No. 233: Always With Us

No. 233, January 2014

Drawing a white dog is difficult. She is barely there, because she is full of light. -- TW

No. 234, also January 2014

Very difficult, trying to bring out all of those curls!

The reality of having a dog is so good that we have to fantasize to comfort ourselves at the end.

We create fairy tales around them, because we don’t really know the whole plan.

A Rainbow Bridge?

  

I would like to believe that dogs, cats and other innocents go to a protective place.

I would hope for dogs that there is unlimited space. Every treat and toy imaginable. Lots of other dogs that all get along and play in the sun, and then take nice shady snoozes.

But no one really knows.

All we grasp is how sick we feel, how drained we are  -- at least for a while.

Do our pets miss us? 

Maybe in those fleeting passing moments they do, as they try to say goodbye.

Do they blame us?

No. Blame is a human emotion.

Maybe that special place where they go, that place that keeps them young and playful, is simple.

It's in our minds and hearts.  That way they can never leave us.

"The wall where it hangs is one of the first spots people see when they come into our house. We have already received several compliments on it. Thanks again for doing such a wonderful job - we miss Barbie every single day and your picture reminds us of just how beautiful she really was."

No. 232: Dads and Daughters

No. 232, January 2014

Click on image to enlarge

Any decent father looking at this drawing knows that dads and daughters have a special relationship -- and a constant kind of pain.

The first person a daughter runs to in a crisis is her father, and the first person to get the blame, many times, is dad. 

We are one another, yet we don’t understand each other.
Truthfully the years have shown me that we never will. 

The portrait above is, of course, not me.  It’s one of four pieces to be completed by March, on commission.  This was ordered by a mom – though not the girl's mother.

So, I do not know them and I have no frame of reference for the event that led to the original photograph. All that I can deduce from poring over their smiles for a week is that they are having a good time together. They are happy.

And, they love each other – no matter what background static there may be. 

There is always static with dads and daughters. 

Sometimes it's in the background, and many times it's not.

I have drawn my own daughters many times. They are all over these pages, and on my walls -- though hidden upstairs or in the basement at their request. 

It's hard for a dad to draw his girls. I have even gone over some of these, trying to fix them.  But my vision is sometimes clouded by emotion.

Neither of them likes any of their drawings. Too squinty, too fat, too grumpy, too silly.

That’s not how I saw them when putting the lead to the paper. 

Every dad sees his girls as beautiful. 
Even when they are calling him miserable and overbearing -- a demanding and unfeeling bastard.

But I know that they will always call.

And, they really should know me better by now.

The Holiday 2013 Drawings

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: Better record keeping!

Happy New Year!
People in places like Texas, California and Florida enjoyed Tom Wills Productions this holiday season.
Truth be told, I've also enjoyed delivering the gifts to them. How satisfying it is for me to know that my artwork has traveled far and near to leave a lasting memory for friends and families!
Thank you to everyone who placed holiday orders, and many thanks to those of you who kept me busy through 2013. It has been a privilege and a pleasure.
Here's a look at some of the holiday productions.
See you later this year.

No. 209: TIM AND ABBY  Tim and Diane Laney Fitzpatrick, San Francisco

This one was kept under wraps for months. Tim's wife Diane emailed me in July about a drawing for their December anniversary. We settled on this image of Tim relaxing in a favorite chair with his other faithful companion, enjoying some wine and the rays of San Francisco sun beaming through the window. This is among my favorite pieces, and there's a lot of detail here.

At the lil' ol' San Francisco frame shoppe.

Photo by Tim Fitzpatrick

"Yesterday Diane gave me the awesome sketch of Abby. Once framed, it will hang above my desk. You did an incredible job of capturing the spirit of Abby and the warmth of the moment. Your personal passion for our furry friends comes through in each line." 

No. 225: CATS ON A BLANKET Liz Rubino, Sonja Hixenbaugh, Pennsylvania

 

"Thank you, Tom! We absolutely love it!!!!

I'm a dog person, but I love this one.
Sonja's sister Venetia and I chose three cat pictures from Facebook and I set about creating one pose, placing all three felines on a bedspread. Three pictures into one! Truthfully the bedspread details took more time than the cats.
She wanted a black frame, and got one. She made the right choice.

No. 224: MAX  Brittany Hipple, Texas

No. 229: Max II

Max, being a German Shepherd, is already a special gift.

He has his very own page here at Tom Wills Productions. Be sure to read the letter. His story is long and eventful.
http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2013/12/no-229-christmas-ride-for-max.html

No. 216: TEN  Bill Sullivan, Youngstown

I almost lost my mind on this one!
Bill Sullivan asked me last summer if it would be possible to draw 10 people, in one pose, on one sheet -- for his brother's Christmas gift.
I had to think about that one, and he really had to convince me.
What I did was take a family photo done by my friend and colleague Bob Yosay, and then rearrange the people to be closer together.

This one truly is the most monumentally detailed work to this point.
Weeks before Christmas, Bill had a health scare. All of us who know and work with Bill wish him the best. 
He is one of my best customers, too.
This piece was extremely important to him, and I am sure that it made for a meaningful Christmas gift.

SISTERS AND MOMMA, Venetia Hixenbaugh Moore, Florida

"Btw, my Mom said her picture was the best Christmas present!"

This is the second go-round for these ladies. But how can I complain about that? !!
The original drawing was done for my neighbor, Venetia, in August.  She wanted another, the same, for her mother in Florida.
The August version is here:

Venetia's version

It is impossible to do the "same drawing."  The "new" version is a little longer, a bit darker, maybe a bit more detailed. I purposely did not look at the August drawing while doing the December version. It's interesting how similar they turned out, yet different.

No. 220: TWO SAILORS (In A Box)  Eric Sweetwood, Illinois

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2013/10/no-220-boys-in-box.html

There's a story behind this one, as well.

This is a very clever gift idea, for which I will claim only half credit.

The creative half!
A colleague came to work a week or so ago with very specific measurements, and an old photo. I was to draw these young brothers specifically to fit into a prescribed space -- the lid of a treasure box.

"This gift made my fiftieth birthday very special."

No. 227: MARJORIE BROWN, 1930-2013  Youngstown

There is an added sadness to losing a loved one near the holidays. A handcrafted portrait can help preserve the memories that help people to heal.  This is a gift to my friend and colleague Ernie Brown Jr. and his family.

No. 217: RUDY  Chris and Bob Jackson, Youngstown

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2013/09/no-217-rudy.html

"Merry Christmas. My mom loved the picture with tears. Thanks again. Happy new year."

Photo by Bob Jackson

This is the story of the dog that wasn't there.

He's a Basset Hound and we shall call him "Rudy."
I just think that's a good hound dog name.
Rudy dropped into this picture.
No, that's not right: Rudy was dropped into this picture, by me.

I'm not the only one who loves this story.

No. 230: GIRL ON HER MOUNTAIN (Kalea), Youngstown

And speaking of stories, I snuck this one in right before New Year's Eve ... I promised that it would be interesting!

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2013/12/no-230-girl-on-her-mountain.html

Thank you!