How do you want to be remembered? As someone who knows all the answers to the questions posed on Jeopardy? As the top student in your class? As the person who conquered cancer? Animals don't possess the "luxury" of lofty human ambition but then again, I don't really think they care about things like that! They simply co-exist with us, smiling those silly smiles of wisdom and wagging their tails (for those that
have tails!) and letting us know that, at any moment and for any reason...we can have instant companionship and understanding...
for free! And what could be the best way to remember them when they're gone? Well, that depends upon the options you have available, now doesn't it?
I'm an artist, and though my sense of luxury may differ greatly from the next persons', I prefer to work with what I have available in order to commemorate someone's life or their passing. With my drawings
I try to capture those special moments in a kind of mystic amber called graphite.
Roxie was a Tibetan mastiff owned by friends in a nearby complex. I met her one day quite by accident while walking Jasmine who invariably pulled me toward her door. We met and she decided I must be alright since I like furry people so much. I had been working on some ideas for a children's book I wanted to draw...a book about a crazy dog living under a palace in Palermo, Sicily. I had several story and character elements floating around in my head with no particular thread to pull them together...and then Roxie helped me find the common thread I was searching for...
she would be the Prince's exotic dog! By introducing
her as a character crucial to the plotline, I could pull together the crazy black lab named princess Jasmine and the wise little mouse named Topo, and she could help plot and supervise their scheme! Perfect! Over the past year, Roxie was our houseguest when her owners were traveling, sometimes for a day, sometimes for a week. She became as important to Jasmine in real life as she was in the books' storyline. Perfect.
Roxie decided that today was the day to meet our 'ol buddy Chaos, on the Rainbow Bridge. She was 14 years old, which is quite an achievement I'm told for a Tibetan mastiff to attain. She lumbered slow from age but had a calm and sweet demeanor that made it imperative you hug her every time you saw her...then she'd look you in the eye as if to tell you you're crazy yourself, but she never seemed to mind the hugs! She had a small topknot of fur on her forehead caused by a small growth but I thought it gave her charm and elegance....something I decided to exploit in my renderings of this beautiful animal. She appears in (roughly) 15 of the 75 illustrations that comprise my book and I've tried to capitalize on her body language and eyes to tell her portion of the story best!
This is the only tribute I can give to you, Roxie...it's made of graphite, paper, and warm, vibrant memories of love. In my book and in my heart, you'll always live on. I hope you like
my tribute to your life. Grazie!
Risposa in pace, mi amica!
