I think Tillamook Cheddar, a Jack Russell from Brooklyn, is the perfect dog artist to feature on Valentine's Day. First, of course, because of her vivid heart shaped pendant that has become her signature piece, but more importantly because her work is illustrative of true passion. I've always felt that the Victorian cutesy aesthetic that coats Valentine's Day is just plain corny, especially as it's morphed into the Hallmark-Teddy- Bear-industrial-complex aesthetic of today. It's not sexy or romantic or remotely interesting. And it's certainly not passionate, like Tillie's work.
Tillie expresses her artistic sensibilities with the help of her assistant F. Bowman Hastie III, who assembles a touch-sensitive recording device by affixing pigment-coated vellum to a sheet of lithograph paper backed by mat board. Then, Tillie takes the "canvas" in her mouth and uses her teeth and paws to scratch sweeping lines and intersections with a ritualistic intensity, sometimes to the point of nearly destroying her creation. The finished piece is reminiscent of the Art Brut (art of the insane) movement in 1940s France when "artists drew entirely on their own resources, rather than on the stereotypes of classical or fashionable art." Tillie's art is all heart. What could be more perfect for today?
Here are some of my favorite Tillies:
Read about Tillie's evolution as an artist and then a mom (she had six pups) in her biography Portrait Of The Dog As A Young Artist
P.S. Tillie also creates sculptures that I love because they are reminiscent of Darby's artwork. I considered placing this photo at the top of this post with the title "Happy Valentine's Day! Eat Your Heart Out." It sounded a bit too cynical, so I didn't. Have a great day!
