Moonlit Fox

Moonlit Fox – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Here is a new painting I’ve done for my niece’s boyfriend.  When my sister was visiting a few weeks ago, she thought it would be fun to give him my fox print for his recent birthday.  He had just gotten a striking fox tattoo on his forearm.   The only fox painting I had was a companion piece to the baby bunny I’d done for my other niece’s baby which we didn’t think would work for him.

She commissioned me to do a new painting that would be better suited,  Moonlit Fox is the result.  I’m hoping he will like it.  He and my niece have a lot in common.  They share a great love for animals and both are intelligent, hard workers and they look cute together!  Interestingly to me, each of them has always felt an affinity for the fox.  Her boy friend has always felt a kinship with the fox.  He has light red hair while she has strawberry blonde hair and both have a sleek fox look.  My niece’s favorite Disney film was The Fox and the Hound; she watched it over and over.

The Native Americans saw the fox is a helper for solving problems for those with good intentions and a trickster for those who were too prideful.  The fox symbolizes cunning, being perceptive and adaptable.   The red color of the fox adds a solar element of fun and creativity.  This sounds about right for these two!

Beloved Sam

Beloved Sam-acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Beloved Sam is a new painting that I just completed for a birthday gift for Lauri Shock.  Her husband, Billy Howard contacted me after receiving a note card of mine with the image of Adele’s Cats from a mutual friend.   Billy asked if he could buy the original since one of the cats reminded them of their Sam who had recently passed away to give to Laurie on her birthday.   Since I didn’t have the original I offered to do a new similar painting for him.  He liked that idea and sent me his Medium Post, Sam the Cat, which has some lovely photos of Sam.

It was my first commissioned painting and I was a bit nervous, but Billy said that they liked my style of using bright colors so I went with it.  I chose my mom’s stangl pitcher that looked a bit like one in the photos.    With Sam, I accented his green eyes and white patch that they loved about him.  I put a painting behind the flowers of birds flying as a symbol of Sam’s spirit being freed.

Sam showed up one day and became theirs when he was about a year old and for 15 years his quirky personality brought them joy daily.  It was a pleasure painting Sam.  I was touched by Billy’s thoughtfulness of wanting to do this for Lauri’s birthday gift.  What a wonderful idea in helping them to honor Sam’s memory.