My cat was the first of many animals to pose for me; we were both ten.---That early oil portrait hangs in my bedroom today, a daily reminder of a loved one.

Animals, especially dogs and cats, have been my life's companions.--A moment comes when their beings need to be translated in paint to canvas.--I contract to do portraits of pets, striving to capture their expressions of love and loyalty.

The process of portraiture requires that I become acquainted with the pet in his/her environment, observe behavior and kinesics, interact and join in play activities. -

I sketch and take lots of photographs of the pet. -Only then do I feel prepared to capture the pet's Gestalt and place it into an ambiance of dreams/space/objects, a setting that I divine. -

I don't paint a pet.

I paint who a pet is. I paint what a pet dreams.