"Have Mercy on Me" is acrylic on canvas and it is based on the following story written by the artist:
Kim was the kind of work friend who was always in a good mood, and he had a gift for storytelling. I’m not sure if it was his small-town upbringing, but even the most mundane event became magical when told by him.
I used to wonder if he was ever bullied as a kid growing up in Manhattan, Montana for having what was typically a girl’s name. but, regardless, we were friends, and we used to BS for hours and we even went target shooting in the desert a handful of times.
One Monday morning, I arrived at work, and Kim was clearly not himself. It looked like his eyes were bloodshot and he seemed in another world. I asked how he was doing, and I thought he was going to cry when he said in a monotone voice, “Not well! I shot my dog this weekend!” After a super long pause, he added, “I didn’t do it out of anger. I did it out of love!”
I had no idea what to say, so I just kept quiet. He then went on to tell me how the dog was ill for some time and how he didn’t want his last memory to be a cold, strange vet clinic, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. We went out in the desert, and we played like old times. It’s amazing how close you can get to a pet! I almost couldn’t pull the trigger, but I knew I had to. In a strange way, it seemed like he knew it too, but it didn’t make it any easier.”
He then started to sob uncontrollably, and I am not sure if he even remembered I was there anymore when he said in a loud voice, “Have Mercy on Me!!!”
I decided to leave him alone with his thoughts and although we never talked about it again, I’ve never been able to get that story out of my head.