Companion Animal Legacy Projects Co-created with Bonnie McKeegan
This page is here to honor the animals that graced our lives with their presence, service, unconditional love, and companionship.
Donations to support this Animal Legacy Project to help keep it free are welcome. After viewing the Memorials, please scroll to the bottom of the page for more information about the project and donations.
Memorials
“Comet was a furry son of our family. Bonnie captured his personality with his smile, “seal pose,” and his ball. Looking at his portrait on our wall reminds us of the joyful life he (and we) lived together.” ~Comet’s Human
Lily was my friend’s furbaby who died suddenly during the pandemic. Her death was heartbreaking for her family. She was such a sweet girl and is sorely missed!
Image was a friend’s trusty mount who lived a long happy life – 34 years! This magnificent equine was the second animal death in my circle of friends when the pandemic was new in 2020 and so many of us were still living in lockdown. He’d been out to pasture as an old man for a long time when he laid down for greener pastures. Many Happy Trails to you, Image!
Mama Kitty was the first pet I drew. She died on 1/20/20. We adopted her from my aunt who couldn’t take her when they moved. She was my son’s loyal companion and bed heater for years. Mama Kitty aka Mama GrayFur was all gray with green eyes. As she got older, the fur around her mouth and chin turned white like a little old lady. Read More.
For this legacy project, I photo-edited and added a digital frame using VistaCreate.
We are grateful to Goodbye at Home veterinarian Linda Montgomery, DVM for her compassionate care of all of us at the end.
Montana was the first animal I heard about who died in the early days of the pandemic when so many of us were still in lockdown. His humans were a friend’s brother’s family. Drawing Montana for a complete stranger in 2020 was the seed of the idea of a pet legacy art project. The story of the sudden death of this young healthy dog broke my heart for his family who I’ve never met.
Montana’s death inspired this Animal Legacy Project.
It took me a while (nearly 2 years!) to figure out why Montana’s story touched me so deeply. He reminds me of our family dog, from my early childhood, Whuppie, a playful Siberian Husky. My own grief was triggered in my unconscious when I heard Montana’s story. Read More.
While our grief emotions tend to become less overwhelming over time, our feelings and the remembrance of the special animals in our lives and who we were when they shared space with us are always there deep inside, even 50 years later as it is for me.
Rollo was the first Bouvier des Flandres I ever met. I’d never seen this type of dog – a gigantic shaggy furball like an Old English Sheepdog (think The Shaggy DA) only black. He was like a big teddy bear, kind, gentle, and remarkably quiet in step for such a huge dog! For the collage version of this project, I photo-edited the graphite pencil drawing into “cartoon.” Rollo had a bit of an eating disorder. He’d eat ANYTHING and gave his humans an expensive scare more than once.
Grieving the death of the animals we love is an emotional and sometimes difficult process. Their legacy lives in our hearts and minds, and for some of us in the chewed-upon or scratched-up leg of a favorite chair. Some of those animals, that we still love even after their death, have left us with their fur or coat still stuck to our clothes or curled up with the dust bunnies under our bed. They all have left us with cherished memories and an empty space where they used to reside in our lives. They’ve left us with a full heart for having known them.
Drawing your animal is my way of honoring your grief. All I need is a photo and a few words or a short story about the animal.
I will draw your deceased fur, feathered, scaled, or hairy companion, service, or pet animal to the best of my ability while thinking about your story.
I am offering this service for free.
I will provide a digital copy by text or email and mail you the original placed in a 5″x7″ frame (as resources allow) for free.
You are free to use your digital copy for personal use such as on social media or to order products from any site you choose. Shutterfly has some fun products.
If you desire, I will place the digital copy on my Fine Art America page for a brief period of time so that you can order products (limited space available so the time limit is based on how many projects are in line). The majority of your purchase is kept by Fine Art America (Pixels). The small amount I receive (typically $1-$5 depending on the product) will help keep this project free.
https://pixels.com/profiles/1-bonnie-mckeegan/shop
With your permission, I will add the drawing with your story here on this memorial page. In this way, we are co-creating this legacy project; your story goes with the drawing.
Also, I may post the drawing on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bonbonmckeegan/ so that others can find this offer.
The drawing posted on this website, Instagram, and Fine Art American might contain a watermark by the artist. The version sent to you will not include a watermark but it will contain the artist’s signature.
If you do not wish for your Animal Legacy Project to appear anywhere online, that’s okay. Let me know and I will not post it.
Please see Disclaimers at the bottom of this page.
Healing through Creativity is my motto!
Future Projects Space
Your donation will help pay for supplies, frames, and postage so a grieving human can receive this free gift.
Your donation is not tax-deductible.
Thank you for your generosity!
Donate via Stripe Checkout in $15 increments
https://buy.stripe.com/8wM8wR6dp6gZdjy4gg
Use the QR Code
Animal Legacy Projects
Co-created
with Bonnie McKeegan
Contact Bonnie to find out how to submit your photo and story
Disclaimer: By submitting a photograph you are stating you are the legal owner of the photograph or have permission from the owner to submit the photo for this project. Further, you are giving Bonnie McKeegan permission to copy the photograph using drawing or other art techniques. You understand that by law Bonnie McKeegan retains copyright ownership of the picture and may use it to advertise and as part of her art portfolio. If you do not want your project posted on this website’s memorial page or on Bonnie’s social media site, you must notify Bonnie McKeegan in writing. Bonnie McKeegan grants permission to the pet owner to use the digital copy for personal use only.
Disclaimer: The production of art is unpredictable. Bonnie McKeegan cannot guarantee you’ll be happy with the results of her artistic effort.
Healing thru Writing & Creativity 