I received a nice note from Argentinian artist Sebastiàn Chillemi with 11 of his dog paintings attached. All of them were wonderful, but these are my favorites. I am especially drawn to the first one. The little guy reminds me of John Singer Sargent's Pointy, a portrait I consider one of the best dog art works of all time.
Visit Sebastiàn Chillemi's blog to see more. His non-dog subjects are exquisite too.
Mr. Dog Goes to Utopia by Kwak Su-yeon
One of my favorite artists, Korean painter Kwak Su-yeon just opened a new show at Gallery Erl in Seoul. She uses minwha, the traditional Korean folk style, to create a metaphor for her own life. She told JoongAng Daily:
“My past works featuring dogs with luxury goods had a satirical tone.
They showed people who were driven to work outside the home in order to
make enough money to purchase luxury goods, while their dogs were left
at home to enjoy them,” Kwak said.“On the other hand, the works
for this exhibition have more lyricism,” she continued. “The dogs
resting amidst the books or journeying to a Taoist paradise reflect my
desire to escape my own reality, in which I work for eight hours per
day alone in my studio, and leave for a utopia.”
I think anyone who works anywhere can relate. See her earlier depiction of luxury and satire from her Dog Days exhibition here.
Mr. Dog Goes to Utopia runs until July 1, 2010.
Maybe it's the cold I am still getting over or the rain or the fire that won't catch or the goat's milk in my coffee (I don't care for), but I am having trouble stringing two words together this morning. Luckily, I have some visuals. Dana Hawk Heimbach's work is perfect for a blustery spring day like today. I am drawn to the motion she incorporates in her paintings as well as her deft combination of interiors with nature (see Pierre Bonnard who mastered the indoor/outdoor, but also consider René Magritte's work). When it comes to art, the word "flowery" is sometimes and insult. But Dana does "flowery" just right. See what you think.
Crosswind
Visit Dana Hawk Heimbach's website to see more or commission a painting of your pet.
Kath Schad and the parents at Grass Valley Charter School continue to amaze. Remember when I wrote about how Kath spearheaded the effort to teach every first and second grader at Grass Valley Charter how to paint dog portrais? And then, how she set up a Zazzle store so the young artists could purchase their works on t-shirts and mugs and give them as Christmas gifts? And then, how she organized an exhibition of all the paintings at a local bakery? Well Kath Schad's year-long-dog-art-a-palooza reaches a crescendo on May 1, 2010 with a dog art raffle and silent auction to raise money for Grass Valley Charter's Library. Kath christened the event "Dog W.A.G." which stands for "wine, art, and goodies." If you're in Nevada County please come and support the artists and their library. Details are at the bottom of this post.
If you can't make it but would like to contribute, please consider buying a raffle ticket for the two handmade quilts featuring all of the pet portraits created by local quilter Rebecca De Rock with fabric printed by NC Tees.
Raffle tickets for the quilts are $5 each. Email Kath Schad to purchase. "We are crew" is the school's motto…
I will be donating several prints of my collages and three months of advertising on Dog Art Today. If you are a dog artist who would like to donate, email Kath Schad this week.
Dog W.A.G. information:
What: Silent auction and raffle benefiting Grass Valley Charter School's Library
When: Saturday, May 1, 2010, 5pm – 8pm
Where: Grass Valley Holiday Inn, 121 Bank Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945
Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door
South Carolina painter Heidi Bond's recent show of her new works at Black Creek Arts Center are exquisite. An article in SCNow.com by Ardie Arvidson gives insight into her process and intent…
Bond’s work, uniquely hers from subject
matter to its vivid colors, begins with hundreds of photographs taken
of her dog, Vesta. She said her Lab is the model and the muse for her
work.Although she uses her dog as a model, Bond says the paintings are
not portraits of her dog. Bond captures the expressions and emotions of
the dog in each painting using a bright palette.According to Bond, her pieces of art are not portraits but simply
spirits that “convey – a means to think about feelings shared by humans
and canines alike.”
“The colors I used are pure, simple and true,
as are the beasts they depict,” she said. “I like bright colors and am
inspired by Southwestern artists.”“Heidi claims to leave as much out of the paintings as possible,“
BCAC Executive Director Bruce Douglas said. “It’s true her lines and
palette are minimal, but her work is full of expression and emotion. It
is a pleasure to display her work.“Bond said that she does this so that the viewer can “pick up the thread and play along.”
