In August of 2022, I painted at a local Golf Tournament; to raise funds in support of first responders and their families. What began as a lab and a soldier evolved to become what you see here as the final painting.

I didn’t finish the painting before the silent auction began that day, so I announced I would complete it and deliver it to the winning bidder, and I was elated to learn it was a veteran who won the bid.

“God Spelled Backward”

The veteran and his family had a 10-month-old pup named Brody, and shortly after I finished the painting, they called to tell me that Brody was hit by a truck and killed, a loss that devasted the family of five.

It was in December when I met with the veteran and his wife to give him the painting; when he saw it, he burst into tears; the dog I painted looked just like Brody. The resemblance was not intentional when I changed the dog from the original Chocolate Lab, I decided it was an intuitive change because I know there are deeper meanings behind most events and circumstances, if not all. I titled this painting “God Spelled Backward” because when I look into my dog's eyes, that is what I see and feel.