It has killed me to not post about this painting for the past week!! For those of you who are new to my world, I love dogs. I've always had dogs and will always have them in my life. Just how I'm wired. Around the beginning of this year, I began to realize that our dog, Sabaka, a fluffy lab/retriever mix who we had had for 12 years, was beginning to really slow down with her age. I realized that she wouldn't be with us a whole lot longer, and began to think about the next dog we'd add to our family. I also decided that I didn't want to wait; I wanted to overlap dogs so we would never have that dreaded 'gap' of no dog. So, I began to dream, pulling Marc in on those dreams (he loves dogs, too, but probably could survive without one; he is of heartier stock than I).

Sabaka was about 65 pounds and when I said she was fluffy, that was an understatement! She had a very thick double coat worthy of the Russian Steppe! In my 1500 square foot house with a brown area rug (yeah, it would be white from time to time depending on my laziness with the vacuum). She was a lovely dog, though. Loved all of us and was an easy keeper. But after all of that hair, I was really ready to downsize to a nice, small, short haired dog. I was thinking pug, or I'd sacrifice the short hair part for a Pekingese, but Marc didn't want a dog that sounded like a pig, nor did he want a 'girlie dog'. Secretly, he has always held a torch for Boston Terriers. So I began to look at that breed as I also watched the dog shelter where I work for an appropriate small dog who coincidentally could handle a very grumpy old lady (Sabaka wasn't so into other dogs). There was a slight problem, though. Every time a dog came through that I thought might work, he or she would be adopted within 5 minutes of my shift ending! I wasn't' about to adopt a dog without my family and dog meeting him/her, so I found that the shelter wasn't a great option for our situation.

So I asked the behaviorist who works at the shelter if she could recommend a reputable Boston breeder. And she pointed me to Judy Brooks of Brooks Burnt Ridge Boston Terriers (http://www.brooksburntridgebostonterriers.com/index.html). I read Judy's website, looked at her dogs and gave her a call, thinking I could get more information and maybe get on a list for a future puppy. What started as an information-seeking call became a 90 minute chat and an invitation to come meet a puppy named 'Freddie' who she happened to have from a litter of 8! He sounded like he would fit into our family well, so on a snowy northwest March day, we drove 2 hours down to Onalaska, WA to check this little guy out.

We brought Freddie home that day! And he became my beloved Truman, subject of this painting.

After a few months, Sabaka lost her life to lung cancer. It broke Marc's heart to pieces and left a hole in our family that I didn't realize we'd have if she died. Truman became a picky eater as Sabaka would regulate his mealtimes by eating her meal while he watched, then leaving a morsel of food in her bowl for him which he'd eat and then begin his own meal. Without her steady presence, he was so lost! I thought he'd starve!

So I began thinking about adding a second dog, another Boston. Marc and I mulled this over for a while until we decided it would be a good thing--Truman needed another dog, and he and the girls needed a dog who would love them as Truman only has eyes for me. So I called up Judy again as she had a litter of puppies due who would be ready to go home in the fall. Then as summer progressed, Judy decided it was time to retire (a move that I hope is temporary) and so she would have a couple of her adults available to special homes. I emailed her to let her know I was fine with a pup or with an adult as I just want the right dog for our family. She let me know that Peggy Sue, Truman's mom, would work well for us, and I was just so honored to be considered for one of Judy's adults!

Long story short, I wanted to surprise Judy with a painting of a Boston. I know it was so hard for her to let Peggy Sue go to another family, and I wanted to give her something personal to thank her for allowing us to take home such a great girl!

So that is why I couldn't share the process of this painting last week--I picked up Peggy Sue with the family on Sunday and handed over the painting that now holds a proud place in Judy's home!

Interesting tidbits about that painting: I didn't use a stitch of black. I just used Pthalo Blue, an yelow umber of some kind (can't remember the exact name), Alizarin Crimson and some Titanium White for whiskers and such. I had the most fun just sketching it with my paintbrush, and acrylics worked very well for this project for their quick drying time. I wanted to acpture the frisson these dogs have around them, that undefinable energy and movement. Using the colors and techniques I did was very satisfying and created a different type of dog portrait that has gotten a lot of initial praise.

So that's my story--hope you like the painting as much as Judy and I do!