I really got into painting dog portraits with our first dog Sally. I initially did our family portraits with Tim, myself, Sally and our two cats. From there I did other pieces with Sally in them to sell. Every time I put her in a piece of work, it would sell. Then people started asking me to draw their dogs. I guess it really began 10 years ago with the Doggie Art Festival. That was my first art show. Dogs inspire me to paint them. I love dogs. They’re so happy and carefree. I draw people too, but people are much more critical of the way they look in a drawn portrait. Dog owners LOVE having their dogs drawn and are usually very happy with the end product. Sophia will stay with me in my studio while I’m painting. She falls asleep on the rug in front of my art table and eventually ends up on her back all sprawled out, without a care in the world. My art studio also serves as my photography studio. However, I rarely photograph dogs, finding it too exacting and time-consuming for me. The studio is in the back of the house and was initially added as a sunroom. It’s surrounded by windows overlooking the backyard and when people come over during the day the comment is always “ Wow what great light!” Ironically, I usually work there at night due to a nine-to-five gig as a graphic designer. It’s my little sanctuary away from the world. It makes me very happy to be back there working on my art. Right now I have a few commissioned pieces I’m working on. I also took a charming little photo of Sophia on my cell phone that I’m going to develop into a painting. The most cherished item in my studio is a gift that my friend Bea gave me years ago. It’s a little silver clock shaped like an artists palette, with a little paint brush coming out of the finger opening and paint spots surrounding the face.
I was fortunate enough to visit Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, France. His water lily paintings were done there and when you see the breathtaking gardens he viewed from his windows, it was easy to see how he could wake up every morning and be inspired. Not to mention he was very business savvy—or like Andy Warhol: cool and way ahead of it. I always have art hanging at the House of Health near downtown Orlando. It’s my chiropractors office—he had it remodeled and asked if I'd like to display some of my art there. I said "you got a wall, I'll hang my art.” Also Bill Bennett Boot Camp in Orlando has a HUGE space with great walls and beautiful lighting. Why not? I also just recently showed at the 10th Annual Doggie Art Show in Winter Park. Coming home to Tim and the dogs is my way of unwinding. As sappy as that sounds they are my retreat from the world. Vodka doesn't hurt either.
Growing up, our home was like Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. we always had pets—dogs, cats, fish, birds, a possum and even a squirrel. I remember many of them, but Jessica or Jessie as she was called, stands out. She was a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix and was the best dog in the world—big but so gentle and sweet. One night my mom was home alone and Jessie was pacing where the windows faced the dark backyard, growling with that ridge of hair standing straight up on her back. Mom had never seen her act like this. She wasn’t barking, just growling and pacing. My mom went to the back door thinking Jessie needed to go out, turned on the back porch light that flooded the yard with light and there was a man standing about 10 yards from the house. Jessie, now barking very loudly, bounded past my moms legs through the open door, out into the back yard where the very surprised man turned and ran toward the high chain link fence. He barely got over it—the dog jumped up and grabbed his ankle and cuff, but he yelled, fell over the fence and ran off. Jessie barked and paced the fence until the police came. I thought it was brilliant how that Rhodesian never let the intruder know she was there until she was within striking distance. My desk is always cluttered with colored pencils, sticks of chalk, artists tape and a lot of chalk dust.
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