If my goal is to make people smile, then there is no better way than to paint animals. Our dog Cooper, a Havanese who has the sweetest face, was my first attempt to capture a portrait of an animal. 

Then it was the tiny yellow bird perched on a stone. Here I learned the discipline of building layer-upon-layer of the most delicate feathers with very pointed hard pastel tips. It took forever.

The family of deer caught in a grassy field just off the beach in Westhampton, Long Island was more of a challenge just to get their shapes in the proper proportion. 

The brightly colored birds at the Bronx Zoo I exaggerated the purple throughout the composition picking up the pinks on the large bird to create a surreal feeling.

Most recently, a portrait of the racing thoroughbred. Poised on matchstick legs awaiting to carry a body of massive size and strength.

I look forward to many, many more creations of our wonderful living friends with whom we share this planet.