Today is the two-year anniversary of Tyler Foote and I meeting.
He has something to say…
We're getting off the computer now to go have some fun in town.
Thank you for being my boy, Tyler Foote.
Love, Moira.
David Shrigley, the 44-year old Glasgow based artist known for his darkly humorous line drawings, was nominated for the Turner Prize, Britain's most prestigious contemporary art award.
He was recognized for the spring retrospective of his work, Brain Activity, at the Hayward Gallery in London. The exhibition included drawings, paintings, film, and a stuffed dog holding an "I'm Dead" sign. The website for the show is an interactive treat (my favorite is the screen where you can turn the light switch on and off…it is endlessly entertaining).
I highly recommend you visit the Brain Activity website to see more of David's work. It's not creepy, serious, here-are-dead-stuffed-animals-to-make-you-uncomfortable work. It's thoughtful and truly hilarious. In fact, according to Nick Clark's article in The Independent, the director of Tate Britain and chair of the jury, Penelope Curtis, believes “[Shrigley] had been wrongly overlooked for a long time because his work suggested itself as being just funny and therefore marginal…Just because it’s funny, doesn’t mean it’s not good.”
Good luck, David. The winner is announced December 2, 2013. I think he'll take it.
See all four nominees here.
Via The Independent.
A recent eLIFE study that found "two dog owners who don't even know each other have about as many of the
skin bacteria in common as a married couple living together…consistent with a common occurrence of oral–skin transfer between dogs and their owners," aka doggie kisses.
The bacteria is harmless and may actually boost the immune system. Not surprisingly, there was no "analogous germ signature for cat owners."
The study reminded me of one of my favorite dog paintings of one of my favorite people, Sarah Bibb, friend, fashion designer, and owner of the the lovely Folly boutique in Portland, Oregon. The intimacy of dog and owner that many of us share doesn't always find it's way into pet portraits.
The artist is actress Kristin Bauer of HBO's True Blood. Visit her website to see more of her work.
Hat tip to Gregory Han.
This month, Shannon Church of Modern Dog Magazine profiles North Carolina dog artist Clair Hartmann.
One of the paintings the magazine chose to represent Clair's work is the Darby painting she sent me after I wrote about his death.
We both consider this painting a breakthrough, artistically for her (she felt the painting painted itself), emotionally for me (it was cathartic to see Darby again in a different light, and it enabled me to say "yes" to my new dog, Tyler). So we were both pleased — I used the term "freaking out" — when the Modern Dog editors shared Darby with their readers.
I was curious how the profile came about.
Moira McLaughlin: Did you submit your work to Modern Dog Magazine?
Clair Hartmann: No, they approached me. I'm not sure how they found me. I'm thinking being on Dog Art Today might have had something to do with it.
MM: Who selected the paintings?
CH: They asked me for specific paintings, and I was thrilled when they chose Darby.
MM: How was the interview conducted?
CH: It was a written Q + A, which I like best because it gives you time to think, and you don't sound like such a boob when it's published…hopefully.
MM: What has been the response to the article compared with other press you've received?
CH: I've gotten a few inquiries and one commission, which surprised me because thought I would get more. I look at press as a whole. The more you have written about you, the more known you are. It's all connected and it leads to other things like shows and other media. I do believe it started with Dog Art Today's blog post about my Downtown Dog Project. That's when my work started reaching other people outside of my "zone," which ultimately means more sales and commissions.
MM: Thank you, Clair, for bringing Darby's sweet face back to me in new and surprising ways. And thank you for your continued support of Dog Art Today. I think your new ad is fantastic (see right sidebar).
If you would like to get noticed on Dog Art Today, please visit my Advertisd Here page.
Visit Clair Hartmann's website.
Read Shannon Church's profile of Clair Hartmann on Modern Dog Magazine.
"I'm fascinated with the complexity that a line can create, nothing is more vulnerable and revealing. By using the line as my primary form of expression, I am able to illuminate the true essense of my life experience on the canvas with uncompromising accuracy and feeling." — Christopher Mudgett
Via Christopher Mudgett.
Printmaker, Debbie Kendall of The Enlightened Hound lives in Buckinghamshire, England and works in her attic studio overlooking the treetops. There, with her muse, a tenderhearted Portuguese Water Dog named Figo, she carves and prints her series of Canine Wisdom posters inspired by 19th century American typography and the secrets dogs have about living happy lives.
I think these prints so charming and cheerful. And, because they are hand-crafted, signed, and numbered each one has its own identity, it's own enlightened energy.
Debbie's series of canine words of wisdom are also available as greeting cards and would be lovely to send out for the holidays, joyful reminders about what's important when it's easy to lose the scent.
Visit The Enlightened Hound to see all five Canine Wisdom Posters pick the one that speaks to you.
The children are on fall break and harvest is in full swing here in Nevada County, California. It kind of looks like this Paul Gauguin painting: flowers, aprons, dogs, dancing and Danskos.
