San Francisco readers, David Corcoran is showing new works this weekend at Mercury Cafe. Stop by the opening party on Saturday, April 6, 2013, from 4-7 and meet David. He told me Call of the Mild is the only dog art work in the show. But at this scale, what more do you need? All beers are happy hour prices, too.
You might remember David's Man's Best Friend I posted the day after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy 2008.
Mercury Cafe
201 Octavia Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.252.7855
A few weeks ago, Dutch artist Ludmila Sienkiewicz purchased an ad here on Dog Art Today. She said she was looking for dogs to paint and asked for photos of my dog, Tyler Foote.*
I sent her the link to Tyler's Pinterest boad, "Who is Tyler Foote? An exploration of the lost history of Nevada County, California, America's alienation from nature, and my mixed-breed, survivalist
dog."
This morning, I woke up to his tousled, handsome face in my inbox.
I immediately designed her a new ad and was generous enough to let her approve it before making it live.
You don't have to paint a portrait of Tyler Foote* to advertise on Dog Art Today. But in these times of editorial/advertorial confluence, I thought I should disclose that it doesn't hurt.
Terms and Conditions: Painting a portrait of Tyler Foote* does not guarantee an ad on Dog Art Today's sidebar. To be considered for this curated virtual dog art gallery, email me a link to your website.
Five ad spaces are available for April. Try it for $35.
Email me with any questions.
For a Dutch portrait of your pet by Ludmila Sienkiewicz visit her website.
* Tyler Foote is a road in Nevada County, California built in 1913 by Arthur DeWint Foote who was artist and writer Mary Hallock Foote's
husband. Tyler Foote Road connectes North Columbia, California to a town called
Cherokee that used to be called Tyler. I'm not sure why the town was called Tyler, but I plan to find out.
Modern Dog Design Co., the Seattle-based, internationally acclaimed design studio is accepting submissions for 1000 Dog Portraits, a full-color, 320-page book slated for publication in the spring of 2014. Sections will include every breed, including mutts and oddballs, with an special introductory emphasis on Beagles. All mediums are accepted including pen and ink, watercolor, oil, charcoal, digital, mixed media or collage.
Rockport Publishers, a company that specializes in books for design professionals, is sponsoring the contest and will publish the book.
Click here to submit your dog portraits. Submission deadline: April 1, 2013, 10pm EST.
Like them on Facebook.
Hat tip to Patti Haskins (whose dog portrait graces the contest's Facebook page) and Rachel Petrovich for letting me know about this contest brought to you by "true dog lovers and people who love art, design and kick-ass illustration."
Illustrator and designer Fumi Koike lives in Saitama, Japan, but to me her work evokes spring in the Sierra foothills of California. She captures the overlap of seasons: gathering wood, planting starts, snowshoe trips to Donner Summit, tank tops and scarves rotating through our wardrobes, dogs whimpering to play all day, then passing out under the blankets when the sun goes down. Every day is every season. The beauty is intoxicating. Just like Fumi’s work.
Visit Fumi Koike’s blog, her Facebook page, and her flickr photostream where she has more wonderful dog (inu) illustrations.
Via Miss Moss, another beautiful blog you might like.
After ten years of renovation, Holland's Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will reopen its doors on April 13, 2013. The national museum, built in 1885, is home to thousands of works from the 17th Century Golden Age of Dutch painting, including many renowned Rembrandts . But, according to Wim Pijbes, General-Director of the Rijksmuseum, their 21st century vision for the museum is to be modern.
To that end, they launched Rijksstudio, a groundbreaking online initiative featuring 125,000 high-resolution images available for download, printing, and manipulation for free. Knowing that unleashing this toolbox onto the public might overwhelm, they strategically partnered with (and linked to) innovative on-demand print companies like ixxi (wall art), eeeeFUN (electric scooters), colormyinterior (wallpaper), and designskins (smartphone skins).
And, to get the creative juices flowing, they asked leading international artists, designers, and architects to play around.
My favorite is this video (yes there's a dog in it)….
