Claudia Chappel

A successful professional artist, Claudia, a single mom, supported her children by painting tiles for peoples’ houses. It allowed her to be home with her children. At the age of 53 Claudia experienced the unimaginable. She answered a knock at the door and a policeman was standing there. He told her every parent’s worst nightmare, her son Ben, the first love of her life was gone.

After Ben's death, she fell into a dark and lonely place. She gave up painting. Over the next 13 years, Claudia slowly learned to live with her pain and grief. She began to paint again. Her work had no special meaning to her at the time.

Parents who have experienced the death of their children began to seek her out for advice, comfort and hope. Over time she realized that she was saying the same words repeatedly. She decided to write them down. It wasn’t until she began writing this book that the art, she thought had no meaning, served to be perfect illustrations.

Here I am, 19 years after the death of my son. It has been a difficult journey but art has been my life saver. I decided to write and illustrate another book for other dog lovers like myself. THE ART OF FEEDING YOUR DOG has become a wonderful project.

Whether it’s the medium, the technique, or the subject, my art is as diverse as my personality—I love to experiment. My passion for color drives me, as does my love for animals.

My interest in health and nutrition started at a young age. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health, with a special interest in Nutrition. Over the past ten years, I’ve expanded my focus to include canine health, inspired by my deep love for my own dogs and a desire to help them live a longer and more vibrant life.

Before writing this book, I took a course in canine nutrition and received certification. This recent deep dive into the subject motivated me to research, write, and illustrate this book.

I hope you learn a lot from it and enjoy watching your dogs thrive—living longer, healthier, and happier lives because of it. I hope you enjoy.

Claudia lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her loving husband Richard and close to her daughter Jessica, son-in-law Michael and two grandchildren, Olive and Gus. Her loves also include her two dogs and a very old bird.