Painting compassion at KD Gala

A mom dropped into Birdsong Studio yesterday with her two young daughters.  Their excitement inspired Coco in a way that I've only seen a few other times.  By the time they left, his little heart was beating a mile a minute.  He had a very snuggly, peaceful reaction to a different family that came by later in the day.

My guess is that he picks up the energy of whoever drops in and responds to it.  Dogs have a special ability to connect with people in a way that is truly fun to watch.  I think it was with these recent experiences in my heart that I selected my subject for the Centre of Hope's KD Gala.

In previous years of painting at this event, I've honoured patrons who had passed away and were missed.  This year, I wanted to express caring, compassion, connection and love in a representative way and see where it takes me.

This image leaped out at me. 

No matter our circumstance in life, all humans deserve to love and be loved.  I'm exited to create a new work that can remind us of that unalienable truth.