If ever there was a case for the insitution of professional librarians, as opposed to outsourced hires working for minimum wage, it's Awful Library Books. The blog, started by Michigan librarians Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly, features outdated and ridiculous titles that have been mercifully culled from the stacks. Go there now if you need a good laugh. Seriously, it's one of the funniest blogs on the Web.
Thank you, Madame Librarians, for your good taste and sense of humor. Just brilliant!
Dog by Allie Brosh
Hey, does everybody except me know about artist Allie Brosh’s hilarious blog called Hyperbole and a Half? Allie has over a million visitors each month and 14,120 followers on Twitter and I feel very late to the party. I also feel like I want to scrap Dog Art Today and start over. I want to be like Allie — irreverent, self-effacing, confident using words like insufflate and motherf#*kg in the same post. Don’t you just hate (and love) when someone else’s work makes you feel this way? Go there now and see what you think. She just posted a story about testing her dog to see if she’s mentally challenged. Truly made me LOL.
My sister Sheila Cameron is one of the most creative people I know. You may remember her FREE KATIE empire from 2005. Since then, she's focused on her two greatest works, daughters Layla and Sabrina. But this month she decided she was ready to get back to her art and launched a new blog combining her passions. It's called Watching the Paint Dry: 365 Days of Motherhood, Art, and Clichés. She recently posted this darlng Yorkie painting, possibly inspired by her late and beloved little guy Danny, who never looked so fancy, but had the same sweet eyes. Stop by Sheila's blog and say hi.
Over at the New York Times, John Tierney looks at new research that indicates animals might actually feel regret. Then, at his TierneyLab Blog he asks for help compiling the list of Top 10 Pet Regrets. Submit your stories of animal regret and you could win The Parrot’s Lament; And Other True Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and Ingenuity, or the new book by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals.
I love that the Times is getting all interactive.
BTW, as a Dachshund, Darby has no regrets. But I submitted this story about the day he made me regret my own behavior. It was stunning…
Several years ago, I threw a ladies-only wedding shower for my sister, Kathleen. Darby was very excited and greeted everyone with kisses – really turning on the charm. He didn’t know that I had arranged for Mark, my future brother-in-law, to take him out with him for the duration of the party. I felt it would be easier for me not having to worry about Darby licking food off people’s plates. When Mark picked up Darby and put him in the Sherpa carrier, Darby flashed me a look of horror and indignation.
Mark took him on various errands for several hours. When he came back to pick up Kathleen, most of the guests were still there. He said Darby had seemed happy and having a good time. When he let Darby out of the carrier, I called him to come over and say “hi” with a kiss as he ALWAYS does when we are reunited. But he wouldn’t even look at me. He bounded over to my sister and smothered her with kisses. I called him again. Nothing. My mother called him and he jumped up on her lap and kissed her with unbridled enthusiasm. I called him again and he refused to even acknowledge me.
Now, we could all see what he was up to. He was punishing me in a very public way. We all started laughing, and every single guest called out to him. He scampered from woman to woman kissing each one, and no matter how much I called to him, he pretended like I wasn’t even in the room. It was shocking and hilarious. As my mother said, “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.”
Eventually after all the guests had left and I settled down on the couch to watch TV, he came to sit with me, confident I had learned my lesson.
Click here to submit your pet regret stories to the Times. Let me know if you win. And remember, never EVER cross a Dachshund.
Camilla's dog Morran. Muse and good sport.
Artist, blogger, and dog lover, Camilla Engman's blog is one of the most inspiring sites on the Web. Visiting it is like a mini-trip to Sweden and a peek through eyes that can see only beauty. Highly recommend!
Thank you, Karen Howell of Pembroke Welsh Corgi Dog Art Blog for honoring me with this fun art blog award. I am supposed to post seven things I love. Here goes:
1. The Who
2. Sweating. Photo is me crossing the finish line after the 800 meter race, eighth grade, 1981. I used to be a jock. Trying to find my way back to that girl.
3. Stripes. Image by Siegfried Hansen.
4. Orchids. They sometimes show up in my art. Like this piece, Wonder Dog.
5. Good cheese and bread. Photo by Romulo Yanes, Condé Nast Publications.
LA's impossibly blue sky. Photo by Chele in LA.
7. My 14-year-old puppy named Darby. Photo by Grace Chon of ShinePetPhotos.
And don't forget to check out Karen Howell's blog to see her wonderful Corgi art. Thanks, Karen!
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I hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2009 filled with dogs, and love, and art!
P.S. Marlou's blog is one of my favorites, with beautiful photos of Phoenix's adventures, fascinating dog art, and many resources for Ibizian Hound enthusiasts. Here is a link to it translated into English via Google.
P.P.S. I do have a resolution this year. It is to work bigger. My art has topped out at 8" x 10" in order to fit into templates and frames. 2009 will be a BIG year for me.
P.P.P.S. Do you have any resolutions? I would love to hear…
Normally, I am not a big fan of naked man feet paired with a suit, but this painting by British contemporary artist Richard Brazier is quite remarkable, reminiscent of Lucien Freud, but by no means derivative.
Discovered on Rita’s Dog Blog, written by a dog with great taste and an amazing dog art collection.
Related Links:
Lucien Freud’s Dog Art
Pardon the third person reference to myself, but I like to help out the search engines. Thank you, Kari Finkler of the Mod-Dog Blog for posting this interview about me and my dog art.
