Helen

I'm most struck by Todd Belcher's ability to convey the unique spirit of an animal in his paintings, especially given the mishmash of photos I've provided him to use as the basis for portraits. My cat, Helen, had been deceased for a couple of years when I had Todd paint her. The day I hung the portrait, Helen's sister-cat Gertrude, would not take her eyes off it. She stared and stared, convinced that her nemesis Helen had returned from the dead. I don't think anyone could have given the painting a higher compliment!

— Julie Palm, Winston-Salem, North Carolina