Even though I’m a child of the 1980s, I found most of my heroes in reruns of 1960s and 1970s television shows.  They were all women.  One of those women is Jaime Sommers:  The Bionic Woman, played by Lindsay Wagner, who won an Emmy for her portrayal.

I’ve never been one to enjoy the tired cliché of the alpha-male character.  Lindsay imbued Jaime with a strong sense of feminine energy, intelligence, understanding, and unending compassion that I feel is lacking from so many female heroes of today.  Jaime was part-superhero but all woman, often solving problems primarily with her mind instead of her Bionic parts.  Her Bionics weren’t used to inflict violence.  She was a hero I could, and still do look up to, as well as Lindsay herself.

In the third season of the series, Jaime got a Bionic Dog called Max (aka Maximillion/Maximillian).  That’s who Jaime is running with in this illustration.  Running is, after all, Jaime’s favorite way to de-stress, and dogs are great de-stressors.

I’m very happy to be reliving this great series through Region 2 DVDs as I continue my recuperation from three herniated discs.  It gives me Bionic Inspiration.

The Bionic Woman: Jaime & Max

I’ve been lucky enough to “meet” the supernaturally talented stage and television star Alexandra Billings, and get to know her a bit through LiveJournal and Facebook.  It was our mutual love for Liza Minnelli that initially caused us to cross paths in the online world.  Alex’s LiveJournal posts are always fascinating.  She’s a true teacher, a survivor, and an inspiration, and has expanded my world in so many ways.  She’s also given me tons of laughs!  I hope to one day be able to take her Viewpoints class.  In the meantime, I’ll absorb, like a sponge, the knowledge she shares through LiveJournal and Facebook.

Check out Alex’s fantastic YouTube channel.  On it, you’ll find HILARIOUS Katie’s Corner segments (I won’t explain them – just watch), which brings us to the illustration I got the urge to start yesterday (Kevenn and I collaborated on the shadows and highlights)!

Thank you, Alex, for being a part of my life, even if it is only through the internet for now.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see Liza perform numerous times over the past seven years (seven years as of June 1st!), and she keeps getting better and better.  Every performance is an event.  I’ve learned so much from Liza about art, acting, and life, and this illustration is one way of thanking her for everything she’s given me.

Thanks to Kevenn T. Smith for helping out with colors.  I could not have done this without his input and expertise.

Liza Minnelli
11″ x 17″
Pencil, Illustrator

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