Dec 22, 20213 min read

A Very Puppy Christmas

Updated: Dec 26, 2021

Gillespie, our newest family member

After many tepid conversations over the last couple years, amid a bunny occupation that lasted 7 plus years, the family voted 3 to 1 (I was the holdout) to expand the family. With much deliberation, on December 6th the whole Padilla clan took a road trip to rural northern Pennsylvania to adopt our little fur baby, Gillespie, a miniature Australian Shepard. He’s 13 weeks old and has the sweetest disposition. After our bunny Galileo passed in August, I was sure that we were done with pets for a while. Yet, the stars aligned, and along with a raging puppy fever that gripped the homestead, the short-lived pet free household was over.

Blue Tie, 2017

BY William Wegman

Pigment Print

A bunny cage was replaced with an even larger crate. A stash of litter and bunny food that was easily stowed in the front hall closet has been replaced with puppy stuff everywhere. Food, puppy pads and blankets and let’s not forget chew toys.

Head of a Dog, 1930

Edvard Munch

Oil on Canvas

It’s not news for veteran dog owners that having a puppy is like having a baby. With oscillating potty and feeding times every 2-3 hours, I get the similarity. Let me say this right now, I will never be the one that compares a puppy to a child. You know those people. The ones who try to compare the triumphs of having their puppy peeing on a tree to when your baby says their first word or takes their first steps. The fact that my dog can sit or shake hands on command is not proportionate to my child getting a 93 on an algebra exam.

Sara with her Dog, 1902

Mary Cassatt

Oil on Canvas

This is the 2021 holiday edition post. It’s not lost on me or the family how special this particular Christmas is. First and foremost, is the fact that we’re all healthy amidst an Omicron variant as this pandemic continues to rage. The simple fact that we’re actually getting together for Christmas, as opposed to last year, is already 100% better. It’s also amazing that we actually have a puppy for Christmas. How rare is that over the course of a lifetime? Throw in my cousin and her husband are pregnant with their first child, and it really is “Tidings of comfort and joy”!

Dogs Running Through a Field, 1888

By Paul Gauguin

Oil on Canvas

I do hope that this holiday season finds you and yours in a better place this year. It’s been a trying year but, all and all, a good year considering the circumstances. Thanks to all the customers who booked events with us in 2021, I’m grateful for your continued support.

I guess we can start the clock on when my first Gillespie painting will materialize. I imagine it’ll be with my boys. As I document my son’s lives through painting, it seems natural. After all, this represents a whole new chapter in their lives.

Dog Sitting on Cushions, 1855

By Gustave Courbet

Oil on Canvas

Turning to art, I’ll keep this month’s theme short and sweet, as you could probably guess… dogs. Art History has a long lineage of pets as subjects in masterworks, dogs particularly. Artist William Wegman, for example, has dedicated his collective body of work using dogs, specifically, Weimaraners. His renowned career spans over 50 years, that’s 350 in dog years. I’ve chosen some other dog-centric paintings that have popped up throughout art history, not including “Dogs Playing Poker”. Have a joyful and safe holiday season, and we’ll catch up in 2022!

A Boy with a Dog, 1861

By Edouard Manet

Oil on Canvas