I am a dog person. Funny, considering my last post was about kittens, I know. Well my companion, my valentine, my hide-and-seek partner, my fuzzy four-legged best friend, was my dog, Taz.
After fourteen years of bike rides and otter pops and paw-high-fives and tail chasing, I’m sad to say Taz passed away at the end of last semester. Though he is no longer physically here, he will always be a large part of my life and always in my heart; I am eternally grateful for love, laughs, and pure, unbridled joy he provided and greeted me with every day. Because of the impact he had on my life, he’s been a large part of my inspiration in art. I actually based my most recent digital art assignment off of him–in my digital imaging class, we were to create a completely new and “recontexualized” image by synthesizing other images. So I chose to create “Doggy Heaven”:
Yes, it’s a little corny, but I wanted to create an image that you couldn’t help but smile upon seeing. I took all his favorite things–jollyballs, milkbones, rawhides, butterflies, even a jar of Jiff–and created what I thought his paradise might look like. I was tired of people feeling sad upon hearing that my best friend is no longer with us, because I myself can’t help but smile at his memory. Instead of being sad he’s gone, I smile because he was here. How can I not, when I remember such a goofy,
adorable,
and wonderful friend?
Rest in peace, buddy, Love you always, thank you for everything.