By NewsLine Staff
mail@floridanewsline.com
Local artist Joan Carver said she was heartbroken when she heard the devastating news of K-9 Officer Fang being shot and killed as he approached a carjacker on Sept. 30. She knew exactly what she wanted to do to try to ease the grief of Fang’s handler and partner, JSO Officer Matt Hererra: paint a 16” by 20” oil portrait of Fang for him.
Carver, who lives in Switzerland, mostly paints water and water reflections, but a few years ago, in an effort to raise money to offset the cost of her son’s pet weimaraner’s cancer surgery, she started painting pet portraits. They proved to be very popular and she now ships orders all over the world.
On Nov. 7, Carver was invited to meet a room full of JSO K-9 officers and their dogs, tour a training facility and hear stories about the dogs and their partners. She said it was a proud moment for her to present Hererra with the portrait In memory of K-9 Fang and thank him and all the officers for everything they do to keep the community safe. Hererra was very appreciative of the portrait of his partner.
“In gratitude for my talent and gift of art, I love to ‘give back’ by donating to animal shelters, rescue facilities and the families that take in the dogs when they’ve been in the shelters too long,” Carver said. “This time it felt good to use my talent to gift someone that needed a portrait, to give back to someone that experienced a loss. I hope that everytime Matt sees the portrait he can smile.”
Photo courtesy Joan Carver
Matt Hererra holding the portrait of Fang presented to him by artist Joan Carver
