep brindle coat I build a luminous pale background: warm cream, oatmeal, or pale sand, clearly lighter than the coat, so every edge of the animal reads. This is the single most common mistake in pet portraits and it is the reason so many dark dogs look like a silhouette.
What if my pet has both light and dark markings?
A piebald, black-and-white, or heavily marked coat is the hardest case, because whichever way you set the background, half the animal fights it. The answer is a mid-toned background plus a deliberate rim of light along the top of the head, ears, and back. That rim is what separates the dark areas while the light areas still have somewhere to sit.
What about a white, cream, or light-colored pet?
The opposite. A pale animal needs a mid-toned background — warm and neutral, clearly deeper than the lit side of the coat, but not driven all the way down to near-black. Pushed too dark the background goes muddy and loses the variation that makes it interesting; left too light and the animal melts into it. The sweet spot is the middle.
Why do some pet portraits look flat?
Almost always because the background is one single color, lightened and darkened. It reads as a gradient, and a gradient looks like a backdrop rather than a painting. A real painted background carries several colors at once — one passage warmer, another cooler, another shifting toward green or gold — and it is that variation your eye reads as depth, even when you are not consciously seeing the individual colors.
Can you match a specific paint color?
Yes. If you know your wall color — Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, or any brand with a name and a code — tell me and I will build the background around it. If you do not know it, send me a photo of the room and I will sample the color from the photograph. Several of my standard accent colors were developed against real paint colors for exactly this reason.
Will the portrait match my wall color?
Better than match — it will sit with it. Because each background carries several colors rather than one, it finds something in common with a range of wall colors instead of competing with one exactly. That is also why a piece can move from one room to another and still look like it belongs, which a single flat color cannot do.
What if I move it to a different room?
It should still work, and that is deliberate. A background built from several colors has more than one point of contact with a room. I have never had a piece that only worked on the wall it was made for, and the whole reason I build backgrounds this way is that people rearrange their homes.
How do I choose my color?
You do not have to name one. Most people cannot picture a color on demand, and I stopped asking. Once your portrait is made I send you two finished versions of your own animal in two different colors and you tell me which you prefer. Choosing between two pictures of your dog is much easier than choosing from a chart, and it takes about ten seconds.
YOUR PHOTOS
How many photos do you need?
Two or three are better than one. One good photo of the face is the foundation, and a second or third showing the whole body — even a blurry one, even a bad one — tells me what is actually there so nothing has to be guessed at.
What makes a good photo?
Even light, taken at your pet's eye level rather than from above, with the face in focus. Daylight near a window or outdoors on an overcast day is ideal. A photo where your pet is clearly lit and looking toward the camera beats a beautifully composed one where the face is in shadow.
Can you work from a photo where my pet is partly hidden?
Partly — and this is where the extra photo earns its place. If your pet is under a blanket or behind furniture, I have no information about what is underneath, and I will not invent a body that was never in the picture. A second throwaway shot of them standing or lying in the open solves it completely. It needs no lighting, no focus, and no cooperation.
What if my pet has one eye, a scar, a greying muzzle, or something else unusual?
It gets rendered exactly as it is. I will never add an eye your animal does not have, straighten an ear that folds, or tidy away a scar or a grey muzzle. Those are the parts that make the portrait theirs rather than a generic example of the breed, and they are usually the first thing an owner looks for.
SIZES AND FRAMING
What sizes do you offer?
Prints from 8×10 up to 24×36. Framed pieces in the smaller and mid sizes, with larger framed work quoted on request. Every size is a standard off-the-shelf frame size, so you can reframe a print years from now and it will fit.
Why is there no mat?
Because that is what a gallery does. The image runs to the edge of the frame, which gives the piece more presence at the same size and puts nothing between you and the artwork. If you would prefer a wider frame profile, ask and I will quote it.
Framed or unframed?
Both. Prints ship flat and ready to frame. Framed pieces come in black gallery or a walnut-finish wood, both solid wood and made to order.
ODERING
How long does it take?
