Dog Art Today

Tag: boston terriers

  • Dog Art Calendars

    Day 3:  Calendars for dog lovers.  Order one for yourself too.

    One of my favorite calendars this year is the one I helped create.  It is a collaboration with Michelle Page and her Nepalese dog sign painters.  They provided the vibrant, humorous, and totally original artwork and I put it together and made it available for $19.99 at CafePress. 

    I am so pleased with the way it came out and that it continues to publicize these artists who were being replaced by computers, giving them new outlets to sell their work to customers around the world.  See my earlier post about it, including images of all the dogs/months here.

    Danger_dog_calendar

    The Emancipe+ 2009 Pet Calendar features the original artwork of three artists, Heather Christofero, Tim Kerr, and Pat Falconer.  Emancipe+ is an Austin-based organization dedicated to preventing animal homelessness and putting an end to euthanasia as a means of population control by providing low-cost or free surgical sterilization of dogs and cats.  All proceeds from this lovely calendar go towards Emancepe+’s mission.  (Note: some cat paintings included.)    Click here to order yours.

    Dog_art_calendar_2

    Linda O’Neill’s 2009 Dog Desk Calendar is super sweet.   With 12 of her wonderful pups it will brighten up any dog lover’s day (and desk).  Avaiable at her Abby Creek Etsy Shop.

    Dog_art_calendar_3

    If you know someone who loves Boston Terriers and Mid Century Modern furniture, here is the perfect gift,  Lili Chin’s Boogie On 2009 Calendar.  It features her Boston Terrier, Boogie, on famous designer chairs from Eames, Aarino (below), Panton and more.  I just love it!  Order yours here.

    Dog_art_calendar_5

  • Brian Rubenacker’s Precocious Dog Art

    Rubenacker_boston_terrier_3

    I almost didn’t post about Brian Rubenacker’s wonderful dog paintings today.  Something about them — their color palette, the dogs’ heads under the graphics, the shape of the canvases – seemed too similar to the Nepalese dog art I featured on Tuesday.  And I like to mix things up.  Then, I remembered the art history class staple of the split screen critique where two styles of art are compared and contrasted.  So today, I’m getting professorial and looking at Rubenacker’s work in light of the Nepalese dog art tradition.

    Rubenacker_australian_shepherd

    The dog art from Nepal might be classified as naïve art, defined as untrained, awkward, charming, and simple but no less powerful.  Rubenacker’s work could be called pseudo naïve, a term used to define a formally trained artist (Rubenacker is) who consciously ignores traditions of fine art.  But I don’t think it’s quite the right classification for him.  He doesn’t exactly fall into the pop surrealist movement either, lacking the Boschian darkness common to it.  So for Rubenacker, I’m coining a new classification: "Precocious Art."

    Rubenacker_pug

    His dogs are naughty and knowing.  They are childlike with their toys, and as cool as Rat Packers with their martinis and highballs.  They are up to no good, smoking cigarettes and getting into the cookie jar, but they are certainly not primitive in the naïve tradition, or terror-filled, hopeless, nihilistic and gruesome in the pop surrealist one.  They are simply precocious.  And judging from Rubenacker’s success in this style, his work is found in private collections around the world, they are quite popular.  Maybe "Pop Precocious" is a more accurate term to capture his unique style.  Just remember you heard it here first.  Class dismissed.

    Rubenacker_frenchie

    Rubenacker_boston_terrier_1

    Rubenacker_dachshund

    Rubenacker_boston_terrier_2

    Rubenacker_6

    Rubenacker lives in Waterford Michigan with his lovely wife, René, and his two Boston Terriers.  Visit his Etsy shop and his blog to learn more.