Inspired, I downloaded Binnenkamer met een moeder die het haar van haar kind reinigt, bekend als 'Moedertaak' by Pieter de Hooch.
Translation: Mother Task, Mom Picking Lice from her Child's Head.
It's a wonderful painting of Dutch domestic life. But perhaps a little dark, no?
And, I really liked that dog. What's he up to? Watching another child go off to school? Waiting for Dad to come home 'cause he's loose with the table scraps? Maybe, he just doesn't doesn't want head lice.
I made this…
It, too, is high resolution, available for framing, wallpaper, t-shirts, etc.
But, to me, what's really neat are the other images my new "painting" recalled…
I've decided Holland is the Oprah of countries, "YOU get a Rembrandt! And YOU get a Rembrandt! And YOU get a Rembrandt!"
Put another way, Rijksstudio is a Dutch treat.
Hat tip to reader Moniek Huizinga letting me know. Go make something.
Finally.
My Etsy shop is open. It features prints of my Longhaired Dachshund collages of Darby, and some of my earlier works.
Have a look. Thank you.
What to Wear When Walking the Dogs 2
UK artist Bridget Davies loves to paint beautiful women in elegant clothes. Recently, her subjects have been stepping out with fashion's most timeless and adored accessory — the dog, looking absolutely exquisite.
See more at Bridget Davies Art and on her Facebook page.
Thank you Dog Art Today reader and dog artist Anna Wilson-Patterson for introducing me to Bridget's work.
A Monday in mid-January calls for some dogs with sunshine and flowers. Luckily, I recently was made aware of Lambertville, New Jersey artist and gallery owner, Judy Henn, who describes her work as a cross-pollination of Henri Matisse and Milton Avery. Judy says, “I know a painting works when someone looks at it and smiles.”
I spent several hours smiling at her dog portraits this morning.
See more at Judy Henn’s studio and gallery, Robins Egg Gallery.
Thank you, Dog Art Today reader and dog artist, Janet Burt of Rainbow Pet Portraits, for introducing me to Judy’s work.
The Pooch Clutch by Philadelphia artist Colleen Rudolf is a locally-sourced, eco-conscious, handcrafted, animal-free, made-in-America dream accessory. It is a work of art as evening bag that inspires on every level.
First, the drawings: each sketch is a shelter dog from the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Colleen volunteered at the PSPCA while she was a graduate student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After photographing and writing bios for hundreds of dogs for Petfinder, she decided that if she sketched and then painted portraits of the dogs, she could honor them more fully and help facilitate long-term placement. She hoped that if she saw them as valuable enough to paint, others might pay attention them.
After graduation in 2008, her interest in dogs and art evolved, and she began creating objects with her portraits. She founded Portraits by Colleen and designed dishes, mugs, bags, and greeting cards using business practices that reflect her commitment to local and sustainable modes of operation.
Each Pooch Clutch is sewn by a Philadelphia seamstress. The hardware comes from Dallas, Texas. The fabric is manufactured at Spoonflower in Durham, North Carolina with an inkjet printing process that entails very little waste of fabric, ink, water or electricity, and uses eco-friendly, water-based pigment inks on natural fiber textiles with no additional chemicals. The eye-catching satin fabric inside the Pooch Clutch come from local textile businesses on Philadelphia’s fabric row.
No animals are used in the manufacturing of the Pooch Clutch. It is vegan and fabulous, a rare breed.
And Colleen donates 10% of all proceeds to Philadelphia’s Street Trails Animal Rescue, a small local shelter she chose because of their passionate volunteers and their commitment to education.
I don’t feature many “doggie” fashions on Dog Art Today. I am not interested in promoting cheap products made by low-wage (slave) labor in foreign countries (calculate your slavery footprint at Made in a Free World). That is why I am delighted to share the Pooch Clutch with you. It is a beautiful object from its conception to its execution. If I can help in its promotion, it is my privilege.
The Pooch Clutch is $75 and is available at Colleen Rudolf’s Etsy store.
For more information visit Portraits by Colleen.