Adventures in Paint & Pastel
Posted on 3/20/2014 2:57:40 PM
By Sharon Will
4 Comments
This past week we had to say good-bye to our beloved golden retriever, Basil. The best and smartest dog ever! Actually, Basil was our daughter's dog. He lived & breathed for her, but being he did spend the first 6 years of his life with us before they left home together, he was a part of our hearts as well. My husband and I ranked 2nd in line of his affection, but we were ok with that. If you're not a dog person to begin with, I realize you won't get the grieving of a pet, or relate to the rich companionship they give to us, and that's ok. As I wouldn't be one to share to the fullest, someones football or golf passion, so we all have our "loves" in this world.
Basil only lived to 9 1/2 before becoming ill, yet ironically, we still have a pet turtle who I'm convinced is crossed with the Energizer Bunny, going on 34+ years! Dogs just don't live long enough and this turtle has out lived the lives of all our 3 goldens combined. The turtle, a Red-Eared Slider, came to us via the pet store. We were just married and couldn't have dogs in our apartment, so a pet turtle was the next best pet. I had them as a child and thought they were so cute, but they never lived long. We called turtle "Mr. Turtle", yet we learned later he was a she, so by then our daughter named her "Shelly." But she has always been Mr. Turtle to me!
"We Call Him Basil" 17.5 x 21 pastel.
The unique relationship between this golden retriever and the turtle was a bond like we've never seen. Mr. Turtle, as he grew would spend his warm weather days in a kid sized pool outside, where he swims, basks in the sun, catches & eats fish, etc. Basil had a unique affection for the turtle, as well as a respectful fear. Being careful to never step on her while in the pool, Basil would pick up each leg in harmonious synch with the turtles movement beneath him as he swam between his legs. It was like the canine equivalent of the Lord of the Dance - it was hilarious to watch. Basil, as all golden retrievers, absolutely loved the water and would catch the turtles feeder fish too. He'd catch, and spit them out, just stunning them enough to slow the fish down, so the turtle could then scoop them up.
The dogs watchful eye was always looking out for his turtle buddy. We'd let the turtle out on the grass and say to Basil "find turtle" and Basil would run around the yard until he found him, stop, and bark where he was every single time. We've seen Basil also stand between the pool & another dog to protect his turtle. My favorite was seeing them often greet each other (pictured). The turtle would reach his head out of the water, as Basil reached down to meet hers and they would touch noses. Ok... once the turtle bit the dog's tongue, but after all it's a turtle - not exactly the top of the food chain in intelligence!
"Mr. Turtle and Friend" Terra Cotta.
I did a pastel painting of the male puppies in the Basil's litter at 5 weeks old (pictured) that was a gift to my daughter. My intention was to continue to paint him as he grew, but unfortunately I never did. There are plenty of photos to work from now though. Why didn't I paint him I thought? In retrospect, I think I just was more involved in enjoying him as the great pet he was, than as a model when he was alive. I did do a sculpture of the turtle though. I figured any pet that lives this long needs to be immortalized in art. If he keeps this pace up, we'll have to put him in our will. :)........... I'll never forget you Basil.
Love art - love your pets! How do you combine both passions?
