Olivia was my family's first dog. In 2005 while I was building our barn Jane told me she thought her father needed a companion, a dog. I told her it was not a good idea because I thought it was too much responsibility for her aging father. One day, while I was up framing the roof of the barn, She pulls into the driveway with her father and Olivia. Olivia was a rescued two-year-old American Fox Hound. Four days later Olivia was back, she was "too much responsibility for her father." Olivia moved in and was a member of our family for ten years.

Lilly came to us shortly after Olivia's passing. Lilly was a 12-week-old puppy when she arrived. She is a rescued Lab mix who loves chasing her cloth frisbee.

These portraits are 9 x 12 inches, acrylic paint on acid free mat board. They were done in November of 2017 as Jane's birthday present.

Emily was the beloved pet of my friend Mary who lives in Indiana. She had seen some of the portraits I had posted on Facebook. She messaged me and asked if I would do a portrait of Emily. This portrait is 11 x 15 inches, pencil and white acrylic paint on acid free mat board. 

This is my wife's retired show horse, Image. He was the first horse we purchased and was a five-year-old when we bought him. He was a member of our family for more than twenty years. Even in his retirement, he still followed her around the paddock like a puppy. I did this as a Christmas gift for my wife, Jane. This portrait is 14 x 17 inches, pencil and white acrylic paint on acid free mat board.

Kit Kat was a beloved family pet. I did this painting as a gift for my parents. I was looking for a pose where the cat was about to pounce or jump. What you don't see in this painting is my brother's hand holding one of her young kittens above her as I took pictures. This painting is 11 x 16 inches, watercolor on Arches cold press watercolor paper.

The Rough Legged Hawk in the first painting was found at the side of the road by my Cal Poly Graphic Design Professor, Bob Densham, as he drove to work. The bird had been hit by a vehicle overnight. Rigor mortis had set in and the bird was stuck in this pose. It took more than a year before permission was granted to have this endangered bird taxidermied and given to the university's Biology Department. The Art Deparment then "borrowed" it. The day we were to paint this beautiful creature, I got to my watercolor class early to make sure I had the best view. This painting is 24 x 16 inches, watercolor on Arches cold press watercolor paper.

The second painting is a Sparrow Hawk. I photographed this bird at a Renaissance Fair near St. Paul, where I lived for a short time after college. My father commissioned me to do this painting as a gift for my mother. This painting is 9 x 14 inches, watercolor on Arches cold press watercolor paper.