Dobby with the Pearl Earring

Acrylic and digital, 2022

When the Getty Museum challenged the world to recreate paintings in their homes at the height of lockdown, I too became obsessed with finding household materials to photograph my dogs in. Girl With The Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer was an obvious choice since it’s one of my favorites, and Dobby just so happened to radiate a bashful yet elegant glow that day. I scrounged around the house for linens, scarves, and anything that resembled a giant pearl, knowing that finding the materials needed would be the easy portion of the project. Bribing Dobby with many treats to hold still while dressed in layers of laundry was easier said than done, but upon completion was by far the funniest photograph I’ve ever manufactured. I realized I needed to take it one step further and memorialize the moment in paint. It has since become my favorite piece. I hope it brings you as much joy as it brings me, as I get a little chuckle each time I get a glance of it on my dining room wall.