The story of Jake, my heart dog

I promised I would share some of my earlier art. This is the very first Doberman painting I ever did. “Self Portrait with Jake, 1991”. There is a huge story behind this. Way too big a story to tell here. Jake saved my life, twice, when I became the victim in hate crimes. I was badly injured and unable to work for a year. When I started painting again all I wanted to paint was beautiful Jake….my hero. So that’s what I did. For the next few years all the artwork I did was Jake. He was my whole world. You will notice in this artwork that we are connected at my heart.

Colored pencil on grey Canson paper

20 x 26 inches

Jake was the one who started it all. My deep love of the breed… and my Doberman art. 32 years later, I am the most widely recognized Doberman artist in the U.S.

Jake lived an amazing life. By the end he was well known and admired throughout the Doberman community. Jake made me famous, and I made him famous.

You can read Jake’s story here.

Illustrated with my own photos and artwork.