Dr. Laurel Davis is a holistic vet and animal intuitive with a clinic in Asheville, NC and also offering intuitive animal health and lifestyle advice for animal companions and their human friends across the USA. Want comprehensive or detailed advice? Schedule a Sunvet Check-in™ phone consultation.
When Dr. Laurel approached me and requested I paint something fun to cover the computer wires of the front desk at Sunvet, I was flattered and intimidated. She gave me no boundaries and trusted my judgement. Any artist will tell you an empty canvas can be scary!
What would be the best image to capture the essence of the clinic of Asheville’s original holistic vet? After a few weeks of contemplation, a plan emerged, directly inspired by the clients and the pets we serve at Sunvet.
Each new day at Sunvet is an empty canvas. We never know how the day will go, who might walk through the door, who is healing, who is hurting, who might be ready to move on or who is going to pee on the floor!
- “Each new day at Sunvet is an empty canvas.” -Jackie
My inspiration started with the Abraham Hicks cards that sit on our desk: colorful cards stacked in a box with words of encouragement for our clients to read if they choose to. We change the cards often. I enjoy watching when clients pick just the right card, with just the right message delivered to them, at just the right time. I decided the artistic style of the cards would be the basis for the layout and color theme for the mural.
The characters in the mural were all inspired by pets we love, live with and care for.
Gracie, Doctor Laurel’s Llasa is always steady, the official ambassador of Sunvet. Caldonia, owned and loved by my office-mate Caren: after a long walk, Caren captured a picture of Caldonia smiling with contentment. I copied this image. The hidden kitty was inspired by the story of the tiny kitten who came to see us after surviving a drive under the hood of a car from Greenville,SC, unharmed. The older dog gazing up to the sky came forth as a result of all the touching stories we hear full of love and sorrow as our clients face the grief of pending loss of their beloved pets. They tearfully wonder how they will cope with losing their pets and learn to live without those eyes gazing up at them with selfless devotion.
The last image came forth from a calico I met being treated at a big animal hospital. A Good Samaritan found the cat starved, covered in a 3 inch mat of fur with multiple health issues. The cat was gently sedated, clipped, bathed and stitched back together. He woke up to a warm heat lamp aimed at his fresh clean body, food and water laid before him. He hung his head and purred a gentle purr. When I reached out to touch him, I could feel the gratitude in his purr under my hands.
I have been commissioned to do murals many times before, but this mural is personal and is a grateful reflection of all your stories that come from allowing us to serve your families!
With love and care,
Jackie Austin, veterinary assistant for Sunvet
Want to see the mural? Come to our Asheville, NC clinic for a visit.
Read more about Jackie and the Sunvet staff.
