I love London based artist, Oliver Lett’s vibrant acrylic work. His use of bright colors and heavily applied paints give his animals a furry texture and his cityscapes a cinematic glow, like his Nighttime in Prague (pictured below.)
It reminds me of Van Gogh’s Cafe Terrace At Night without the lonely-table pathos. A dog can make all the difference!
Visit Lett’s website to commission a portrait of your dog and see his work currently on view at White Space Gallery in London.
New Yorkers have a great opportunity to see one of Picasso’s 1921 cubist masterpieces, Dog and Cock, at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art this weekend — one of the early modern works included in an exhibition that celebrates the brilliant art collectors Sterling and Stephen Clark.
While illuminating their individual tastes, the show must also make one wonder how two brothers, who obviously shared a single passion, could remain bitter rivals for most of their lives? Learn more about their feud and their competitive collecting nature that turned out to be the art world’s gain in Martha Schwendener’s NYT review today.
It’s not too late to catch Elizabeth Fox’s “American Desire” exhibit at the d.o.c.s. gallery in New Orleans, which runs until the end of May. But first, read Doug MacCash’s incisive Times-Picayune review to “get” where Elizabeth is coming from.
Not in the Crescent City? Visit Fox’s site to see more of her fabulously cool work — paintings that MacCash calls both subversive and “as slick and shiny as freshly polished toenails.” I, of course, like the tiny dog with the pink fedora in Pink Fedora (pictured above.) That’s hot!
5.26.07 Update: I received a lovely note from Elizabeth Fox about this post and an important clarification. Pink Fedora is loosely based on Britney Spears not Paris Hilton. Of course! Who could forget this image of Britney, Kevin Federline and Bit Bit from the 2004 Billboard Music Awards? I must have become so caught up in the Paris Hilton motif of Doug McCash’s review, that I forgot Paris wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere near a pink fedora. Thanks Elizabeth — keep in touch.
I feel like Jack Bauer trying to pick which of Michael John dePierro’s sculptures to post as the 24-hour auction clock ticks away. He is running a great promotion on Ebay today, offering a custom work of your dog starting at $49. His work usually sells for $120. These are some of my favorites, but he has dozens of amazing dog sculptures and has sold over 200 to date.
And thanks to Kenneth Treacy for discovering Michael’s work and passing it on to me. So in keeping with Micheal’s PARTS of a Larger World philosophy that “All we create affects and is affected by life’s experiences.” Artists helping artists, I guess that’s my Dog Art Today philosophy too. Now, get in there and bid. Father’s Day is right around the corner!
The coolest event I’ve heard about to kick off summer is this Friday’s Surrealist Ball at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Thrown in conjunction with their current Surreal Things exhibition, the evening promises a levitation, inverted psychoanalytical procedures, a macabre booth, an underwater-style shrimp dance and 20’s music played on a windup gramophone. And it’s free!
Put a little surreal in your life with this Wolfhound Paw Print Rug, a replica of the original commissioned by Edward James, a passionate supporter of the Surrealist movement, and featured in the exhibition. Available at the V&A Gift Shop.
Danny was my sister Sheila's dog. Last night she said good-bye to him. He was 12 and he was sick. It was devastating. Danny was a character. Barely 4 pounds, he was absolutely adorable. Children were crazy about him — like a teddy bear come to life. But he was deceivingly powerful. Really, somehow he managed to alpha-dog his entire family. It was stunning and hilarious. Here is the photo Sheila sent an online suitor named Greg. Obviously Greg fell in love with them both and married her and adopted him. They came to have a special bond. (Sheila and Greg did too.)
Once, we made Danny an emperor's costume for a video project I was making. We thought he would be fussy wearing a fur-lined cape and a golden laurel crown. He loved it! Didn't want to take it off, and for years he wore it on his walks. He was very popular with the West Hollywood boys on Santa Monica Blvd. They admired his style.
Danny, you weren't always the easiest dog, but you brought great joy to many people. And the family you helped create by being so cute in that single photo sent to a stranger is your legacy. Our hearts are heavy that you're gone. Rest in peace, Little Guy.
(photos: Mark Jacobson, Moira McLaughlin, Greg Cameron.)
I’ve had my eye on Sonia Romero since I first saw her work at the Ken Dunipace Memorial Benefit in 2005. Her vibrant evocative prints were definitely a highlight of the show. An exciting find on her website is “The Challenging Work of Alphabetical Transportation” Linocut Artist book. Pick up an individual print with your favorite letter or animal for $30. Prices are discounted with multiples. Perfect shower gifts for baby’s nursery. Contact Sonia for availability of the whole book.
Looking for some Polish graphic art? I found the place. The Art of Posters features over 5000 Polish posters from 1900-2005 searchable by artist, subject or movie title. I especially love the circus designs like Ruminski Tomasz’s 1971 work (above) and Januszewski Zenon’s 1965 piece (below.) Put on a pot of coffee and lose yourself in this amazing — my new favorite — site!
Boston photographer, Dana Berenson, has figured out the impossible, capturing a dog at full run. We all know that look, the unbridled joy of racing around the yard or returning with the ball. I always thought it was ephemeral. Dogs are too quick to get the action and the expression on film. Dana proves me wrong. Visit La Muse Photography to see more of her wonderful work with pets and people and if you’re in Cape Neddick, Maine this summer, stop by her Stone Crop Gallery.
Oh…she does beautiful close ups too!
Kenneth Treacy’s artist statement reads as follows, “Abstract in essence, painting emerges from line and form, commencing with a gesture to skeletal structure and on to the meat of the matter. Orchestrating elements give rise to shape and definition, a record of my thoughts. Like prose, paint is used to explore and illuminate the internal dialogue.” I’d call his work highly-conceived energy and I absolutely love it! Visit his portfolio site to see more.
5.18.07 Update I’m a big fan of the kind gesture. Kenneth Treacy emailed me to let me know he’s named his formerly “Untitled” work, “Moira’s Dachshund.” So sweet. Thanks Kenneth. I noticed you have a new dog up too. “Bend” (below) is another awesome work. Keep them coming!
