CITY FOCUS:Party of nine

For an artist, inspiration can be found in the most unforeseen of places ? a passing thought, a wistful word or a stranger on the street.

But for artist Suzanne “Shorty” Short, her inspiration has come in the form of nine new unexpected faces ? with puppy breath to boot.

“It’s interesting how they came into my life, because none of it was really planned, it just happened,” Short said.

“It” began when Short’s roommate, Roseanne Nelson, took in a pregnant Rottweiler that was in need of a home.

Not knowing how far along the dog was, the two roommates had plans to take it to the veterinarian the next day.

And then came a sudden surprise early that morning.

“Seven hours after we got her she just started popping them out,” Nelson said. “They just kept coming.”

Of 14 puppies born, nine survived.

Now, six weeks later, the nine Rottweiler/Boxer mix puppies are running around and ready to find good homes.

“We plan on making little portfolios for all of them and putting fliers up around the city,” Short said as she was surrounded by the frolicking fur-balls.

“I’ve been so occupied with these dogs. I can watch them out here all day long, they’re so fun to watch,” Short said. “It makes me want to get back to my artwork.”

Short has been doing pen-and-ink portraits for the past 24 years, since shortly after she was hit by a drunken driver.

The collision, which happened when she was 20, broke her neck, making her a quadriplegic.

Now, each of her work she draws with her mouth.

“While in rehab I saw a painting done by another quadriplegic. It inspired me to start drawing,” Short said. “It started out as a hobby, until everybody kept saying, ‘Wow, you should sell these.’”

Flipping through a scrapbook at their house, Nelson shows the resemblance of Short’s artwork to the photos her art reflects.

“She does people portraits but she also does a lot of pet portraits for owners who want a special drawing of their pet,” Nelson said. “They make a great gift for that animal lover that everybody knows.”

Short’s drawings can take as long as 20 hours to complete.

“When I’m drawing pets, and especially dogs, I really like to try to capture something in the eyes,” Short said.

“I get most of my commission jobs by word of mouth, but I’m in the process of developing a website so my work can be more accessible to the public,” she said.

The public got a large-scale introduction to Short two months ago when Ed Bradley interviewed her for a story on CBS’s “60 Minutes” about embryonic stem cell research.

For the last five years, Short has been meeting regularly with one of the leading scientist in the field, Hans Keirstead, who works out of UC Irvine.

“He’s had a lot of progress with acute injuries and now he’s moving into chronic injuries, which is what I have,” Short said. “To know that he’s working in chronic injury is really exciting.”

Short doesn’t get involved in the politics of the research, because as she says, “everyone’s entitled to their opinions,” but she hopes the more that people know about what embryonic stem cells really are, the better they will understand the controversial issue.

“That’s why Hans is saying don’t throw [stem cells] away. Let’s use these, because those cells have the best chance of being able to develop into the type of cells they need to use,” Short said. “It keeps me optimistic, because the smallest amount of movement would make amazing changes in my life. I’ll take whatever I can get.”

A portion of the money raised from selling the puppies is going toward the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which promotes treatment of spinal cord injuries.

For information on the puppies or artwork, contact Short at (949) 499-4099 or shorty19@cox.net. cpt.14-mouthartist-1-BPhotoInfo3P1ST6U220060714j2bklyncCredit: PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER WAGNER / COASTLINE PILOT Caption: (LA)Suzanne Short is looking for homes for nine puppies born to a Rottweiler she and her roommate had just taken into their home. cpt.14-mouthartist-2-BPhotoInfo3P1ST77H20060714j2bkmancCaption: (LA)Suzanne Short has been drawing portraits such as this one for the past 24 years.