Penny 1

Mixed Media:
Acrylic, watercolor paper, colored pencils, oil pastels on wood panel

18" x 18" x 1.5"
2018
Private Collection

From an early age, Penny’s calm spirit gave her the perfect disposition to be a therapy dog.  She was cool as a cucumber, sweet as a melon, tender as a summer peach; and when the going got tough, you wanted her by your side. Penny had a gift for relieving stress, combating loneliness, and enriching quality of life. After rigorous training, Penny logged over 500 hours of service providing love, comfort, and companionship to hospice patients and staff in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Her shiny, copper penny red coat would glisten under the lights as she proudly visited patients bringing sunshine, comforting fears, and licking tears. Penny also had an affinity for classical music and would quietly listen to her owner serenade patients to the violin sounds of “Love Me Tender” and “Ave Maria.”
​
Once in a while, to keep her masters on their toes, she was known to mischievously steal chocolate off the kitchen counter but nothing got her tail wagging more than the smell of fresh popcorn. Fiercely loyal, inspirational, and highly dedicated to her job, Penny was a one of a kind star, loved by all and missed by many.  It was an honor to tell her story in these paintings!