Sometimes they're the first child and sometimes they're the last. But however and whenever they join the family, they are still just that... family. Pet portraits are sometimes overlooked. It's so easy to feel like these furry faces will always be by our sides. Life gets busy, and they're our constant companions. It feels like we'll always have them, and if life was fair, we would...

So when a close friend of this sweet boy's family asked me to create something special of him for a gift, I knew a charcoal heirloom portrait painting was the answer. My goal was to create a portrait that showed his beauty, loyalty and unconditional love for his humans. At his photography session in Wake Forest, this gentle giant stole my heart and gifted all of us this amazing piece of art. 

Toby the Golden Retriever, in charcoal...