Over the Rainbow . . .

On June 16, 2022, we had to say goodbye to our beloved dog Apollo. Unknown and causing no symptoms, there was a tumor growing on his liver and it ruptured--leaving him in serious medical distress. It was very sudden and very shocking. In a span of less than 4 hours, we had a dog. . . and then we didn't. We are so sad and grieving the loss of seeing him running around in the yard, his tags jingling, having him greet us at the door where he had been waiting patiently for us to come home, sitting out on the deck with us enjoying the sunshine, and many other cherished and funny things too numerous to mention here, yet known to those who loved him very much. He was our companion for 11 years, and we are so thankful and lucky that he became a part of our family. A while ago, I took this photograph of him in our backyard, laying in the grass under the shade of the maple tree. I printed it in black and white with the intention of hand coloring it at some point later in the summer. And then sadly,"later" ran out of time. So now in his memory, I finished the artwork, and changed the usual hues of green grass to show instead, that his beautiful little soul is now running free, somewhere over the rainbow. R.I.P Apollo Bear--you will be in our hearts 4EVER.

In honor of Apollo, the blog post this month will pay homage to the many dogs that have come before him in other pieces of art. Throughout time, artists have used dogs as the subject matter in their artwork, in everything from ancient cave paintings to modern, avant-garde sculptures. Some of these dogs have even become famous! Below are just a few of my favorites, but there are many more out there to see if you are interested(click here). Enjoy the artwork, and while doing so, perhaps you will honor and remember a dog that added laughter and joy to your own life as well.