Where Angels Dwell

It is not known precisely where angels dwell -
whether in the air, the void, or the planets.
It has not been God's pleasure
that we should be informed of their abode.
Voltaire

However you celebrate the holiday season, please take a moment to give thanks for the angels in your life. We are each blessed in so many, countless ways. In this most magical time of year, I'm wishing you every comfort and joy.

Heartbeat

My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet.
Edith Wharton

Just Fetching

Thank you to the all the lovely Richmonders who attended Fetching Art Night at Glave Kocen Gallery. It's a wonderful thing to think of all the families who can love their pets a little longer ... another month, year, 5 years ... as a direct result of your generosity. I've always thought that animal lovers are a blessed group: innately kind with hearts as big as a cloudless sky.

Thank you to Joey and Melissa Stanley for their tireless coordination of the event, to Michael at Row House Soaps for the custom frames he made specifically for my images, to the great group at Fetch A Cure, to the talented vendors, and to the whole group at Glave Kocen for being such incredible hosts.

If you weren't able to stop by, here's a little peek into what you missed. I had so much fun with these images. My models were incredible to work with and allowed me unlimited creative freedom. I am so grateful to them.

As an animal lover, myself, I believe in this cause and want to keep the giving going. So, these five images will be available for sale for perpetuity, with 30% of each sale going directly to Fetch A Cure. They are generously sized and printed on Hahnemuhle fine art paper. And if you're in the market for a one-of-a-kind handmade frame to make your image sparkle, I can deliver that, too. Michael uses reclaimed wood from historic row houses in Church Hill, some of which dates back to the 1800s. He's a true craftsman ... and a true supporter of the cause because he has lent his heart to a dog of his own.

I don't know where we'd be without the unconditional love of our pets. There are thousands of ways to love them back ... one of which is to keep donating to great organizations like Fetch A Cure.

Save the Date!

Save the date for Fetch a Cure's unique animal lovers' event! Fetching Art Night is a collaboration of animal-inspired art from local and national artists to benefit canine cancer research. For an evening of fine art, good spirits and saving lives, stop by!

Friday, April 30th
5-10 pm

Glave Kocen Gallery
1620 W. Main St.
Richmond, Virginia 23220

For more information, call 804.525.2193 or send an email to info@fetchacure.com.

Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of India, proudly beaming over her Blue Great Dane, Charlton. He's only 7 months old and he already has bragging rights to some wall space in Glave Kocen Gallery. Although, try not to feel sorry for him, since he really isn't loved very much.

Not one bit.

The Hour of Separation

God's finger touched him, and he slept.
Lord Alfred Tennyson

And my heart broke open.

My Funny Valentine

My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable
Yet you're my favorite work of art.
Rodgers & Hart

I have the sweetest Valentine this year. With the most fitting name.

Meet Bloom. In August, we adopted him from a rabbit sanctuary in Maryland. He came with the adorable name, and the even more adorable ears. We decided to adopt a second rescue rabbit as a companion for Nibby, and I fell in love with this little bachelor through his online profile. Not only is he categorically handsome, but he has a story that broke my heart. And, like all pets with a past, he deserves so much more.

He's serious, yet funny. Really funny. And smart, and devoted. And small enough to hide in your shoe.

And incredibly difficult to photograph.

I had big plans for his photographic reveal. But, as any pet photographer knows, plans don't mean much when your subject's mind is completely id-ridden, impervious to any attempts at rapport through the lens. In fact, for a majority of the session, Bloom was preoccupied with whether the shutter was going to eat him. Needless to say, Bloom took my creative plans and metaphorically shredded them with his teeny, tiny teeth. It would have been easier to photograph a four-generation family of 25 in matching denim-on-denim at noon on Christmas Day. After all, they wouldn't tear down your background or put their feet on your lens.

But, I'm slowly learning that the best rewards take time. Sometimes, you have to wait. And try again. And the waiting teaches you patience. Bloom had to wait 5 years for the sweet life; I suppose I can wait a little longer for the photographs I've planned. His story, told over time, is perhaps even sweeter.

Happy, happy Valentine's Day ... especially to those who are waiting, or who have had to wait. Try on a little bit of patience, for your sweet life is just around the corner.

