THE NEW BARKER 79 www.TheNewBarker.com If You Reach A Fork In The Road,Take It My desire to explore art had a huge impact on my life. I started to realize I had artistic abilities when I was a teenager and took my first art class.At the time, I was surprised that several of my pieces actually won awards. When I graduated, I very much wanted to pursue this new found love. Unfortunately, my par- ents were dead set against the idea, and at the time emphasized that “I needed a real profession” and that “artists were lazy and made no money.” At the time, nothing I could do or say con- vinced them otherwise. I reluctantly put my love of the art on a shelf and went to college where I pursued a career as a teacher. Many times we do not follow our dreams because of what people say to us. I never quit thinking about using my artistic ability through the years and knew one day I would find it again. Ironically, it wasn’t until my mother began painting later in life that I was inspired to think about the possibility again. She was a lovely artist in her own right and surprisingly supported my efforts, mentoring me as I began to paint. One Sunday, we were sitting in the living room along with my pup Daisy who was sitting on my husband’s lap.As she stared at me, I noticed that she had the cutest expression on her face. It was at that moment that it hit me that I wanted to attempt to draw her and then paint her portrait. I was so pleased with the outcome that I could not wait to paint more dogs. I continued my obses- sion by painting my family’s and friend’s pups. I quickly realized how important it was for me to “catch that special look.”A dog’s eyes are the window to their soul and I felt compelled to make sure to capture them correctly. Who would have ever thought that later in life my mother would become such a beautiful artist when she was so against it and that I would find my true flow in life? I never held my mother’s lack of support early on against her, but marveled in her growth and her personal artistic abilities. I honor my late mother, Fay, each and every day, by using her name as part of my artist pseudonym FayBecca. There Is No Life Without Dogs Today, we have two dogs, both Maltese, who have now been in our family for 9 and 10 years. Lily is the oldest, mild tempered and just as sweet as she can be. She puts up with her sister Daisy, who is constantly trying to get her to play. On occasion Lily will humor her by partaking in a game of chase. In spite of their differences, they truly love each other and hate being separated. When I get into an artist funk, they are there to comfort me and make me laugh. All I have to do is look at Daisy as she is usually sleeping on her back with her legs straight up in the air. This is my true inspiration for my work. A Muse Or Two To Amuse Both dogs are with me constantly, especially when I am in the studio. However, my studio is located on the third floor of our home which means climbing two sets of stairs.When we decid- ed to renovate that room into an art loft, we had our stairs stripped of all carpet and had it all replaced with wood.This did not sit right with my pups and quickly we realized that because they are so little, they could not nego- tiate the new wood steps easily and were prone to slipping and falling. I tried putting rubber booties on their feet to no avail as they hated the feel of the booties. This has made for an extreme exercise program lugging two dogs up and down two flights of stairs many times during the day. My daily painting sessions in the stu- dio now require attention and planning on the amount of time I will be there so my painting companions can get comfy and will stay put for awhile. Once they settle down, I can begin to paint and they are content, lounging and listening to music right at my feet – daring me to move. A Space To Create... Created With Love As of now,all of our children are grown and married and no longer live at home, which is a very good thing. One can become very introspective when there is a quiet house. My husband suggested we renovate our third floor loft which had earlier served as a children’s playroom. I am so lucky to be married to such a handy man that not only supports my craft, but helps me make it possible.With planning and an eval- uation of my needs, we completely renovated the loft, putting in hard bamboo floors and adding much needed furniture and shelving for all of my art stuff. This loft now has become my oil painting studio with room for my large easel and space for teaching art. Although not a huge area, it feels just right. I love the large windows and the wonderful natural light that pours into this room. It also feels as if I am in a treehouse overlooking my beautiful garden. An added benefit has been that now I have the opportunity to have one-on-one art classes in my new art loft. I try to teach on a regular basis,my added joy I did not expect at first, but think it comes naturally as teaching will forever be in my blood. I tell my students,“Everyone is an artist!” My goal now is to share my knowledge in helping others uncover their hidden potential. Continued on the following page. PD in “Photogenic Shepherd” g