When LA Sharon Montrose shot a photo spread of her pup Squeak relaxing around their home, she was overwhelmed with the response. Squeak is so cute, the light is so perfect, and the wallpaper…where did she find the wallpaper?! People went nuts for her “Squeak at Home” post.
So, she wants to do it again. With your dog. If you live in photogenic Los Angeles home, and would like to have one of the premier dog photographers document your pup doing what he does best for free, you need to contact Sharon and try to get on the list. Needless to say, she has been overwhelmed with response to this too. Good luck!
Visit Sharon’s website to see more of her magnificent work. And think about one of her books for the dog lover in your life this holiday season. They truly set the standard for what a dog photography book should be.
Have you seen this painting? It was stolen this August from an Encino, CA couple’s home along with at least a dozen other works by artists including Marc Chagall, Hans Hofmann, Chaim Soutine, Arshile Gorky, Lyonel Feininger, Diego Rivera, and Kees van Dongen.
The pieces are estimated to be worth millions. There is a $200,000 reward for anyone with information leading to the the return of the artworks. So keep your eyes open, this dog art is hot.
Since I’m taking tomorrow off, I’m wishing you all a happy 4th of July today.
And because dogs and fireworks don’t go together, I’m featuring Sabrina Helas’s beautiful and haunting Dog House photo. I know it doesn’t have the “rah rah” patriotism of a splashy red, white, and blue image, but I am drawn to it in a John-Cougar-Mellencamp-Ain’t-That-America kind of way. And, of course, the neon Dachshund is awesome.
Sabrina is a super talented L.A. pet photographer whom I’ve featured here before. She has recently expanded into maternity photography and children under 6. See her dogs here and her mommies and kids here.
Also, here are some tips to calm dogs’ fears during fireworks.
Hope you all have a great weekend!
P.S. Sabrina, tell us about this image…where, what, when, etc? I’m very intrigued by it.
The winner of the Westminster Dog Show gets a lovely silver bowl. I know it’s tradition, but don’t our dogs deserve gold? Amy and Geoff Mitchell think so.
The L.A. couple behind a new pet portrait company called Pawsterpieces has come up with a gorgeous method of presenting your favorite pet photo on a gold leaf background. This exclusive process imbues each portrait with a shimmering timeless quality that makes it the perfect keepsake for you or gift for the pet lover in your life. Because, face it, everyone thinks their pet is the best in the world. And the best in the world deserves nothing less than gold. Ask anyone on the way to Beijing.
Amy has generously offered all Dog Art Today readers a 20% discount on any of their products if you mention you read about them here. They have several sweet options (below). Also, they can work with any photo you send them, but are happy to include a photo shoot your dog, cat, lizard, bird or horse to start the Pawsterpiece process.
And finally, don’t be afraid of investing in gold, their prices are very reasonable.
I knew very little about Polish Cyrk posters when I featured them last May. There wasn’t much information on the Art of Posters website and I couldn’t figure out how to search their database for dogs. Also, purchasing a poster meant sending money to Poland, and I know even though we all love and trust the Internet, that can still be scary.
Now, there is Cyrk, a New York based company that specializes in these Polish works of art with a terrific, informative website that gave me a new appreciation for these mid-century graphic gems.
Here’s a little of the Cyrk story:
“Polish circus/art posters, with their most recognizable subjects and unmatched popularity, are the quintessential posters of the golden age of the Polish School of Posters -1945 (the end of World War II) through 1989 (the fall of Communism). During this time, the Polish Government financially supported and encouraged poster art. Posters became the primary art form of the nation. The art of Polish posters attained international fame, becoming established as the best in contemporary/vintage poster art.”
Read more here. It’s fascinating and ironic that censorship and state control, two things assumed antithetical to artistic expression cultivated such spectacular works, in many ways unsurpassed in the market driven, free society of today.
To see all the spectacular posters (dog and non-dog) visit Cyrk’s website.
P.S. If you’re in Los Angeles, the Weidman Gallery’s 2nd Annual Polish Poster Festival is going on now with 100s of contemporary/vintage original posters for sale. Show runs until June 22.
