Jaguar Hope (in pastel)

The hurt of losing Jaguar Hope hits me unexpectedly most times now. Sometimes I'll see some of my photos of him on Flickr that someone has "favorited" and my eyes will well up with tears. Sometimes it hits me when I'm pulling away from the barn in my car and I see his empty paddock and the bare earth from the hole where he is buried. He was such a spectacular being to me.

So yesterday I was a head case when I opened a package that arrived from the UK. It was a painting I was anxiously awaiting:



Just look at the detail! Ali Bannister is such a gifted artist. I've marveled at her work via Flickr where she posts. Once she knew I got the original she posted a photo of this pastel of Jag on her Flickr site. Again, I was crying at the comments and her description. What Ali wrote about Jaguar Hope is also true for me:

You know when you see something so beautiful that it moves you and you're either rooted to the spot, staring, or you rush to get as close as you can and breath it all in?

That's exactly it for me. I'm so grateful to have had him in my life and that he was shared by many others through my photos.

Needless to say, I'm thrilled to have this work in my home. Words simply cannot express my appreciation.