My work colleague Valerio Accolla asked me to create a portrait of his wife Florencia and his dog Gadū. He showed a few photos that were his favorites. One in particular had a very intimate quality. Florencia was on the floor with her face very close to the dog's. It was an attractive composition but the focus was a bit off and the only file Valerio could find (as is so often the case in the digital age) was a very small cell phone thumbnail. I had been prepared to work with it, but then Valerio reconsidered this pose. They are both Italian, but this cold weather scene was from their time in Columbia, SC a year or two prior to moving to Miami. It was a big file, but also it had the potential to be adapted to a Figurines like composition with no background. The dark values of the workout clothing also interested me. Gadū is obviously a very fluffy dog. I realized that I would have a good time being painterly with the fur; but I was concerned that the dog's very light natural markings might not be defined enough. The framing of the dog by the much darker crossed legs meant that I could keep the values of the fur closer to natural.

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The execution went much the way that I anticipated. Whenever I accept a commission one of my main worries is that my natural work process may make the subject seem less attractive than anticipated. Many a subject and a close friend has noted a tendency toward this outcome over the years. Fair point. Florencia is a more attractive woman than this rendering of her might suggest. The facial area is somewhat small so there is not much chance for closeup detail. My goal had been to simply make her recognizable. The nearby presence of the more chaoticly  rendered wool hat perhaps drew attention from this as a facial portrait. I think the fluffy fur and the way that I committed fully to the painterliness I anticipated tends to steal the show. The running shoes are full of features that I would have loved to capture in a bit more detail; but alas, it was just not possible. The ribbing on the leggings and the drape of the Juicy Couture sweat suit were some of my favorite parts. In fact I even dedicated no small amount of time to making sure the trademark  J was visible on the zipper pull. Valerio had initially been a bit puzzled by the lack of background; but he seemed to have been somewhat reassured that this composition was kind of my signature style. Indeed it is.