8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Here is the second of two portraits given as Mother’s Day gifts by Dale to his wife Julie. These blue Carter’s stuffed dogs, known simply as Puppy and Other Puppy, belong to their 3-and-a-half-year-old son Henry. One puppy has been Henry’s “best friend” since birth, but when he found out that his parents had purchased a back-up puppy, he insisted on carrying and sleeping with them both. So ensconced in the family are these dogs that the night Julie gave birth to their younger son Evan, she kept one of the puppies with her throughout her C-section so that she would have a bit of Henry present with her. Dale wrote me about his wife in such adoring terms and it’s clear that so much thought and love went into this gift… this couple is very fortunate to have each other!

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