This plate originates from a drawing of my very first Bouvier, the precious puppy Keya (Chiaroscuro) in the lap of my roommate Lynn. Keya died far too young, thus becoming The Eternal Invisible Puppy in my personal trinity. So here she is translated into an iconic image.
I'd intended the background to be a much darker chiaroscuro, in the manner of Rembrandt, with the human "Madogna" wearing a Raphael red upper garment and a Vermeer blue skirt. However the glazes did something quite different from what the sample tiles had led me to expect. The result however is very pleasing , more so than this photo shows, giving the effect of holy illumination. The figures appear to be floating in air, which adds to the mystical effect.
 
To see the original sketch for this plate, see below. To see the original drawing of Keya and Lynn see Keya on Lynn's lap (with photo from which it was drawn) and to see the ceramic plate from that drawing see Keya and Lynn plate