Michelle O’Patick-Ollis

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That Dog is a Nuisance (2019)
Coffee painting/mixed media
30″ x 22″

From the artist:
That Dog is a Nuisance was created in 2019. My father took comfort in the time spent with our dog Milton. He used to pet him and allow him to sit on his lap. He’d strain to reach the dog from his wheelchair and pet his belly as he laid on the floor. He was especially fond of his ears. He said that they felt like leather. When my father became a quadriplegic, he could no longer control the dog. Milton would jump on his lap, lick his face, and my father had no way of getting the dog off of him. He started referring to the dog as a nuisance and no longer wanted him around. The dog, however, knows that my father needs him now more than ever and he refuses to stay away.