Portrait of a Dog: Kathi Hilburn Paints Heidi

Hi, it’s me Heidi, not Diane, to write a review of my painting! I didn’t paint it, but it’s me.

A few column-times ago Diane wrote about pet portrait artist Kathi Hilburn of Sherman Oaks and how she came to our house to meet me so she could paint a picture of me. I am a writer and an actor, but most of the time I am also a pet.

 Kathi wanted my parents Diane and Alan to pick out a photo of me that she could use as a model, but she also wanted to meet me, Heidi, to see what I was like on the inside, not just on the outside.  That was very exciting for me to have someone to care about my personality, not just my good looks.  And way back then, Diane told Kathi Hilburn The Artist that when she was done with the painting then I could write about it!

I think I get to review paintings because of something Diane (who is a writer) sometimes says about the people who edit her stories:  “Everybody’s a critic.”  I think that means dogs, too.

 When Diane or Alan take my picture it shows up on the back of the camera right away to see — so I thought that I could sit, stay and write about my portrait right away, too.  But no, guess what, when a painter does a picture it takes a long, long time. Like days or hours or years or even a century and a half. Plus Kathi told us it takes a longer time for her oil paints to dry than acrylic paints.  So I waited for maybe two years or twelve days or four weeks, because nobody likes a wet dog in the house. 

But now it’s now! So I can review it.  So Kathi came by and dropped the painting off, all finished and dry.  And then had to run back to her car because her daughter was in the car waiting so she couldn’t stay to have a piece of cheese with me.  I would have asked her if she wanted to have cheese, it’s my favorite, but I couldn’t.  So since she’s gone, I want to tell her, and you who are reading, that I like the painting a lot! 

Even though I like most things except vegetables, my painting is an extra special thing because it’s just like me except it’s over there, even when I am over here.  It's not like me in a mirror because it stays where it is, even when I walk away. I tried it and it’s true!  It is a lot smaller than I am, but bigger than a photograph which is an important thing.   Plus unlike with a real dog, you can hang this Heidi on the wall, or even your dog or cat if you decide to get a portrait.  And a dog in a painting doesn’t grow old and never gets in trouble for knocking things over or thinking a skunk is a kitty.

Maybe you could look at the pictures with this column and see if you can tell which is the painting and which is the dog.  If you can’t tell, it’s a great painting.  And if you can tell, it’s an even better painting than that, because it means there are things in it that are inside me that you couldn’t see before Kathi painted them.  I will keep looking at my painting, because I would like to get to know me better every day.