Alley - My first animal pastel

When we first moved to the Eastern Shore, my husband bought a riding lawn mower and seemed to enjoy getting out there and cutting the grass.  Then there was a proliferation of bumper stickers that seemed to appear everywhere that said things like "I'd rather be sailing".  I think he took those literally and soon we had hired someone else to mow (and we even gave our mower away!).

We have had our current lawn care guy for quite a while now and have gotten to know his family - and his dogs. I always look forward to Jason dropping by with his truck - usually with beautiful golden retrievers in the back seat. The dogs are always well behaved and adorable.  I admit it, I have a soft spot for goldens - particularly Alley and River.

This past summer we were given the sad news that Alley had died.  She was 13 years old and had been Jason's companion since she was a pup. A week or so after her death I got a phone call from Kellee, Jason's wife, asking if I would paint a picture of Alley. She wanted to give it to Jason for his birthday. I was very flattered, but was a little hesitant since I had never painted a dog before. (I had done a watercolor of a niece of Jason's and Kellee knew about that painting.)

I told her that I would give it a try and we would see how it went.  She sent me some pictures that she had of Alley and I also had taken some for another project.  I studied the photos for awhile and began the project wondering how I was ever going to be able to do this.

After working on the painting for a couple of days, I was amazed (and continue to be amazed) at how it turned out. It was one of those challenges that totally surprised me. I love it!

I have waited to post about this until Jason had the painting in hand. I am told that it now hangs in his house.  So Happy Birthday, Jason. We all miss Alley.