"Madonna of the Dogs" is a portrait of my mother and her two beloved companions, Jack the Shih Tzu and Peanut the Pitbull. It is the first in a series of drawings reflecting on memory. Otherwise fleeting moments are captured on my cellphone, and elevated to large-scale drawings. The language of drawing better communicates the theme of memory than the camera, which is my typical tool for image-making. The process of drawing requires meditation on a moment and deep investigation of the shapes, forms, and textures that make up the image. Each mark becomes a memory to my muscles. It is a deeply intimate way to study a subject, and in this case, my own mother. Though our history is complicated by unresolved mental health issues, addiction, abuse, and other designations frequently circulated in the healing community, it is in these sweet moments that I see my mother as I saw her when I was a very young child, sacred.