In 2008, after a decade of ignoring my creativity & trying to fit in with super-serious professional intellectuals, I finally gave in to the urge to paint Ralphie, our 20 pound cat. (paint his portrait, not him. He’s not into that.) Once I finished with him, I immediately moved on to Maisy, my rescue dog. 200 or so pet portraits later, I’m proud to have donated 20% of each commission to Out of the Woods Animal Rescue in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 2010, I painted Ron Burgundy (not that Ron Burgundy) a cat who thought we needed rescuing. He showed up on our doorstep and refused to leave until we let him in. He reminds us all the time how lucky we are to exist in his presence.

Because my life was not crazy enough with a full-time job, a partner, a dog and two cats, we decided to adopt. Children, this time. We added three handsome young men to the family last fall and it is hard to remember what it was like before they arrived. Although I do have a vague recollection of something called “peace and quiet”. I don’t remember what it actually is, because it is too loud to think of it, but I remember the theory of it.

In the evenings and on weekends, when I don’t have to wear matching clothes or make sense, between homework time and dinner and listening to little boys learning to read, I am painting more than ever. In addition to pet portraits, I love painting places and things that people connect to emotionally, with my own quirky twist and brightly saturated color. Your childhood home, a family business, the restaurant where you had your first date, or a seashell to remind you of family vacation… I love painting things that serve as a reminder of good memories.

These days I’m more inspired than ever, in large part due to the amazing capacity for unconditional love I discovered as my heart expanded to include each new member of my family as they came along.