b'Growing up, I never had a dog, even though I had always wanted one. I would donate my allowance to the Humane Society, and often took in stray cats. Dozy was myYou Take Care hamster, whom I adored. In my 20s I lived in Manhattan and had a goldfish that I took on the train with me to Longof the Packing,Island to visit my parents. I was afraid to leave him without food for two days. Imagine seeing a young woman sitting on the train with a goldfish bowl on her lap. That was me. Well Take CareThe Studio Where Works of Arf is Created I work in my basement studio. Its window overlooks a well that is homeof Your Pets.to a family of frogs that, no joke, just stare at me while I paint. They make me laugh every time I look up to see them staring at me. The walls are covered with my paintings of dogs, cows, bunnies, birds, sheep and landscapes. Music is always on while I paint. Depending on the mood, Ill listen to anything from country to alt 80s and 90s, or current indie and alternative. The Chicks, Wilco, REM, Beck, Goose, LCD Soundsystem and Phish are all in heavy rotation. Favorite things on my desk include a device to keep my brushes clean, and help them keep their shape so they last longer. Its basically a mason jar with linseed oil. A sponge sits at the top of the jar and holds the brushes upright in the oil. Something else very special to me also sits in the jar. Its a magic wand that my daughters used when they played dress up as little girls. They are 17, 20 and 22 now. The Process There are always several pet commissions Im working on at the same time. I also take commissions for landscape, so there are several of those as well. In addi-tion, I donate a few commissions a year to fundraisers for local rescues. Animal welfare and advocacy are extremely important to me and Im thrilled that I can use my art to help rescues and shelters in some way.Since 1977, Air Animal has safely relocated I try and paint almost every day. But first, the dogs expect breakfast promptly at eight oclock. Then well goover 150,000 animals globally for more for a walk or Ill catch a class at the gym. Working on mythan 60,000 families.art in three hour blocks is the sweet spot for me. Any longer and I start to get a little loopy and make bad decisions likeOur services range fromoverworking a painting. Alla prima, the style in which I Residential Pickup and Deliverywork, means at first attempt in Italian. Some paintings Airport Check-in/Pick-upwill be entirely finished in a three hour block while others Ground Transportation Servicesmight need a few more hours or a few adjustments. I always International/Domestic Airline Cargo Serviceswork while the paint is still wet to keep a fresh, expressive look that doesnt look overdone. My paintings are realistic International Pet Health Certificatesbut they have expressive brushwork. Working alla prima Inbound Customs Clearance/CDC Assistancekeeps it that way. My favorite colorsare blue and orange for sure. BluesVisit AirAnimal.com to start your pets journey, are oftengreat background colors for my portraits. And Iwhether its across country or around the world.love to tone my canvas with burnt sienna, which is a richTampa Office. orange that will come through in a painting. 813.879.3210 Artists Whose WorkI AdmireOneofmyfavorite working artists is Carol Marine. Her paintings are so fresh@AirAnimalPetand really have acapturing-a-moment vibe. I also adore British artist Gary Bunt, who, sadly, passed away earlier this year. He had a beautiful way of capturing the special rela-tionship between humans and dogs.Continued on page 46 gwww.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER45'