When I was a young girl, I brought my dog Muffin with me wherever I could, ran to her to soothe my emotional upsets, and confided in her all of my deepest secrets. Never mind the cliché — she was my best friend.
To this day I remain in love with, and deeply connected to, dogs. Pooches, pups, mutts … call them what you will. These creatures’ individual personalities, rich histories, and unquestioning devotion to their human companions, inspire and thrill me.
As an artist, I am fascinated by the incredible variety of canine characteristics. Their differences in head shapes, body sizes, eyes, noses, jowls, ears, paws (not to mention facial expressions, temperament, and propensity for drooling) continually tickle and intrigue me.
I guess you could say I’ve been an artist pretty much from the time I could hold a pencil. My full-time painting career, however, didn’t start until I shared my life with an incredible being named Trucker. I do not have adequate space here to describe this brawny American Bulldog, but I submit the following: strong and confident, all chiseled muscle and bone, my fearless protector and bodyguard, Colonel Bighead, dignified, gentlemanly, a man’s man among dogs. Oh, to be fair, I will add incessant scrounge and avid chippie-chaser. Trucker was always by my side, even at my very first solo art exhibit. In 2007 my dear friend transitioned from this life leaving a permanent mark on my heart.
I currently share my life with a 100-pound American bulldog named Dozer and an incredibly supportive partner named Jim. When I am not in my studio, you will find me out and about in NH usually with a camera strapped around my neck looking for fascinating subjects to paint.
