| Hello everyone,
I'd like to share a little, but somewhat lengthy, story with you. In March of 2011, I was approached by Amanda Kloski vet-tech and foster parent to Wall-E, the now-famous pup who survived euthanasia twice. She wanted to know if I would paint a portrait of him to help raise funds to build a new shelter that they are in desperate need of - part of the reason he was scheduled for euthanasia. After hearing the entire story, I thought, how could I say no? I was humbled by their request. It was also odd that just several days earlier I had read Wall-E's story, and like most stories involving our four-legged friends, it moved me in a profound way. If you are unfamiliar with Wall E-'s miraculous "tail" of survival, please see his story located here or his appearance on ABC's Good Morning America located here. |
I am sharing all of this with you because my portrait of Wall-E is now complete. I set aside close to three weeks of studio time to work exclusively on this piece and I am extremely proud of the finished work. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it was to keep this project under wraps for nearly two months and I am very excited to now share the piece with you. In capturing Wall-E's personality I decided to portray him in his forever home, relaxing on his favorite chair with a pillow that conveys his big heart and love for life. Next to him is a bouquet, again representing a "beautiful life", with a shamrock arranged above his head to symbolize his good luck as well as the real shamrock-like image on his behind (see his appearance on Good Morning America to see what I mean!). ~Your friend through art and for the animals, p.s. Please remember to use the Like and Tweet buttons on this page located here and help us spread the word about Wall-E's miraculous "tail" of survival.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT WALL-E'S AND HIS FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS |
It is with a heavy heart that I say good-bye to Elizabeth Taylor. She had a big heart and I feel honored to have worked with her – I will always remember her for that gift. As with many of my works, I try and do something good with them for charity. And, so was the case with the commission I did for her of her beloved canine companion, “Sugar”. Upon completing the painting, Elizabeth and I agreed to create a series of limited editions and have her and I sign them, donating a percentage of sales to Whispering Hope Ranch, an organization for special needs kids and animals. This camp is a wonderful place where kids and animals share in a healing and loving experience. May Elizabeth and Sugar be together again – our thoughts are with both of you.
