Hey dads, it's often hard to think of a way to step up your Mother's Day gifting, but don't worry, I've got your back. Custom pet portraits of your dog or cat or other fluffy critters are an excellent way to out-do yourself in the gift giving department. This one is an 8x8" custom painting of a Shih Tzu boy named Murphy. His dad sent me a bunch of great photos to work with and gave me some pointers and requests regarding ways to portray this little guy in a way that his family would love.  It was great fun to work on this, and hope the family enjoys their painting for many years to come. Good luck outdoing that next year.
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This girl lived a wonderful life, to the age of 16. Her portrait was commissioned by an art dealer, and was based on a photo taken while in London. Many well-loved dogs seem to smile, but this dog really seemed to always be smiling in a very real way. I hope I captured her joyous nature. Her portrait now resides in Las Vegas with her owner who misses her greatly.

A gentleman from Tokyo reached out to me a few years ago to paint an 8x10" of his yellow lab dog as a memorial for his family and their loss.  More recently, he again let me know that both of his French bulldogs had passed away, some time apart, and he asked me to paint them together on an 8x10" canvas. 

Since shipping them to Japan, I have wondered how the family displayed these paintings ultimately, and recently he posted an image of this as a comment on another painting of mine shown on Facebook, and I thought this was an excellent way to see these paintings in his home. 

It's no surprise that many college freshmen are moving away from pets they love at the end of every summer, and living in an unfamiliar place. Many times, I hear of students feeling sad to leave a pet they've raised for many years, and it's one more thing to make the student sad about leaving home.

A custom painted pet portrait is great way to remind them of home and the family pet they leave behind. This example is an 8x10" canvas (which I painted with school colors in mind) will be framed and hung in a dorm room this fall! I've also created other sizes made to sit on bookshelves and desks as well.

When you go to decorate your freshman's dormitory room, make sure to have a little bit of home in view as part of the decor.

Pet owners know that leaving your pets at home, whether you're at work or away on day trips or longer vacations can interfere with your dog's schedule and cause a little stress and anxiety around the house for everyone.  Dogs benefit greatly from someone they know coming to check on them, take them for some activity and exercise, and getting some proper stimulation. Behavior, health, potty schedules and general  contentment are greatly improved with some attention during the day or while you're away traveling. 

I know the people at Dog Gone Spoiled quite well and can endorse them fully with great confidence! Visit their web page here https://doggonespoiledok.com/services or go to their Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/doggonespoiledok​

They will care for your dogs in nearly any situation, rain or shine, and will for sure care for your dogs as if they were their own family! 

This is Opie. He's painted on an 8x8" canvas, and was given as a gift from parents to a daughter in memory of their beloved family dog who lost his life from a snakebite. Such as sad story! and I just hope that this dog's pet portrait is a pleasant reminder of the great life that Opie lived with a family that cared so much for him.

I was asked to paint a portrait of Stella, a big black and white dog on a small canvas. One of my favorite sizes to work on, 6x8". Working on smaller items reminds me how I enjoy zooming in to work on the details so much. Really enjoyed working on this painting for a very nice family.

While many individuals ask for custom painted pet portraits for any number of reasons, by far one of the most popular is for a gift, often from a wife to a husband or the other way around. Searching for the perfect gift idea has always been a lot of pressure for me personally, and I'm pleased to be able to provide something of joy and value to anyone looking for an unforgettable unique gift.  

The paintings featured here are both gift items, one from a groom to his new bride as a wedding gift. The other is a gift from a husband to his wife to complete their set of pet portraits already hanging in their house.

New custom art is a tremendous way to give a couple something to feature in their new house together, to enjoy their living space and show their love for a pet. Don't you think? If interested in a perfect gift like this for your loved one, your parent, your teenager or anyone special in your life, contact me and I will help you out!

 This little fella belongs to a couple in the Tulsa area, and he is a vivacious, fun, and slightly wild family member. His custom dog portrait was requested by the husband looking for a gift for his wife, who is just crazy about this dog. He's painted on 11x14 inch canvas. 
None of the pictures I got after I finished are particularly good photos, but this will give you a pretty good idea how it turned out. Be sure to notice how the different light sources affect the photo, especially in the dark areas of his fur.

Don't hesitate to contact me about painting your pet. All you have to do is send me an email at markgmoad@gmail.com.  I can help you get the perfect gift figured out for your friend or loved one, in a budget that works for you. So many sizes and varieties to work with, you will find the perfect gift size for sure. Painted pet portraits have been an excellent gift for a lot of situations.

My customers have given these artwork surprises as gifts for:
• Valentine's Day gift (true love, I'm telling ya!)
• Mother's Day gift
• Father's Day gift
• One year wedding anniversary 
• 20 year anniversary gift
• Housewarming gifts, moving in to a new home
• Wedding gift, from a husband to a wife
• Wedding gift from a friend to a couple
• Thank you gift from a young mom to her nanny
• Memorial gift, after pet has passed
• Birthday gifts
• Gift for an elderly mother moving to assisted living
• Of course Christmas gifts too!

...and many more occasions. A good number of paintings have been for a friend or spouse or parent upon the loss of a beloved pet. A gift of a painted dog or cat picture certainly does not completely smooth something like that over, but everyone has said it's a big help.