Rylie Dexter (Born 1994) American, Acrylic on Canvasboard for Nate's Rescue Fundraising. Title: "Pup's Journey." Painted in 2025, the artist's first original work to come to auction. Depicts a small white dog with a black nose and eyes swimming determinedly through raging seas beneath a star-filled night sky. The words "You can do it, little pup" are hidden in the waters beneath him. Varying shades of blue make up the ripples in the water, combined with pearls of varying sizes to create a three dimensional effect mimicking sea foam and starlight gleaming off the waves. Signed bottom right. No copies or reproductions exist of this piece; it is one-of-a-kind, created specifically to raise funds for an animal shelter in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. 

From the Nate's Rescue website: "Since 2008, we have been dedicated to helping neglected, abandoned, and mistreated dogs and cats in need of loving homes. We started as a small group of animal lovers working out of a garage until Nathan “Nate” Benderson, a local developer with an affinity for animals, caught wind of the group and joined. Nate provided the necessary vision and leadership to establish what is now known as Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue. Today, together with a staff of caring volunteers and an incredibly supportive community, we save thousands of homeless and at-risk animals each year at our eight-acre, no-kill shelter and adoption facility on Lorraine Road." 

Overall Size: 15 x 12 in. 

Sight Size: 13 3/4 x 10 3/4 in. 

Rylie Dexter was born in Colchester, Connecticut in 1994, and as a child he developed a love of art and storytelling, influenced by both contemporary and classical works and drawn to anime cinema. He graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida in 2017 with honors, receiving his BFA in film. He went on to work as a video editor for a major entertainment company, while also working on theatrical productions and gradually returning to his first love, visual art. Today he makes costumes, sculptures, assemblages, acrylics, watercolors, digital artwork, and films from his home studio in the Tampa Bay area, with his whimsical surrealist “Post Pulp” style appreciated by collectors along the East Coast. 

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