Bullitt and the Bobcat

My dog Bullitt was staying at a beautiful forested 10 acre farm in the Preston area that is secure with lots of room for dogs to play. It was the only place Bullitt liked to stay when we travel. Even though Bullitt is only a 28lb Jack Russell Cattle Dog mix, he believes it his duty to protect and serve, which includes patrolling the perimeter of the property. But then, we got a call informing us that Bullitt was missing. No one heard a thing, no barking, nothing. There was blood and white fur where they believed a predator clawed its way through the perimeter fence—it was big enough to push through a fence board. There was also a reported mountain lion in the area. We were in shock hearing the news--our dog was attacked and missing. 15 hours later we get notified on Facebook that people saw a dog matching Bullitt roaming the Grand Ridge neighborhood limping in distress. Our dog sitter went to the last reported sighting and found Bullitt miles away from the farm. We think he was attacked by a Bobcat. He suffered minor scratches. The blood and white fur they found were not his.

Issaquah Art Walks

It has been a blast sharing my art at the Issaquah Art Walks. I have met some really interesting people. I love when my art speaks to a complete stranger that brings their own story. I sold a painting of a two person rowing team on Lake Washington. The buyer told me he was on the rowing team for the University of Wisconsin and beat the University of Washington and wanted my art as a memory of his college victory. I paint a variety of scenes and landscapes, and am always excited to see how my art connects with people. Lately, I have had a lot of fun painting the story of my dog Bullitt, who is the craziest dog I’ve ever known. Bullitt has inspired so many new stories, which I am excited to share with you.

My Journey

I grew up in Palo Alto, CA in the early days of silicon valley before it became the snobbish place it is today. I used to ride my bike past Steve Job’s house. I studied art at the Palo Alto Art Academy as a kid and a passion for art. I was persuaded by my parents to find a career in more pragmatic field. So I studied engineering and got an internship as NASA/Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. I loved it, but I found myself longing to become an artist, but I didn’t want to be a starving artist. At the time, Apple was becoming a big thing. So why not combine the discipline of engineering and art? Sounds too good to be true. The start my career as an Industrial Designer for Intel Corporation in Portland, Oregon. Then switched over to designing user interfaces for Microsoft and then Salesforce. I loved working as creative, and didn’t have to starve! And I enjoyed the technical challenges and learning from so many brilliant and talented people. I left the tech industry a few years ago, and now teach design at Northwest University. When I am not teaching, I am creating art in my studio here on Squak Mountain. I have gone back to my first passion—drawing and painting. I use a variety of mediums such as oil, acrylic, and digital. It is a joy to become a kid again and do the very thing that started my creative journey. I enjoy sharing and selling my art at local low key community events like the Issaquah Wine & Art Walk. I also work on commissioned art for clients.