Hello Dolly,

You’re lookin’ swell, Dolly

I can tell, Dolly
You’re still glowin’, you’re still crowin’, you’re still goin’ strong

And isn’t she just glowing.

What a beauty.

I know, I know, I say that every time, but there’s a good reason for that: cats and dogs are inherently stunning. Obviously the cynics among you might think of another solution – that people probably wouldn’t go to the bother of commissioning a portrait of an unattractive pet. All I say to that, is may your cynicism keep you warm and toasty when you are old and grey and no dog or cat is prepared to share the sofa with you. Anyhow – Dolly’s beauty is such that I’m sure I could get scientific verification if necessary.

Look at this one:

“Say what? You think I ate the roast chicken you left out on a low table in the kitchen? Me? Er… I’ll talk to my lawyers and get back to you on that one.”

[nb I’m not saying she did this, I’m just saying she might look like this if she did.]

And here’s the portrait underway: black dog, black eyes, black shadows. Piece of black cake.This is the initial almost-black layer. I usually save the true black stitching for last – but it’s not easy to tell from these photos (to be honest, it’s not always easy to tell in person. There were at least 4 greys in the final portrait, I was losing count.)Here’s that first layer from the back – one hairy mess.

A few more grey later ….

… then we’re done.

All that remained was choosing the background, and we went with a bright but classic Liberty print of peacock feathers. 

And if any dog deserved a serenading from Louis Armstrong, I think it may really be this one:

Well Hello Dolly
This is miss Dolly
It’s so nice to have you back where you belong

You’re lookin’ swell, Dolly
I can tell, Dolly
You’re still glowin’, you’re still crowin’, you’re still goin’ strong