I think I can be called a Dog Person. We've had many dogs over the years, mostly Shelties, but we've had Collies and a couple of mixed breeds as well. Both my husband and I love taking care of them, love living day to day with them. And I love working with them, seeing what I can teach them and finding out what they can teach me. We try to be responsible pet owners. Our pets are always neutered/spayed, micro-chipped, on leash when out, and supervised every time they go out in our fenced in back garden. We take them to Dog School and work with them at home because we want them to be good Canine Citizens. Just because we love our animals, doesn't mean that other people will, so we don't want super-exuberant dogs who leap at people in a frenzy of friendliness. But animals are not just pets for me. They are the inspiration for my art as well. I have always been attracted to their beautiful shapes, textures and colours. I have always loved watching the way they move and the way they interact. Over the years of having multiple pets, I've been fascinated to learn how they interact with each other, and I'm always intrigued, watching how they work out the little problems they come across in their day. It's a joy for me to paint these lovely creatures and so much fun to fit them into my genre paintings of life in the country.
I've been blessed to realize my dream of having a horse of my own. We had a marvelous little Morgan for 19 years. He taught me so much, and we had such wonderful adventures together. And our house has always had a cat too. As Colette said, "A house without a cat is not a home." For us, this is true. And do all our cirtters get along together? Of course. Our one major house rule is that we all must get along. Ours must be a Peaceable Kingdom, and somehow, give or take a minor spat or two now and then, it always is.
I've always loved animals, and from the time I was a little girl, I wanted to know more about them, to pet them, to understand how their minds worked, to learn how to work with them, and of course, how to draw and paint them. I've always been entranced by the sheer beauty of dogs, cats and horses. They are beautiful to look at, and they have a beautiful generosity of spirit and a sense of peace that shines out of them that speaks to so many of we humans. I know a lot of folks are puzzled by us wanting several animalsat a time in our daily lives, and I guess it boils down to, either you get it or you don't. Thank God we both do. We couldn't imagine our lives without them.
Cheers
Heather
www.heatheranderson-aniamalart.com
No comments:
Post a Comment