Tag: dog collage

Darby Calendar: August

Butterfly Darby by Moira McLaughlin, 2012

For August's image of my Longhaired Dachshund Calendar tribute to Darby I wanted to experiment with:

1.) a limited palette
2.) drawing
3.) my Darby stamp from Lush Prints

Here's where I started…

I made several Darby images. Here are a few…

I kept looking at Matisse's work…

Harmony in Red by Henri Matisse, 1908

But it had too many colors. So I moved on to Mark Rothko's Orange and Yellow…

Orange and Yellow by Mark Rothko, 1956

Drawing Darby hurt. He felt more elusive than ever. I am having trouble pushing through. Maybe I don't want to finish this project. Maybe that's why I like the unfinished quality to Butterfly Darby. I'll leave it at that…

Butterfly Darby

See previous images of my Darby Calendar here. It is a tribute to my 17-year-old Longhaired Dachshund who passed away in December of 2011.

July 9, 2012
Fitacola: Fulano 47 Mixtape

Fulano 47 Mixtape

Fitacola is a handmade collage project by Graça Santos and Carlos Quitério. Fitacola is the Portuguese word for adhesive tape. Visit their new website.

January 6, 2012
Longhaired Dachshund Calendar: June Collage Prep

This is from October 2011 when I started the June collage for my Longhaired Dachshund calendar. I can't remember why I did this in the kitchen and not the studio. I know I wanted to lay out the materials I would use and work on the color palette before I started. As you can see, I had forgotten to place Darby's pillow in his spot by the French doors. He is waiting there for me to do so.

December 20, 2011
Longhaired Dachshund Calendar: June

I drew this sketch last January when I decided to make the Darby calendar. I started working on it two months ago, combining it with this sketch…

I've been looking a lot at this print…

New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Oji by Utagawa Hiroshige, 1857

And this one…

Fireworks Over Ryogoku Bridge by Utagawa Hiroshige, 1856

I'm incorporating the stars from the above print. And today dog artist and author Kim Niles of KiniArt sent me this quote:

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in the heavens, where the love of our lost ones shines down to let us know they are with us." – author unknown.

I still start my day with tears. I still appreciate hearing that it will get better, but I miss him so much. It's hard to believe.

December 19, 2011
Dog Collage Pendants from Black Dawg Studio

Wearable shadowboxes featuring vintage dog photographs from Black Dawg Studio's Etsy store. So sweet and only $5.

"My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet." is a quote from Edith Wharton who is also responsible for this gem, "I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting." Hmmm, every woman's eternal paradox, no?

February 23, 2010
Dog Collage Artist Sam Price

Blues

Collage is my favorite medium. But dog-centric collage artists are rare. From my own experience I know how many hours it takes to find the right images for a collage that can then appear deceivingly simple, so I am not surprised that collage artists usually price themselves out of the pet portrait business. But not Sam Price. After ten years of experimentation, he’s figured it out. Yes, it still takes hours. And yes, he does it all by hand. But, using a grid system, similar to the technique of Chuck Close, Sam has created a unique style that allows him to work with the recycled materials he loves on the subjects he adores. Turning paper waste into dog art — brilliant!

Sam is offering Dog Art Today readers a 20% discount if you order a portrait before the end of the year. Gift certificates are available here. Visit his website for more information.

English Bulldog

Pug Lee

Portland

Redwood Beagle

Saluki

Sam Price’s work will be on display at Wag Hotel in Sacramento until the end of the year.

November 17, 2009
Romare Bearden’s Dogs

Close up of The Block by Romare Bearden, 1971

Whenever I begin a new collage, I always pull the book The Art of Romare Bearden off my shelf and take another look at his work. I think Bearden (1911 – 1988) is one of the greatest collage artists of all time and I always discover something new in his work. This time I found some dogs. They were right there in his masterpiece The Block, a 6 panel collage that spans 18 feet (longer than a city bus) and depicts life on a block in Harlem, NY in 1971.

First half of The Block, 1971

Second half of The Block, 1971

I also discovered an excellent interactive experience from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's a guided tour of The Block geared towards children, but just as enjoyable for anyone interested in Bearden's work. I have watched it several times.

Order the book The Art of Romare Bearden here. And order the CD Romare Bearden Revealed
from the Branford Marsalis Quartet, a compilation of the Jazz that inspired Bearden's work.

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March 6, 2009
Scatterplot by Colin Chillag

I’ve found two dogs in Colin Chillag’s intriguing mixed-media collage, Scatterplot. Do you see more?

Via Fita Cola, where you’ll find a treasure trove of cool.

January 14, 2009
Lisa Tishman: Intriguing Interiors

The Yellow Room

You have 1 day and 17 hours to bid on Lisa Tishman’s The Yellow Room collage on ebay. All proceeds go to the Miami Herald’s Wish Book Charities. Winning this wonderful piece of art would be a superb way to do good and bring some sunshine into your home as we spin towards the shortest day of the year.

Tishman, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate with a background in textile design, started making these surreal collages 5 years ago on a whim. Now she sells limited edition prints of her work (editions of 50) at art fairs and online.

They remind me of one of my favorite artists, Romare Bearden, in their detailed complexity. And, as a fellow collage artist, I find them incredibly inspiring. I’m awed by her use of perspective, her fearless juxtapositions, and her emphasis on color and patterns as unifying elements. Of course I love the dogs she places in each piece too. I also love that Tishman, the owner of 2 Poodles, Duke and Tiny, donates a portion of all her sales to the Animal Recreation and Rehabilitation Center in Davie, FLA. Read more about this talented artist in Daniel Chang’s Miami Herald profile. Then go bid!

Bichon Baby

Fabulous Faux

Day & Night

The Pianist

9/11

December 13, 2007
Happy Birthday Regan!

Regan is my little sister, the youngest of four girls. You can imagine the clamor of the household she entered into, which perhaps has something to do with her pensive personality, as exhibited here:

She’s not quite sure what to make of the panda cake we made for her birthday. I look frustrated that she’s taking so long, and Sheila simply looks happy to be at the party – she’s wearing her favorite party dress. Kathleen is off probably doing cartwheels somewhere, as I can tell by my black leotard that we just returned from gymnastics.

When Regan began to talk she surprised us all with her zingers. We would be putting our two cents into some topic and Regan would pipe up with a single comment that would incite tears of laughter and usually end the conversation.

She also has an amazing dog named Logan who was the subject of one of my first dog collages , four gorgeous cats, and a wonderful husband named Terry.

Hope you have a great birthday! Love, Moira

September 20, 2007