Via the National Gallery of Art.
Cassie, one of my favorite dog artists passed away on September 22, 2012. She was North Carolina artist Beth Stafford’s 13-year-old Airedale. She was also Beth’s collaborator, art teacher, and non-traditional muse. Together, Cassie and Beth made paintings and digital artworks, sold under the name PicassieO, inspired by Cassie’s nose smudges on Beth’s windows.
In those smudges Beth, who is an accomplished artist on her own, saw Cassie’s passion for life, her love of squirrels, deer, birds, and scents of the seasons. And she also saw an avenue to experiment with the abstract and the organic in ways that are, in my opinion, reminiscent of Georgia O’Keeffe, Matisse, Jackson Pollack, and the duo’s namesake, Picasso. I wanted to share some of my favorite PicassieOs with you and check in with Beth to send her my condolences.
Moira McLaughlin: I was so sad to hear of Cassie’s passing. I have been a fan of you both since I wrote about PicassieO in 2008. I wanted to celebrate Cassie’s life and share your story with new Dog Art Today readers, many of whom have their own non-traditional muses sharing studio space with them. How did you Cassie come into your life?
Beth Stafford: I found her through the old Mid-Atlantic Airedale Rescue. Her owners divorced and gave her up. She was 16 months old when I adopted her on September 6, 2000. She was a wild child until she finally settled down as much as an Airedale can. We were able to celebrate her twelfth “Gotcha Day” last month. We had a dozen great years together, but it’s still too short.
MM: How long after you adopted her did you begin collaborating?
BS: I didn’t recognize her talent until six years after I adopted her. She had been marking the windows for years before my “aha” moment. It happened one day when I was taking a break upstairs and looked at my west windows which are behind the couch where Cassie liked to perch to see what was happening outside. The sun was beaming in and hit the marks just right. I was really blown away by the beauty and freedom of her “brushwork”. I grabbed my camera and photographed away. Then I started playing with the pictures in Photoshop Elements, filtering and coloring until I liked the results. At first that’s all I did.
MM: Were you struggling with your own art, looking for inspiration at the time?
BS: Yes. My style for 20 years was very precise, hard-edged, and mostly involved architectural subjects. I was really good at it, but I was getting bored. I had been experimenting with different mediums and subject matter for several years, but I found it challenging to turn loose my inhibitions until Cassie set me free. She was an expressionist master! Using her totally uninhibited reactions to life around us as a starting point, I was able to concentrate on my love of color and composition and produce the wild art that I am doing as PiCassieO, and I was able to honor my mentor by putting her in the center of the name of another fun artist.
MM: Did your collaboration with Cassie represent a creative breakthrough?
BS: Most definitely.
MM: Did you put your own ideas on hold or ever second guess working with Cassie?
BS: Her “ideas” were the starting point for my new art. At first I stuck to what she had done and just cropped and altered the photos. Then, a few years later, I got a stylus and began to draw on the marks, which was a big change in the look. Lately I have been outlining her strokes and lifting them by cutting and pasting into new files. Then I cut and paste other elements of the photo and do a virtual collage with all of it. An example is Matisse Collage (see below). That’s what I was doing when Cassie got sick, so I haven’t done many of them. Meanwhile, I was branching out into painting again, using the prints as inspiration. Orange Spot No. 1 (see above) is one of them. That’s the direction I plan to explore, solid colors and sharp lines, far from where I started.
MM: Are you able to create now? Or has grieving impacted your creativity?
BS: I am still trying to catch up on all the things I neglected while she was sick (and while I was recuperating from breaking my wrist in February when slid off the dog ramp in the rain), but I have managed to make some of our PiCassieO jewelry, which doesn’t involve a lot of time and helps me concentrate on something besides missing her, at least for a little while. Every time I go to my photo organizers there are dozens of pictures of Cassie, so I usually wind up crying instead of working. I’m trying to get all those photos organized and saved onto jump drives. It’s necessary if I am ever going to get back to serious work. I say “serious” but this is really the most fun I’ve ever had with my art, thanks to my goofball dog! She was my best teacher, as well as my best friend.
MM: I am so deeply sorry for your loss, Beth. I know no words can help, but I hope each day gets a little easier and you can find inspiration in Cassie’s photos in new and joyful ways. Rest in peace, sweet girl.
See more of Cassie and Beth Stafford’s work or buy your own PicassieO:
http://www.airedale-art.blogspot.com
http://www.bethstafford.com
http://www.picassieo.etsy.com
http://www.zazzle.com/picassieo
http://www.cafepress.com/PiCassieO_Art
http://www.facebook.com/BethStaffordArtAdventures
Kathryn Wronski, the artist who painted the dog painting on the set of "How I Met Your Mother" lives in my town of Grass Valley, California (population 12,840). I frequently get visitors here on Dog Art Today searching for her, so I wanted to get that information out of the way. You can purchase a print of the dog with the green nose painting in Lily and Marshall's apartment here.