SPeCiAl Dog

Joey Stanley has a new job. Although he has fully enjoyed the good life of a kept dog, now it's time for him to go to work as the new mascot for the Richmond SPCA. And with such an important title, it became necessary for Joey to get some new headshots. Maybe even a new portfolio. Melissa, Joey's mom, asked if I was interested. Would I do it?

Yes. Unequivocally yes.

I consider myself one of the lucky ones. One of those lucky human beings that is able to look into an animal's eyes and know that their love is important; more exists than what we see.

Melissa is another one of the lucky ones. Eleven years ago, she was on call as a surgery tech at Virginia Tech's vet school when Daisy, a one-year old lab, came in at 3 am for a c-section. Melissa remembers calling her dad at 4 am for $350 because she was a starving student and had fallen in love with a newborn puppy.

Joey lives a charmed life. When he was young, he hung around the vet school where he was born, cheering up the animals recuperating there. He grew up munching on carrots with guinea pigs and chinchillas, watching them play ring-around-the-rosy through his legs. He goes for hikes, swims in Virginia's cool mountain lakes, and takes long car rides in Melissa's convertible for no reason other than to smell the wind. He visits Chesapeake Bay to swim and play with the fish and crabs his grandpa catches. And he loves, loves, loves the Doggie Sundae at Bruster's Real Ice Cream.

Slurrrrrp.

Joey, also, is one of the lucky ones. Several years ago, they discovered he had skin cancer. They found 8 melanomas that had to be surgically removed. After an uncomfortable recuperation, Joey recovered fully and was back to his normal doggy self. Then, he started to have unexplained nosebleeds and extreme sneezing attacks that forcefully bounced his nose off the floor. The tears that rolled down his cheeks after his violent sneezes intermingled with Melissa's. He lost interest in his favorite things (swimming) and just wanted to sleep all day; soon after, he was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma in his nose. Thanks to Melissa and her dream team of veterinarians, Joey is now back to swimming and smelling the world again from the back of a convertible. He no longer has a wet, rubbery nose, but he still lives up to Melissa's pet name for him: Handsome. She reminds him of his nickname daily. In case he doubts.

At the age of 11, Joey is in remission and is a 2-time cancer survivor. He's kind of a big deal.

And, now he's employed. His primary job responsibility as the SPCA's mascot is to remind us all of SPCA's guiding principle: Every life is precious. Regardless of pedigree, illness, disability or the size of one's nose, all animals have endless amounts of love to give, and they deserve all that love right back.

Other than her immediate family members, Joey earns the title of Melissa's longest committed relationship. Do you think she loves him?

Mmmm - pretty sure.

Do you think he loves her?

Yes. Unequivocally yes.

The Secret of Life

I saw a couple of reminders this week to remember the small things. Like a weekend morning latte for us . . .

. . . with chicory . . .

. . . and breakfast in bed for the smallest Hopper. When dandelion greens are in season, and you happen to be a rabbit, and your parents serve you breakfast on 400 thread count sheets, life is good.

You Are Missed

So very, very missed.

Suddenly Upon Happiness

I love - absolutely love - photo contests. It may be the challenge of a creative assignment, the endless possibilities on the table (how to pick just one?), or maybe it's the potential of winning - or a combination of all three - that inspires me to create an image that never would have existed otherwise. Last week, Nichole Van, an extraordinarily talented photographer and the source of much of my inspiration, announced a photo contest to celebrate the launch of her new website, Flourish:

"When I designed Flourish, I really looked to art nouveau for my inspiration. I wanted something that was organic and flowing, like William Morris wallpaper or Pre-Raphaelite art. So I developed and used design elements from that period in order to create the site.

So, I would like this contest to be about Flourish, more about the feeling of the site rather than the actual elements of it. For this contest, I'm envisioning organic, emotional images. These images can be vintage or not, can have textures or not, can have people in them or not ... you get the idea. It's more about capturing the emotion of it here, rather than any one particular style. Interpret it how you will!"

With my entry, I focused on the organic elements of Art Nouveau rather than the element of abstract, curvilinear lines. (Click here for a quick tutorial of Art Nouveau.) My subject, Miss Nibblesworth, is our second rescue rabbit, found on last year's tax day after someone released her into our neighborhood. (Presumably when she ceased to be an Easter novelty and the realities of pet ownership began to set in.) My entry is entitled She Seemed To Come Suddenly Upon Happiness. A fitting title for the image, but even more fitting for how we met her.