Kudos #1- Dr. Allison Faber

This year I have embraced a "quest for the positive."  
With that thought in mind, I've had this nagging idea to shout out kudos to those in my community who have had a positive impact in my life as well as others.  So I'm starting this year with:

Dr. Allison Faber.

It makes perfect sense that those who help me care for my animals be at the top of my list. 

http://www.fullcirclevet.net

Dr. Faber holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine and is  certified in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.  She practices what I call holistic animal care, or alternative medicine, for small animals and horses. Dr. Faber gave up a traditional practice and uses her intuition as well as her medical background to help countless animals (and their humans) find ways to tackle animal health issues that traditional (or western) medicine just doesn't seem to address.  The idea is to rebalance the body, "giving the body the power to heal itself." I can attest to her success based on the results we've had with my own fur-family. 

Dr. Faber is not a primary veterinarian, (Kudos to them next go round) and doesn't take their place. I see them as complements to one another. For example, currently my big guy Eugene has typical old dog issues, plus laryngeal paralysis and peripheral neuropathy. My regular vet not only does his bloodwork, annual checkups, and dispenses regular meds, but also does laser therapy for his spine and hips.  Dr. Faber offers chiropractic adjustments and herbal remedies for his issues as well.  Combined, I have a dog that is coping quite well and still mentally alert.  And I have two teams of experienced vets looking out for his well-being.  How lucky is he?!

Dr. Faber has also sadly seen two of my furkids through to their final days. Alternative medicine doesn't "fix" our pets, but it makes their lives healthier and easier until their time is complete.

I adore Dr. Faber.  Upon meeting her I could feel her strength and her gentleness. Tall, fit and beautiful, it's easy to picture her on horseback or hiking.  There is a confidant, earth-mother aura about her. Dr. Faber is generous of spirit and heart. Her smile is huge and her gentle approach to animals is quite intuitive. She exudes peacefulness. Even my nervous nellies have warmed to her.

We are thankful to have discovered Dr. Faber and grateful that she is a presence in our lives.   

A New Direction

I've been wanting for a long time to move on to new ways of painting.  I've taken tentative steps in the past, through classes and experimenting, but it felt like I had pieces to a puzzle and they didn't all fit.  Now it's like I'm collecting pieces and eventually they'll all make a whole. 

Here is a piece I began painting at my Plant Zero studio last week.   I try to keep a painting going for students and visitors to see.  A client / fan / collector posted on her Facebook page a photo of her dogs' legs intertwined, which I fell in love with.  So I asked permission to paint using her image. 


I love this for the composition mostly.  And because it's a great way to move into more abstract paintings while doing what I know.  I plan to keep this looser than my usual work and hope it becomes a little more painterly.  Let's see how it goes.