I painted this portrait of Phil, Celia, Izzy, and Justus the cat, in 2010. Phil passed last Saturday. I like to use the present tense when someone passes, as I think they are still with us even though they are no longer in physical form. Phil is one of those people who brings to mind words that describe the best qualities of humans- he spills over with compassion, kindness, gentleness, generosity. He spent most of his life advocating for the most vulnerable in our society, in our world. He came to dog-love late in life, with Izzy being his first. He was smitten! and continues to have dogs as a central part of his life.
Izzy and Justus crossed the bridge ahead of Phil, and I'm pretty sure, they were there on Saturday greeting him as he joined them. Celia is doing ok.
A funny little story about this painting: Phil and Celia brought the painting back to my studio a few weeks after taking it home. They noticed a problem which they wanted corrected, and which I remedied. However, I had already had the painting photographed so Celia is still missing her sock in this version.
