7.21.2011

With a heavy heart...



For anyone who has followed my blog and my art career through the years, you know that my sweet dog Ella served as an unending source of joy and inspiration. Last month she passed away quietly and without pain in my arms in one of her favorite places in the world. We were together just short of 16 years. She saw both coasts of the United States, swam in both oceans. She canoed down the Brule River and sailed in Lake Superior. She had lots of friends. She had been the subject of much art. She was on CNN. She was, more than anything, loved immensely.

Last year I did a series entitled “It’s a Closed System”, and it focused primarily on dealing with what I knew was inevitable. You can view it here

I think Ella will probably continue to pop up in my art for the rest of my life; she will always be my favorite muse.

Image: Ella's 14th Birthday

4 comments:

Krissy said...

Oh, I'm so sorry, She looks like such a sweet, sweet dog.

Honeybee said...

It's hard to not love them so much when they have a body (a true "Velcro dog", as we called ours - stuck right to your side every minute) and soul like that. It's also hard not to miss them immensely when they've been such a wonderful companion. My sympathies.

Anisa said...

this is such a sweet photo.
you and ella are together forever and she's not far from you now.
much love!

J A Walsh said...

My heart is heavy for your loss. Ella was a fullfilled, wonder-filled champion, muse, dog-companion to you (I can tell).