About three weeks from the day you send photos. Roughly: I make the portrait, you choose your color from two proofs, and then it goes to print and ships.
THE 2026 PAINT COLORS
What about the 2026 colors of the year?
Both of the big paint companies named warm neutrals for 2026, which is good news for a portrait. Benjamin Moore chose Silhouette AF-655, a deep chocolate brown with charcoal running through it. Sherwin-Williams chose Universal Khaki SW 6150, a mid-toned warm neutral with a soft yellow undertone. If you are painting a room this year, there is a good chance you are looking at one of these, so here is how I would build a portrait for each.
CHOOSING YOUR PORTRAIT COLOR FOR 2026 WALLS
The background of a portrait should contrast with your pet's coat first, and relate to your wall second.
Silhouette AF-655 — Benjamin Moore 2026, Deep chocolate brown, charcoal undertone
If your pet is dark: Antique Gold or the signature neutral taken light
If your pet is light: Teal or Moss
A dark wall swallows a dark frame and a dark background. Go lighter in the artwork than you think — the piece should read as a window of light on that wall.
Universal Khaki SW 6150 — Sherwin-Williams 2026, Mid-toned warm neutral, soft yellow undertone
If your pet is dark: The signature neutral taken light, or Antique Gold
If your pet is light: The signature neutral, or Moss for a little more color
This is the easiest wall color I have seen named in years. It sits in the same family as my signature neutral, so almost anything works — which means you can choose on the animal rather than on the room.
Swiss Coffee OC-45 — Benjamin Moore 2026 palette, Warm off-white
If your pet is dark: Signature neutral at mid depth, with a strong rim of light on the coat
If your pet is light: Signature neutral, Moss, Navy or Charcoal
A dark pet on a white wall is the one genuinely tricky case: the artwork needs enough depth not to float off the wall, but a deep background hides a dark animal. The answer is a mid-toned background and a deliberate rim of light, not a darker background.
Narragansett Green HC-157 — Benjamin Moore 2026 palette, Deep teal, cool and dark
If your pet is dark: Antique Gold
If your pet is light: Rust or the signature neutral
I would not put my Teal on a teal wall — too close, and they fight. Warm against cool is what makes both look intentional.
Southwest Pottery 048 — Benjamin Moore 2026 palette, Clay terracotta, warm midtone
If your pet is dark: Antique Gold or the signature neutral taken light
If your pet is light: Teal or Moss
Same logic in reverse: skip Rust here. A cool background is what lets a terracotta wall breathe.
Sherwood Tan 1054 — Benjamin Moore 2026 palette, Warm tan-beige
If your pet is dark: Signature neutral taken light
If your pet is light: Moss, Teal or the signature neutral
A close cousin of Universal Khaki, and just as forgiving.
Raindance 1572 — Benjamin Moore 2026 palette, Cool mid-grey
If your pet is dark: Antique Gold or Rust
If your pet is light: Rust, or the signature neutral
Cool grey walls make warm artwork glow. This is where Rust earns its place.
Watery SW 6478 — Sherwin-Williams 2026 palette, Soft light blue
If your pet is dark: Signature neutral or Antique Gold
If your pet is light: Rust or the signature neutral
A pale cool wall wants warmth back from the artwork, or the room goes cold.
Garden Gate SW 6167 — Sherwin-Williams 2026 palette, Mid green
If your pet is dark: Antique Gold or the signature neutral taken light
If your pet is light: Rust, or the signature neutral
Skip Moss on a green wall. Warm neutral or Rust gives the wall something to sit against.
Dark Auburn SW 6034 — Sherwin-Williams 2026 palette, Deep red-brown
If your pet is dark: Antique Gold
If your pet is light: Teal or Moss
Another dark wall. Lighter artwork, and let the frame do the grounding.
Do I have to use one of these?
Not at all. These are simply the colors a lot of people will be painting with this year, so they are the ones I get asked about. The same rule applies to any wall color: the background of the portrait should contrast with your pet's coat first, and relate to your wall second. Tell me your paint color or send a photo of the room, and I will work it out for you.