Dewey is technically a mini dachshund, although he is much more of a tweenie. More importantly, he is my son—and easily one of the most handsome and sweetest dogs to ever occupy a studio.
I am completely obsessed with him. He has a way of making himself part of whatever is happening, even when his contribution is simply finding the best place to settle in and quietly supervising. He brings softness to long studio days and somehow knows exactly when it is time for a pause.
The smallest presence
with the biggest role.
A studio can become a very inward place. Hours disappear into details, decisions, and the slow work of bringing an image forward. Dewey keeps life present inside that process. There is always a little movement under the table, a familiar face looking up, or a reminder that dinner—his, naturally—is an important appointment.
He also eats better than we do. This is not an exaggeration. His meals receive the kind of consideration usually reserved for a very particular collector, and he accepts this standard of living as though it were simply the natural order of things.
Dewey may be small, but the studio would feel entirely different without him in it.
He is family, company, comic relief, and a daily source of joy. If you visit Rader Art Studios, there is a very good chance that the most important person in the room will be the one closest to the floor.