Dog Art Today

Tag: lisa oxley

  • Kate Doyle’s Magic Hour Dogs

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    Garden Late Afternoon

     

    I went to the NE*ORE*AL*ISM show at the George Billis Gallery last week to see my friend Lisa Oxley’s pieces (not her dogs but her Snowflake and her Menos Pájaro, which were both highlights).  I’ll admit that Neorealism is not my thing, but the show had a vibrant LA-heightened-reality-vibe that was just right for a summer night on the edge of Culver City.

    One piece in particular caught my eye, Kate Doyle’s Garden Late Afternoon (above).  Gallery hopping with me is like going on safari.  When I spot a four-legged creature, I must hunt it down to and classify it as dog or non.  You can see for yourself it’s a joyful pup lounging on a magnificent orange blanket in the fading light of New England’s magic hour, and it’s wonderful.

    Gallery director Anne Hromadka graciously introduced me to the artist, Kate Doyle, in town from New Hampshire.  I don’t know if it was her Irish name or her immediate desire to discuss the dogs in her work, but I definitely felt a kindred spirit.  She shared the story of one of her favorite works not on display, Dog Day (below), that depicts her friend’s dog Timmy’s first day he let loose and allowed himself to experience joy after years of abuse and skittishness. 

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    Dog Day

     

    I love that she thought to capture that specific moment in Timmy’s life and I admire the passion with which she still talks about that moment and the painting it inspired. 

    Here are several other works that include dogs.  I think my favorite is the last one, for reasons any former Catholic schoolgirl will understand.

     

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    Asleep in the Garden


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    Diana and Actaeon


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    Self-Portrait as a Recovering Catholic

     

    See more of Kate’s work on her website.

    (Click on images for larger view.)

  • Kara Walker: Wow!

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    Scape

    Yesterday, Allison Conant, Lisa Oxley and I went to The Hammer Museum to see the Kara Walker Exhibition: My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love.  I felt, perhaps, how viewers must have felt when they started to realize the magnitude, the variety, and the brilliance of Picasso’s body of work in the mid-20th century. 

    But, even that is not saying enough about what Walker is accomplishing.  Picasso may have been breaking new ground as an artist, but Walker takes you back over familiar territory and makes you look at the parts you refused to see — makes you look at a reality that history, time, and social graces have conveniently wiped away.  And as shocking as her violent, grotesque, and taboo subject matters are (rape, sodomy, defecation, pedophilia), what’s even more shocking is the elegance with which she presents these subjects, thus drawing you in by there beauty and making you not just look at, but truly absorb the truth of slavery, racism, sexism and tolerated violence in our society.
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    Cut

    It was a profoundly moving experience, especially coming to it after watching Barack Obama tackle the same issues as elegantly with words as Walker does with pictures.  Also, experiencing the exhibition with Lisa, a brilliant artist in her own right (see her dog portraits here), and Allison, a great literary mind with a Masters in American History, was the perfect accompaniment.  The images are so intense and her work is so overwhelming, I was fortunate to have some insightful friends to hash it out with afterwords.  If you get a chance to see Walker’s work, go!  And let me know what you think.  Trust me, you’ll need to talk about it.

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    The End of Uncle Tom

    Oh, there were only two dog art pieces in the show, Scape (above) and The Dogs which I couldn’t find a picture of on the Web.  As far as small creatures go, Walker seems to prefer pigs, rabbits, and monkeys in her tableaux.  It’s something I’d like to ask her about, as every cloud, drop of blood, and blade of grass is operating on 2-3 levels of meaning.

    Read more about Kara Walker’s life and work in this terrific and rare interview by Lynell George of The Los Angeles Times .

  • Lisa Oxley: 21st Century-Old Master

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    Lou

    Los Angeles based artist Lisa Oxley’s pet portraits are inspired by the 18th and 19th century tradition of dog paintings. “Old master portraits of saints, mystics, and the aristrocracy” are also points of reference. One look at her breathtaking and truly original work and one suspects she will be a guiding light for artists to come. These are true masterpieces.

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    Fashion Dog

    Husky
    Dogs Behind Bars

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    Toy

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    Pitt Bull

    Thanks, Allison, for passing along Lisa’s website. I’m her new biggest fan!