On November 8th, 2008 My Life Changed Forever - Commemorating The Passing Of My Beloved Lover Bug Jacksie

I write this post because it is a very personal one for me after realizing about a week and a half ago that not only is November 8th, 2016 Election Day, it is also the 8th anniversary of the passing of a most beloved creature of mine and the day I started on an artistic journey that would change my life in so many ways and how I have become the artist I am proud to be today.


I am going to be honest with you about something. Something I don't share with anyone accept a few close friends. On October 19th I suffered from an emotional collapse and was admitted to a hospital with Major Depression Disorder. Yea, there were officers that came knocking at my door because a friend of mine thought I was going to kill myself and he was right. I had the knife ready to go, ready to cut. I know that some people can't understand how that could even be possible but it was. At that time I apparently had three Major Stressors (believe me I had no idea what was going on but I kept breaking down and couldn't stop myself from uncontrollable crying before October 19th) and I was all alone and I had two dogs, six cats and a Brain Injury on top of it trying to keep it all together and not loose my home.


The psychiatrist in the hospital told me that I had Major Depression Disorder and that usually it takes only one Major Stressor to put someone in the hospital. He said I had three. Guess I am an over achiever in everything I do! (Ok, really, you can laugh here. It's really ok, I don't mind. I do now. It's kind of funny!


Now it is November 8th, 2008, and I found my beloved Jacksie dead in the garage. On the Wednesday before that day I saw him very sick and I think he must have gotten in to some kind of poison or something because I could tell he was too far gone to do anything for.  It was something I  know I did not have in my house and knew it was from a neighboring house.  I saw him again on Thursday, did not see him on Friday, found him on Saturday.


All my friends know of this legendary cat by way of me telling the true story of how one day in May of 2006, while I was in my basement art studio, he comes through the opened awning window with something in his mouth. I only am noticing him out of the corner of my eye since I was more focused on a painting. Little did I know that this special one of a kind creature that I am forever grateful for being in my life, carried in his mouth, through the window, jumping down on to a table, then on to the floor and not more then two feet in front of me does he drop what was in his mouth and gave me the loudest meow that demanded my attention. When I finally looked at him and saw what was at his feet, I could not be anymore surprised and filled with a feeling of overwhelming love for this special creature that brought me a fallen white flower from a tree on my property.


It did not stop there.  For the next 2 1/2 years he brought me over 100 flowers, in his mouth either to my studio or in to the main floor of the house.


I had to do something to commemorate his passing and since I had no empty canvases or wood to paint on I turned to the only material I did have which was paper and I had plenty of that.  So I painted 4 - 14"x11" paintings on Strathmore artist paper and they were completely different then anything I had ever done before.  I dated them on the back and numbered them and signed on the front with only my initials.  I had never dated or numbered them before and that stood out as being different as well.  The next day, when I went back in to the studio and I still liked very much what I saw I did 4 more paintings and I kept going and going and going.

Jump to November 7th, 2009, in which I completed piece number 10,2002!

One day soon, I want to do it again but live streaming, 24/7.  Here is a video telling a little bit more about it,  https://animoto.com/play/fCagb0IzfixM0TMfrG0p4A


I love you Jacksie!  You were such an amazing creature and I am forever grateful that you were in my life!!!