DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION

For four of the worst days of my life maybe ever, I was in an indescribable void of grief after we assisted our dog Jack to celestial paradise.  I think it four days… they’re a complete blur now. The intensity of it all can make a person just kind of black out. It was well beyond words, which makes this description a challenge to write.

On the 5th day, at 3 a.m., his persistent energy woke me (so very awake) and led me outside. I felt him there, to my left, sitting somewhere in the grass contently. We sat in the most perfectly cool, still, moonlit night under a stunning display of stars and planets. I felt a profound sense of peace that I’ve never experienced before. It was, once again, beyond adequate words.

I created this commemoration in Adobe Illustrator, entirely vector, using the Interactive Sky Chart on skyandtelescope.org for precise reference. It includes the exact tree from the real scene. It is a 16 x 20 giclee print on my favorite paper – Hahnemühle William Turner.