The reference photo for this painting was taken about three years ago.  We had just moved back from Louisiana to Alaska.  Where trying to start up our drywall company again.  Trying to get the paper work to go through on our new house.   No money and living in a tiny, nasty, grimey one bedroom apartment.  And to top it off it was February in Alaska.  Cold, windy and dark.  I was stressing out about anything and everything.  And here Monica is, just sitting on the floor.  Happy as can be.  She has her bottle, her puppy and not a care in the world.  She wasn't overly happy, just content.  I would like to say that it was a life changing moment where I realized what is important in life, but it wasn't.  I was just glad that with all the stress and mayhem going on around her Monica could really care less and was happy anyways.  

     And in part I did this painting as a tribute to Pedro.  The nasty little chihuahua dog we owned.  I must admit that I really hated that dog.  I really did.  He was a nasty little yappy dog that just wanted to sit on your lap and lick himself (you can only imagine where).  I used to look on in horror when anyone would come to our house pick up Pedro and exclaim in glee "Oh, he is sooooo cute, awwww he's licking my face!  How sweet!".  We ended up trading him to friends of our.  He got run over by a big hummer that probably had no idea that they ran over the -2 lb little dog.  As the story goes, he dragged himself (broken  back and smashed back legs) all the way home to the porch.  Where he was found still giving everything he had to survive.  The poor little fellow died shortly after.  I felt bad.  Despite his nastiness he was a real trooper.  So now he can live on with his favorite little girl forever.