The alternative title to this post is:
"How to be the Alpha Dog Artist in Your Town"
Kathryn Wronski is as talented at marketing as she is at painting. Her work is ubiquitous in Grass Valley and neighboring town, Nevada City (population 3,064), and her name is synonymous with dog art. In fact, it is rare when I meet someone and tell them what I do that the person doesn't respond, "You must know Kathryn Wronski." I did know her through her high-profile presence at Nevada County art openings and marketing seminars, but I decided I needed to get to know her better and find out how she has cultivated her dog-art eminence in a place with more artists per capita than any county in California.
We met for coffee and an interview at the dog-friendly Broad Street Bistro In Nevada City.
Moira McLaughlin: How did you begin you career as an artist?
Kathryn Wronski: I actually got my degree in business and tried to make that work for some years. But I wasn't happy in that world. I think I wasn't suited for it because I grew up helping out in my family's flower business in Boston, making bouquets and learning about color and composition at a young age. I missed being creative. So, about 15 years ago after moving to California and raising two children, I started taking private painting lessons and really responded to it.
I knew I needed a solid foundation to pursue being an artist, so I began taking art classes and studied for four years our community college, Sierra College, which has some excellent courses by the way.
MM: Did you begin your studies painting dogs?
KW: No, but when I did, I felt very silly. I was taking an oil painting class with highly-regarded local landscape artist, Phil Brown, and everyone was painting bowls of fruit or the river, and I walk in with this large portrait of my parents' dog, Maggie. I felt like I wasn't being a serious artist. Phil noticed my discomfort and took me aside and told me to only paint dogs for the rest of the semester. He could see in my painting my passion for the subject, and I credit Phil for giving me permission to pursue what made me happy.
MM: It seems that everyone in our county knows you or your work. How have you established yourself as the premier dog artist in our area?
KW: The most important thing is creating a connection. People want to feel connected to the work and to the artist. I've learned to pay attention to exhibiting my art in places that want me to flourish and that means I had to get over the idea that my work necessarily had to be in a prestigious gallery to sell. For example, being in vets' offices has been great for me. And one to the best outlets for my work has been The Gray Goose in Nevada City, a gift shop that allows dogs.
Also, I have a painting behind the front desk at the Emma Nevada House bed and breakfast, so out-of-towners see my work. I'm very active at two galleries in Grass Valley, ASiF and Art Works. This year I participated in the Soroptmist International of the Sierra Foothills' garden tour. And recently I began showing my work down the hill in Sacramento at Gallery 2110.
MM: I am in awe at how prolific you are. How often do you paint?
KW: Usually six hours a day. I like to paint at night when there are no interruptions. Also, if there is a day when I don't feel like painting, I make myself go into my studio and just work for 20 minutes. I usually find that gets the creative juices going and I stay.
MM: Do you work on more than one painting at a time?
KW: Yes, I usually have ten going at once.
MM: In terms of the products you offer, what are your biggest sellers these days?
KW: Greeting cards at the galleries do well especially for collectors who are obsessed with a certain breed. Prints are harder to sell because people want to buy something that looks exactly like their own dog. My magnets are not big money makers because I make them by hand and they are time consuming, but they are invaluable for commissions. People don't usually decide to commission a piece of art on the spur of the moment. They need to think about it. So, if a magnet of my artwork is on their refrigerator, it's a constant reminder of who I am and what I do.
MM: In addition to people seeing your work all over town on their daily errands.
KW: Exactly.
MM: Do you know there are people who have been searching for you ever since "How I Met Your Mother" began airing? I searched myself when I lived in Los Angeles and I saw your painting on the set of the TV show. I wanted to know who painted the awesome dog painting, and I couldn't find you. I am hoping this post on Dog Art Today changes that.
KW: It's so funny. I've never even seen the show.
MM: How did your dog painting end up on a hit TV series?
KW: The set decorator saw my work and bought some paintings when she was visiting Truckee.
MM: At a gallery?
KW: No, it was a dog grooming place.
MM: I see what you mean. Retail might be a dog artist's best friend. Do you have any other pieces of advice for dog artists who are trying to establish or grow their business?
KW: As artists, it's hard not to take things personally. So make "the personal" work for you. Find places to exhibit your art that want you to flourish, and remember that the connections you make in your daily life have have a huge value for your business.
MM: After so many years, are you still happy painting dogs?
KW: Yes, but I love farm animals too. A pig is a dog with a better nose.
Thank you, Kathryn. You are a dog art star.
Visit Kathryn Wronski's website.
P.S. Today, September 29, 2012, Sacramento's PBS station KVIE is presenting one of Kathryn Wronski's dog paintings in their annual fundraising auction. You can view it here, number 14A Babs and Bubbles. And you can bid on it live on KVIE at 2:30 pm – 3:00 pm, PST.
