My son and daughter-in-law recently bought a second home in Arizona. The home is an opportunity to be closer to family, and enjoy a change of scenery from the Pacific Northwest, which is where they reside full-time. I wanted to paint something for their desert home, and what’s better than a giant saguaro? Of course, I had to continue the fun and paint something for my little granddaughter who LOVES cats. So, what’s better than a giant saguaro? A whole garden of cat cacti!

There’s nothing like welcoming a new granddaughter with a personalized piece of art. She was born in December 2018, and her name was not revealed until after her birth. I had my work cut out for me to finish these canvas blocks before our first visit. I love using imagery from children’s art, so I borrowed from this portrait of a past family dog that was done by my son (my grandchild’s father) when he was about six. The elements of nature were perfect for a little girl with a name that evokes sunshine, flowers, and busy little bees.

I love this portrait of Jessi, our Rhodesian Ridgeback, created many years ago. I love how my son captured the ridge on her back, but contrary to how depicted, she never bared her teeth!

My son’s original art from a young age in elementary school became my inspiration for another “li’l birds” project. The original is construction paper collage and incidentally, hung over my desk at work for years. I often told colleagues that it was a depiction of me behind my desk reacting to a typical day’s work.

“I’m Only Human” is designed to be art you can touch. It’s an interactive piece made from canvas panels, acrylic paint, metal, wood, and magnets. Four small canvas panels are meant to be removed from the background and placed in positions favored by the viewer.

The background was painted on a thin piece of sheet metal and framed in a custom built frame. The background was drawn on a larger scale to look like the background in the original. The four 6×6-inch canvas panels were painted to resemble the original true to size, except in four separate pieces.

The canvas panels were mounted on wood (stained to match the frame) and small magnets were attached.

The four small panels can be placed anywhere on the metal background.

The finished piece is now hangs on a wall waiting for the next person to walk by and create a new arrangement.

Acrylic on canvas & metal, 33×12