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The Dogs Behind the Art
My small screen mini doc debut with Touchvision...
Business, Collectors Corner, Commissioned Art, Helping out our 4 Legg..., My Candy Colored World, Pet Portraits, Press & Published ..., Process, The Dogs Behind the Art, VideoCommentWarning: You might need tissues (according to the folks on Facebook who watched it already). I am humbled and grateful to have had my work and message captured so beautifully by Enero J. Ray and Chad Fedler of Touchvision. This was edited down from a 40 minute interview with me as well as a visit from my client Claire and her pups Medi and Tula. We also took a field trip over to the new Urban Pooch Canine Training Center to get some footage of the new mural I designed. What a gift to have this tribute to my pups Izzy and Alice who were such an integral part of growing my art business and inspiring me to get involved with addressing the Homeless Pet situation so prevalent in our society.
Straight from the dog's mouth!
Pet Portraits, The Dogs Behind the Art, UncategorizedCommentA one of kind endorsement for my Custom Pet Portraits...thanks, Riggley![video width="320" height="568" mp4="http://anneleuck.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/MyTalkingPet.mp4"][/video]
Shrine:
My Candy Colored World, The Dogs Behind the ArtCommentIn the weeks since she has been gone, I seem to have amassed a 'shrine' to Alice: her clay paw print, an
envelope with clippings of her fur, her collar, her food bowl, the bone
photo/frame: a gift from Laura Nugent years ago, (she and Alice became fast friends after a week long
slumber party in our living room, when she stayed with us for a show), a
beautiful copper enamel heart condolence gift from Mary Laskey, and the
photo I took of us mounted on a resin frame, a suprise gift from another
artist friend, Juana Ryan. Oh, and that little pewter dog, I picked
that up years ago, it just represents her silly spirit. I still can't
bear to put away her dog bed, so that remains in my little
living room and I step around it twice a day when I open and close the
blinds. Her leash and harness still hang on the hook by the door. I
can't put the key in the door without thinking, she's not there waiting
for me. I'm really doing okay, but grief has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it. Yep, I really miss her...hug your doggies, if you have'm!
one life...
My Candy Colored World, The Dogs Behind the Art12 CommentsMy Sweet Alice
2004-2013
One life...a gazillion photos, countless drawings and paintings, boundless love and joy. So sad to tell you that Alice is no longer with me, but so grateful for having had her lovely spirit in my life. She brought a smile to the face of every person that had the good fortune to meet her!
Alice arrived at our front door on September 4, 2004 in the arms of a volunteer from Chicago Canine Rescue. Her whole litter had been found in an alley next to a dumpster...we had been talking about getting a 2nd dog and decided maybe a foster would be a good way to test it out. Izzy (10 at the time) was certainly not thrilled with this little gal that turned our house upside down, stole all of her toys and the attention - but in the end she was Izzy's ears and constant companion.
August 2011, Alice and I, the first night in our tiny new apartment. She was by my side through one of the biggest transitions of my life...can't imagine having gone through it, without her!
Christmas 2012 at Mom's up in Wisconsin. Alice had so much fun and she loved snow!
I took these last 3 photos with my phone a week before she died, she was
so adorable and peaceful sleeping in my bed. I had no idea they would
be the last ones of us together. By now, I'm sure she's busy tearing it
up in doggy heaven...so I won't say rest in peace, just run and play, my
sweet, silly Alice!
...missing my girl.
The Dogs Behind the Art3 CommentsMissing my sweet girl, Izzy...the dog that launched a thousand paintings, and even a few sculptures. I said goodbye to her a year ago today.
doggie drama...part 2
My Candy Colored World, The Dogs Behind the Art6 Comments....so on Saturday Alice went in for her follow up appointment at Roscoe Village Animal Hospital (see doggie drama...part 1)...while there, I mentioned to the vet that Gracie had been sick several times over the last 24 hours with obvious signs that she had chewed up and consumed 1/2 of a large, black 'extreme' kong. She said to keep an eye on her and play it by ear...within 2 hours of being back home, things coming out the other end indicated something more serious, so we took her in. They did an exam and xray and it was not good news - pieces of the kong were blocking her lower intestine. They sent us to the Animal Emergency Treatment Center on Belmont for immediate retrieval of what turned out to be the most expensive 3 pieces of kong we would ever see!
Luckily there were no complications and she is at home healing up, her incision is at least 8" long. No more kongs for Gracie, someone suggested deer antlers for pit mixes - got one and she loves it. Here are some photos from the 'canine infirmary': all the drugs for the 2 dogs and...oh yes, in the baggie are the 3 very pricey pieces of retrieved kong! (kind of strange though, only one was black the other two were tan colored...maybe her stomach acid bleached them?)
The staff at AETC were great, and they loved sweet Gracie (who looks much smaller than 60 pounds with that cone on her head). I was taken aback walking into their beautiful contemporary hopital to see all this vacant wall space - whose art do you think would go perfectly in this pet ER? (where people definitely need a reason to smile!) Could have outfitted the place if we had done a trade for the surgery!
doggie drama...part 1
My Candy Colored World, The Dogs Behind the ArtCommentI guess 'part 1' is not an accurate statement, the real drama started back in February with Alice having seizures, it was very scary to witness. I'm happy to say they are now under control with Potassium Bromide - her diagnois was Canine Epilepsy. Now that she's adjusted to the drugs she's been pretty much herself agian - with the exception of a little problem with one of her toes that has grown to be a bigger problem....the photos are from last week, I called it her Easter Paw, the i.v. bag was given to us as her official rain gear. She has now downgraded to a sock and 'whirlpool spa treatments' twice a day...these entail filling a rubber surgical glove with an anti-bacterial solution, inserting her paw and pumping on the fingers of the glove...and voila, the canine paw spa is born!
Stay tuned for Part II - it's a doozie...