Time Spent with Pepper, A Painting Dear To My Heart, and A little Silver to Top Things Off

I got to thinking that there are three things right now that I really cannot believe.. First I can’t believe I forgot to mention that I picked up some new silver over the weekend. How could I?! Secondly I can’t believe that it’s been over a year and almost a month since we’ve lost our baby boy Pepper. Still crying tears. And thirdly, I can’t believe it’s been several years since I’ve painted this portrait of my boy Pepper.

So in order to make things right in my mind and put myself at ease, I’m going to cover all three today.

Pepper

Come tomorrow another month will have passed.. Adding to the tally of time since he has been gone. It will be one year one month tomorrow. Pepper passed away, not so quietly on an early September morning. We knew it was coming but did not expect the turmoil we would face throughout the night as we lay with him and his dying body. His soul had it’s plans to depart this world, and nothing would be stopping it. We wanted to turn back time and stop it at an ideal location, to spend more good days with him again. We also knew that’s not the way it could ever be. Ultimately death is something we cannot stop, and we knew his time to face it had come.

Simply put, we were devastated. We turned to Molly, family and friends for comfort, love, and support. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to put our little world back together again. As we spent time down at my parents house this past weekend, I was reminded of how much Pepper really loved those trips to Delaware. Riding in the car in general was something he always enjoyed.

Simple things in life gave him the most pleasure.

I was reminded about how much he loved hanging out with his little sister Molly. They would often wait together by the breakfast table in hopes handouts would find a way down to their watering mouths and fill their hungry tummies. He would wait so patiently, hardly ever making a sound and occasionally shifting his weight from side to side, shuffling his paws. And they did get handouts! Especially from pop-pop, who would save a little piece of bacon or eggs at the side of his plate.

After breakfast the dogs would eventually retreat for a comfortable nap in the living room. A little downtime before the rest of the day commenced. Molly on her blanket and Pepper in his bed.

While our breakfast was settling in our stomachs and we got lost in conversation .. Pepper would sneak off to slowly climb up the spiraling staircase to the second floor. Most of the time none of us ever noticed him sneaking off to explore his surroundings. It was something to do, and something he enjoyed. After he was done his exploration up there, He would lie at the top of the steps and whine ever so slightly.

Pepper knew how to get up those steps like a champion .. but after he was up he did not know how to get down. We would eventually have to walk up the steps and grab him and carry him down. To see his reaction, as we reached the top, one would have thought we were away the whole day and had just walked in the front door. He got so excited to see we were coming to rescue him. Part of me thought that’s what his main goal was all along.. To be rescued, picked up, carried and loved.

Another one of Peppers favorite things to do .. While in Delaware visiting my mom-mom and pop-pop, was to nap with my dad. I think they would both take turns to see who could snore the loudest. That memory of Pepper makes me chuckle.

Just being outside brought him joy. He would love lying on the chairs, the patio, or strolling around the property sniffing everything that came by his nose.

It was an exciting moment any time one of us decided to head down to the dock.. And check out the canal. He would scurry down trying to be the first one there, and he usually was. He loved looking off into the distance, down the canal, and into the water. The slightest of movements would grab his attention and his command. He was a hunter at heart but timid as a butterfly most of the time.

The Art

Pepper had a way of looking directly into your soul. He would sit and just stare at you until you would get up and play the game of figuring out what he wanted. On the occasional Saturday morning, when the mood struck him right, we would have staring contests. I would have my coffee and he would stare at me endlessly. I would take advantage of that time and talk to him like he was another human being. He would tilt his head from the left to the right, blinking between words and giving his approval to the wacky thoughts and ideas I had floating around in my head.

I set out to capture this moment, not for an audience but only for myself. When I look at this portrait I painted in watercolor, simply black-and-white, I feel transported back to those sometimes wordless conversations we had. Those are the things I miss. Those are the things that bring tears to my eyes when I dwell on them too long. What I wouldn’t do for a few more of those moments.

I am not the worlds best artist.. Nor the worlds best watercolor artist. But, I have to say I did my best at capturing what was in my mind. I am happy with the way the portrait turned out and I know this because it makes me feel good when I see it. I feel connected to him again just by staring at those painted eyes.

I started with a very simple outline, slowly but surely filling in the tonal values until I created what I wanted. Below is the progression of the piece from start to finish.

And the finished piece simply titled Portrait of Pepper.

The Silver

And now the easy part, tying three things together; our trips to Delaware with Pepper at our sides, a piece of cherished art, and a handful of silver just waiting to be stacked. Three very different things, But they all have a special place in my life.

The silver was a gift. My generous parents handed out two silver rounds to everyone in the family on Friday night. We all got together for a much needed happy hour, horderves, and then a hearty meal prepared by my mother's talented hands. We always look forward to her home cooked meals and time spent together as family. The silver was an unexpected but appreciated surprise. Everyone on this side of my family is now stacking silver in one form or another. It is something we do together and an interest we share in common, so it is sort of special in some weird way.

I thought incorporating Peppers portrait along with the silver would be a nice combination. The silver never looked better next to the fine piece of art the compliments it’s presence. And this way Pepper can keep a close eye on it for me, because we all know now how much he loved to stare. Ha ha ha.

Mom and dad gave my wife and I two silver rounds each, and we both received the same lovely pieces.

A SilverTowne 1oz Lady Liberty Silver Round

And An Asahi 1oz Freedom Liberty Silver Round

The Capsules Are An Over Kill .. But I have a ton of them now, so it doesn't hurt. It felt good adding another 4 ounces of pure silver to the stack.

Thanks Mom and Dad!!!

Mommy and Daddy Miss You Pepper.

“My old grandmother always used to say, Summer friends will melt away like summer snows, but winter friends are friends forever.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

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