This is a pastel piece done from a photo they took on her son's wedding day. That is the bride's bouquet that the dog is munching on. Sweet.
I have often done portraits of people/pets that are no longer with us. The saddest one I did was of a young father and his 2 year old son sitting on his lap. The father was murdered in a drive by-shooting while at a McDonalds in California many years ago.
My mind raced into many scenerios behind that portrait the entire time I worked on it.
The second saddest was a portrait of a grown son that had committed suicide.
I hope my work brought some sense of peace to the people I did it for.