Every year I get a few super challenging projects and every time I'm delighted to see if I can accomplish the difficult task that my new client has described. For this one, my client was such a joy to work with and had so much enthusiasm and love for the subjects that I couldn't help but put all of my creative muscles to work.

I was sent a picture of our lovely subject, Skiddles, who was a beloved rescue cat that had recently passed away. I was also tasked with adding the hand of his momma in a comforting gesture and her lovely fingernails, rings and tattoo, which are her distinguishing characteristics.

As you can see from the reference photos above, I had a great photo of Skiddles and her hand, but not in the right position. So I pulled out my grandkids stuffed animals, used my own hand and got the reference photo I need. Now I only had to make my hand look like hers.

Pulling all these elements together was a challenge, but that's my favorite thing to do. If I can't take some photos and make them into a beloved artwork, then I'm not doing my best work.

Daniele, i'm so blown away by how beautiful this is. It's literally perfect. Somehow without Skids smiling, you know that he is happy. Her hand is so perfect. It's honestly perfect even down to the pattern of the couch she was sitting on. I've never been more excited to give a gift to someone. I can't wait to tell her about our little journey together to make this happen.
– Ian