About this artwork

'Bravado' features my dog Harriet carrying a stag’s antler. It was inspired by the tradition of a stag’s antler symbolising God’s blessing or protection. The oak leaves are used to represent bravery. I tried to capture Harry’s spirit and energy in this piece – she had boundless energy and enthusiasm for life. I was working on this when Harry was in her final months – she was happy, but too frail to run around like this anymore. I used a stock photo (full license purchased) to get the orientation of her body, then filled in the details of her features and fur by drawing her as she slept at my feet. All other elements of the picture were collected, photographed, and sketched at various times – the oak leaves on one of Harry’s final walks, the antler from deer in the garden of our old house, and the distant triple spires of Lichfield Cathedral (bottom right) on one of the first walks I took without her. This drawing was made using a 0.1mm technical pen and ink, on Arches Aquarelle watercolour paper.