Londoners, check out LA-based photographer Alex Prager’s Big Valley show at Michael Hoppen Contemporary. She does mid-century modern gals, as in Hitchcock meets Valley of the Dolls. Above photo is from her archives, a bit disturbing but very cool.
Driving through Hollywood today, I spotted a wall covered with this this Heel poster. Hmm, did Shepard Fairey get a Chihuahua? Did Kevin McCormick of Obey The Purebreed start a wheat paste campaign? I couldn't tell at 35 mph, so I drove on. Later, I saw a huge Chihuahua silhouette painted on the side of a building. That's not graffiti, I thought, that's corporate.
I came home and Googled "Heel L.A." and discovered this website where a Chihuahua named Papi calls for his comrades to revolt against dog sweaters and being carried in purses.
With a little more research, I found some answers. According to ViralBlog, Disney started a viral marketing campaign a few days ago for their upcoming movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
The live action film about Chloe, a Beverly Hills Chihuahua who gets
lost in Mexico and needs help from other dogs to get back home, sounds
like Lady and The Tramp meets The Incredible Journey. And although it
is not due to be released until September 26, its YouTube video is already no. 6 on ViralBlog's top 10 viral videos of the week.
And look, influential dog bloggers like me are talking about it. Nice job, Disney, especially since the working title was South of the Border, and this was the original poster…
Cool street dog art is way better, unless Shepard Fairey and/or Obey The Purebreed have lawsuits pending. Then, I'm on their side.
5.5.08 Update: Heel posters spotted in Williamsburg, NY courtesy of Gowanus Lounge.
Update 5.17.08: Heel posters debut in Boston. Courtesy of Violentz's Flickr photostream…
Look what L.A. pet photographer, Grace Chon just created for her clients. Covers of Woof Magazine so your superstar dog can have the press exposure he of she deserves. They look so authentic, no one needs to know that, like almost everything in this town, it’s just a façade. Very Hollywood and very clever!
Tuesday night’s Biz Ladies Meetup at Design Within Reach was as educational as it was inspiring. Organized by design and blogger maven, Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, the event attracted nearly 200 talented, crafty, entrepreneurial women looking to connect and learn about taking our cottage industries to the next level.
It was so great to meet so many creative women and listen to the generous guest speakers share their expertise. Grace gave an excellent presentation on PR for the independent designer which you can download here. Billie and Tootie of the indie-oriented store Reform School discussed making their retail dreams a reality. Brilliant furniture designer Tanya Aguiniga illuminated us with her passion for work and philanthropy that has paid off with a skyrocketing career in a male dominated industry. And Lindsay Horstman of Smith Barney knocked on our right brains with reminders about finances and investments.
Tanya Aguiniga talks about her passion for perfection and giving back.
What was really fun was to run into people I’ve blogged or who’ve blogged me, like Lynda Keeler of Delight.com. I’ve proudly been on her Delightful Blog for close to a year. I also met the fabulous photographer Grace Chon whose beautiful black dogs I recently featured here. And Amy Turner who makes gorgeous dog art using wood grained contact paper. I featured her way back in April 2007, when Dog Art Today was just a baby. I definitely need to revisit Amy’s work with a new post for all my new readers. She’s a true original!
L.A. ladies listen to the Reform School founders.
Next time I attend one of these events, I think I should wear a sandwich board indicating "Looking for Dog Art" because I’m sure there were dozens of artists and crafters who would be perfect for DAT. So, let me just say, L.A. Design*Sponge Biz Ladies, if you have something you would like me to feature, put together one of those handy digital press kits Grace taught you how to make and shoot it over to me. moira@dreamdogsart.com
Thanks again, Grace, for organizing a great night! And DWR for being such gracious and stylish hosts.
I’m running late for a meeting this morning. Feeling like this amazing painting Running Dog by Sixty Minute Artist Jerry Lebo, whose very cool blog is devoted to artistic discipline and striving to “turn consistent effort into something worth looking at.”
Check back later. I have lots to tell you about the Ladies Biz Meetup I went to last night hosted by the fabulous Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge. It was terrific!