“I play with dogs in my paintings as surely as I play with them with
balls and flying discs and knotted up old socks,” Bond wrote in her
artist statement. (read full article)
She has just been added to my list of favorite dog artists. Her works are very special.
Southern California artist Kimberly Merrill continues to amaze. Zak is one of two new works by Merrill in the show Big Names/Small Works: 12 Artists Under 12 Inches at SCAPE in Corona Del Mar, CA. The exhibition is curated by artist John Swihart and runs until March 20, 2010.
More information here. I previously wrote about Merrill here. Visit her Contemporary Canine blog for more.
Bonhams 28th Dog Art Sale just wrapped up and the most talked about piece, Charles Dickens’s leather and brass dog collar has surpassed expectations of its $4,000 – $6,000 estimate, selling for $11, 590. The collar, engraved with the Victorian author’s name, C. Dickens, Esq., and address, Gad’s Hill, Place, Hingham, was featured in Bonhams’s catalogue with this article depicting Dickens’s fondness for his many dogs and, as in the case of General George Washington, his originality in naming them:
‘All animals which he took under his especial patronage seemed to have
a marked affection for him. Quite a colony of dogs has always been a
feature at Gad’s Hill. When Dickens returned home from his last visit
to America, these dogs were frequently spoken of in his letters. In
May, 1868, he writes: “As you ask me about the dogs, I begin with them.
The two Newfoundland dogs coming to meet me, with the usual carriage
and the usual driver, and beholding me coming in my usual dress out at
the usual door, it struck me that their recollection of my having been
absent for any unusual time was at once cancelled. They behaved (they
are both young dogs) exactly in their usual manner; coming behind the
basket phaeton as we trotted along, and lifting their heads to have
their ears pulled,—a special attention which they receive from no one
else. But when I drove into the stable-yard, Linda (the St. Bernard)
was greatly excited, weeping profusely, and throwing herself on her
back that she might caress my foot with her great fore-paws. M.’s
little dog, too, Mrs. Bouncer, barked in the greatest agitation, on
being called down and asked, ‘Who is this?’ tearing round and round me
like the dog in the Faust outlines.”‘ James T. Fields, Atlantic, August, 1870
And in case the Winter Olympics is not satisfying your need to indulge in nationalistic stereotyping, I offer you a few more dog collars to interpret based on nation of origin…
Swiss dog collars, early 20th century. Sold for $519.
Iron dog collar with protective spikes from Germany, 17th century. Sold for $1, 342.
In the painting category, the star of the show, John Emms’s The Bitchpack of the Meath Foxhounds
failed to realize its $500,000 – $700,000 estimate. But it did sell for a respectable $482,000. Given that another Emms painting, The New Forest Hounds, sold for the world record price of $842,250 in 2006, I’d say whoever purchased The Bitchpack got a great deal.
The Bitchpack of the Meath Foxhounds by John Emms, 1896. Sold for $482,000.
See all the auction results here.
Party Animal by Pamela Hall
William Secord kicks off the frenetic dog art season of February in New York City (to coincide with the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show) with an exhibition of Pamela Hall's work entitled "The Comforts of Home." The solo show opens February 13, 2010 and features over twenty paintings of popular breeds in domestic settings. I think my favorite is Party Animal, but you can see them all online here and decide for yourself.
William Secord, the premiere dog painting gallerist, will also be at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show exhibiting nineteenth century and contemporary dog art works at Booth 126 opposite the benching area at Madison Square Garden February 15-16.
Visit William Secord Gallery for more information.
Baltimore artist Gil Jawetz is a finalist in the Baker Artists Awards this year. Take a moment to support your fellow dog artist and cast your vote for him here. Gil paints other subjects too, but my favorite is his series entitled Human(e) Beings that explores the relationship between people and their pets. What could be more fascinating?
Contest ends in 24 days.
I featured A-young Lee’s dog paintings over a year ago. I discovered two pieces of her work on a Korean language dog art site called Merry & Happy, but I never managed to find more of her paintings. But I always remembered them. So I was thrilled when I recently received a note with a link to her website. Again, it’s all in Korean, so I don’t have much information, but her paintings speak for themselves.
I have never seen a dog artist work outside the canvas so successfully. Her pieces are clever and original without being gimmicky. Adorable but not cutesy. And they wonderfully capture the exuberance of dogs as subjects: impossible to contain. I normally have no trouble selecting a few of my favorites from a portfolio page, but I wanted to share every single one of Lee’s paintings with you. So this post has more images than usual. Visit her gallery page to see more extraordinary works with other creatures too. I especially like the hippo and the butterflies.
