I’ve been a critter kid all my life. I just love animals. My mom used to say I’d bring home anything I could get my hands on. Since she was a country gal and grew up on a farm, she rarely freaked out at what I would show up with. For a long time as I was growing up, it was pretty much the popular belief that I would wind up a veterinarian. It didn’t happen. However, I do like to paint critters or add them to some of my paintings. Which is one of the reasons I have this series I call Critter Kids.

I started this watercolor series many moons ago in a galaxy far, far away. No I didn’t. It was right here in my art room in my home in North Texas. At the time, I had discovered a wonderful artist by the name of Kate Thompson and her fabulous, hauntingly beautiful, Children of the Wild which is a series of children with an animal in their natural environment depicted on their heads. Now by no means are my Critter Kids hauntingly beautiful. They are ok and more on the sweet side. At least I think so.

So… let’s start with the first one. I think he’s probably around three or four years old. Let’s call him Oliver. His family lives right on the edge of town and his father owns the local mercantile business. They aren’t wealthy, but they certainly are doing well. Oliver loves being outside, and when he can sneak away from the ever watching eyes of his mother (or the housekeeper), he spends time with his best friend, a pet racoon that he calls Bandit. It freaks his mother out, but his father indulges him. HIs father also likes the fact that whenever Oliver and Bandit are playing outside the store, it brings in more business. So hush, mother… father approves. It’s all in the marketing plan.