Caption: "His daughter with whom he's very much in love." Via The Washington Post.
This photograph contradicts the legend that his Dachshund, Lump, was "the only dog Picasso took in his arms."
Enjoy the long weekend.
We woke to tragic news of another mass murder in our country. An appropriate day for a heartbroken dog.
Via Tate, courtesy of reader Peter Halston.
Three months after my Longhaired Dachshund Darby died in December, I received an email from North Carolina dog artist, Clair Hartmann. Attached was an image of this portrait of Darby she painted as a gift to me. In her email she wrote:
"Your blog post 'What Happened' touched me so deeply, I knew I had to paint Darby. I put it off, but it just kept asking to be painted, and when I started, to be honest, it just painted itself. I would like to think Darby helped."
After I wiped my tears, I sent her an email attempting to convey how much I loved it. Then, I sent her another one asking if I could interview her about Darby's portrait.
Here is our Q + A:
Moira McLaughlin: What compelled you to paint Darby?
Clair Hartmann: When I read the post "What Happened" I had to get up from my computer, go to the bathroom, lock the door and cry. It was one of those uncontrollable, can't catch your breath, crying spells. I was so moved by your experience and the pain of your companion passing that I HAD to paint Darby and honor his life.
MM: What medium is the painting?
CH: Oil on canvas
MM: What photo(s) did you use to create it? Were you inspired by his blue blanket that I mention in the post?
CH: I saw some photos that were professionally taken on your blog with perfect lighting that really showed his eyes. That moved me. Originally I painted the blue surface he was standing on, but it just didn't seem right. I have this white down comforter that my Chumley loves and it looks like clouds when it gets fluffed up, so I used that instead which I'm really glad I did.
MM: Those photos were taken by photographer Grace Chon and I treasure them. See more here.
MM: In one of your emails, you mentioned you consider this piece a breakthrough for you, can you elaborate on that?
CH: I have been painting dogs for years, trying to perfect my style. I've moved through realism back to painterly styles and now I feel I've come to a nice middle ground. I feel this painting exemplifies everything I have been working towards for the past four years. The painting almost painted itself, taking only about two hours. It happened so quickly that I was sad to stop, but I knew in my gut it was done.
MM: Have you lost a dog before? If so, did you paint your pet after he or she passed away?
CH: I had a beautiful Dalmatian when I was a child, and I spent hours learning how to draw her sleeping. One day she ran away and was hit by a car. Thankfully I didn't see it and was told about a week after she had been gone. I didn't paint her after she died, but I feel she was an integral part of why I love to paint dogs.
MM: I know you have been following Dog Art Today for some time. Did you know that Pointy by John Singer Sargent is my #1-all-time-if-I-had-to-chose-a-favorite piece of dog art? Your Darby reminds me of it in many ways.
CH: I did not know that and surprisingly I have never seen that painting, but I love the style! And I am honored that you would compare me to John Singer Sargent.
MM: I can't tell you how deeply touched I am by this painting. It hangs in my kitchen (which is also the main room of my house) with an abstract by my niece, Layla Cameron, and another Darby by Heather LaHaise. I love how they look grouped together…
MM: Also, I have it as my screensaver. And it is responsible for the first photograph of my new dog, Tyler, with his predecessor…
Clair, this painting helped me heal on so many levels. And that healing made it possible for me to say yes to Tyler and help save his life.
Often I say on this blog, that "art matters." Receiving the gift of Darby, which gave me a chance to see him one more time in a new and beautiful light, brought the power of art home to me more profoundly than ever. Thank you. — Moira McLaughlin
To see more of Clair Hartmann's work visit her website.
Last week, artist Tim Storrier won the the Archibald Prize, Australia's most important portraiture contest established in 1921. He credits his dog Smudge with helping his faceless self-portrait take the top honors and $75,000 in prize money. Read the full story at The Australian.
Here is the prize-winning portrait…
The Histrionic Wayfarer (after Bosch) by Tim Storrier
See an interview with Tim Storrier and view all the finalists at The Sydney Morning Herald's website.
Last September, Swedish artist Camilla Engman’s friend Adolfo Serra suggested she publish a book with illustrations of her beloved dog Morran created by artists from all over the world. Then, another friend, Lynn Louise Larson, suggested all the proceeds from the book go to a charity that helps dogs. Camilla posted about the idea on her blog. People liked it. So she put the call out to artists, and soon the Morran images started rolling in. To help her curate the incredible response, she put together a jury. Together they selected what images would go where, but Camilla had already decided to include them all.
At the end of November, Morran passed away. Camilla was flooded with condolences and more illustrations of her sweet girl. Somehow, through her grief, Camilla created the book and got it published on Blurb in time for Christmas. Since then, The Morran Book Project has raised over $1000 for the WSPA, a Sweditsh organization dedicated to the protection of animals.
And it doesn’t stop there. Camilla also started a blog where she posted every Morran image that was sent to her. And she encourages artists to keep sending them. So if you missed the book deadline, you can still be a part of this global dog-art tribute to one of the most endearing, and enduring, muses ever to grace the art world. Anyone who knows Camilla’s work, knows how precious Morran was to her. She was her muse in the studio, a subject of her paintings, her companion on walks in the woods, and sidekick on vacation. She was the namesake of Camilla’s new website Studio Morran. Camilla never made apologies for being totally gaga for Morran (except when she was compelled to apologize to her husband for leaving him out of a photobooth session).
I was so sad when I read Morran had died. I didn’t know she was sick. I didn’t know her. But I thought she was still a young pup because she was always on the go, though she was an outstanding nap-taker. But, as Camilla expressed it on her blog, through The Morran Book Project, she channeled her sadness into “something good.”
Picking favorites was impossible. I highly recommend you visit the book’s blog and see them all for yourself.
If you would like to contribute, click here for the specs. View Morran’s flickr page for more inspiration. If you participate, I’d love to hear about it.
See all The Morran Book Project art here. There are over 230 pieces.
Via The Long and Short of It. You can buy a matted version of it at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
Enjoy your President’s Day.
Art director and self-taught fashion and fine-art photographer Lillian Bassman died on Monday, February 13, 2012. She was 94.
The New York Times obituary.
Slideshow of her works.
Her photographs have been published in Lillian Bassman (1997) and Lillian Bassman: Women (2009). A new book, Lillian Bassman: Lingerie, will be published on April 1, 2012.
If you are an artist or photographer, don’t destroy your work or negatives. Bassman did, and later rediscovered interest in the work that survived. You don’t have to like your early work. But keep it.
