"Joie de Vivre"
Size: 24" x 18" x 3" Acrylic on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
To purchase or commission a portrait please email waredaleo@sbcglobal.net
"Scale back your long hopes to a short period.
While we speak, time is envious and is running away from us. Seize the
day, trusting little in the future."
Carpe diem, or seize the day, is a Latin phrase which originated in the “Odes,” a long series of poems written by the Roman poet Horace in 65 B.C.E..
I usually post the full story of Lowess, a Pit Bull rescued by Change of Heart Pit Bull Rescue.
After I posted this painting yesterday I thought about why I chose to
paint her. Lowess lived a life behind bars in a kill shelter. She was
bereft of the physical, and more importantly, spiritual comforts we
sometimes take for granted. After her release, COHPR was told by the
vet, she didn't have long to live. The rescue made sure her remaining days were truly blissful and fully lived.
I had
Lowess in several art shows. People are drawn to her joy and often ask
about the dog in the painting. Last night I thought about her life a
lot.
Living life, for me, is not always about feeling
"comfortable." It's not easy knowing about all the suffering in the
world, especially knowing that many beings that suffer are helpless to
act. Life is full of many shades of blue and gray. I hope when you look
at Lowess, you can see life through her eyes, and follow in her paw
prints. "Carpe diem."
I dedicate this to all the
incredibly brave people who sacrifice so much to save lives. You do so
often at your own peril. Your efforts do not go
unnoticed.
