Knight in Rusty Armor: A little Dog's Story
by Gayla SmithKnight in "Rusty" Armour: A little dog's story.
WHO: BACKSTORY OF THE COMMISSIONER
A very nice lady named Melinda contacted me about an original painting of her dog. I met Melinda through a group of my very good friends one night at the Buckeye Lake Brewery. In non-pandemic mode the Buckeye Lake Brewery and adjoining Chef Shack serve as a social pulse in the heart of the Village of Buckeye Lake. Melinda and I hit it off immediately and on down the road I performed for her daughter's graduation party at the Boat Yard. Nice family that I have had the honor of bringing music AND art to during special occasions.
Melinda sent me a message after seeing some of my work and asked if I would do my version of her Miniature Schnauzer, Rusty. Per usual, I asked for as many pictures as she could send me. I am, of course, always on the lookout for the one who speaks up when I look at it. I was a few months from getting to this painting due to other orders, so I took the pictures of Rusty and put them on my wall by my paint brushes. It was a good way to take mental pictures of him while I was working on other commissions.
RUSTY: BACKSTORY OF COMMISSION
I asked Melinda to tell me the story behind Rusty. There is always a very personal story behind a beloved pet and I really like to hear how they first met, where they came from and what they have meant to their owner through the ups and downs of life. In Melinda's own words, Rusty's story reads like this:
Rusty came to me 14 years ago at 5 weeks of age. My oldest daughter dropped by to “pay” her auto insurance as she was a young adult and remained on mom’s policy. She gave me this lame story that this was her payment and handed this puppy to her 4 year old brother, Dalton!! How could I send him back?!lol it was love at first site for my son. Over the years, Rusty had enjoyed traveling with me and Dalton in the car for “special” trips. Great companion for both me and Dalton over the years thru our life adventures.
CONCLUSION: IN MY OWN WORDS
There are lots of ways a pet transaction can take place when coming into a new home. I'm not sure I've ever heard of a "puppy payment" on car insurance, but clearly Melinda's daughter was pretty confident that little Rusty would be irresistible from the moment Melinda laid eyes on him. I'm also guessing that day the car insurance was considered "paid in fullest".
You will see a few pics of Rusty that Melinda sent me in this post. But, as always, the one I chose is the one where Rusty is looking at whoever is taking picture like they are the only person in the world. Likely because they ARE his world. One of the most treasured things about a good pet is the way they are always in the moment. They give you their undivided attention. It is quality time for them. Forever teaching us they way we should be. In the moment and fully focused on the people that we are talking to. It's really that simple, isn't it?