“I included people on a first come first served basis, but sometimes put them in if they had a particularly interesting story,” Ushenko said. “The dog in the middle of the painting is Max, an ex-police dog who was brought in by his owner for his portrait.”
Asked about memorable encounters during her time in the building, she mentioned the “ebullient lady who started singing gospel songs. There was also one man who posed while I drew his portrait, then a few hours later I saw the police leading him away in handcuffs.”
As she spoke, a group of about six young people paused to inspect what was going on, though they stayed about ten feet away and didn’t say anything. A few minutes later, a smartly-dressed woman came right up to Ushenko and said: “My boyfriend and I pass by on our way to work every day, and I just wanted to say that I love this image, especially on this size canvas. I do some painting on the side, but nothing like this.”
The dog in the middle of the painting ……
