Dog Art Today

Tag: portie greeting cards

  • The Obamas Get a Portie — We Think

    Portie_art

    Willy, Come! by Moira McLaughlin, 2009


    Rumors are swirling that a dog has been spotted at the White  House and that a male Portuguese Water Dog puppy might there to greet the Obamas when they arrive home today at 5:50 PM Eastern time.  I am tracking all the First Dog news over at my other blog, The Obama Dog Blog.

    In the meantime, I wanted to share my latest work with you entitled Willy, Come!  I had the pleasure of working with Portie owner Buffy Nicolas on another collage of her boy Willy.  Our first collaboration was the Porties for Obama – Hope piece.  This one was inspired by Willy’s playful exuberance, his passion for the water, and his obedience training expertise.  I also wanted to incorporate the feeling of springtime in Virginia, where the Nicolas family lives, as well as Buffy’s favorite colors.

    Buffy’s response:  WOW! OH WOW!

    Made me feel like the collage is a success.

    Thank you to the super talented photographer, Lee Anderson, who took the black and white photo of Willy and allowed me to use it in this piece.  And to Donna, his wife and business partner, who helped coordinate the process.

    I also put the Willy collage on a line of greeting cards, journals, t-shirts, mugs and more.  Visit my online store to see all the products.  Here are some of my top sellers:

    Portuguese_water_dog_card 

    Portie Greeting Cards

    Portuguese_water_dog_journal

    Portie Journal

    Click here to see more Portie products.

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  • Porties for Obama Art

    Portie_for_Obama_Art

    It's been an exciting week to be a dog artist and blogger.  On Sunday, President-elect Barack Obama announced he had narrowed his choice for First Dog down to two breeds, the Labradoodle and the Portuguese Water Dog.   Actually, he said "Hound" which is sweet because it shows how much he is NOT a dog person yet, and we will all get to watch his transition.  With this announcement, the dog world went crazy.  And I went a little nuts too, because I at that very moment I was working on a commissioned collage of a Portie named Willy.

    Portie_for_Obama_photo

    Willy, founder of Porties for Obama.  Photo by Lee Anderson.

    I first met Willy and his mom, Buffy Nicolas of Virginia, via email back in August.  Buffy was very excited about Barack Obama's campaign.  She liked his politics, but even more, she liked the idea that he had promised his girls a dog when the campaign was over.   She was determined to get him elected and see a Portuguese Water Dog in the White House. 

    I thought it was a long shot.  A Portie was not even on AKC's  short list of recommended breeds.  And, to be totally honest, I had never heard of a PWD.  But, I loved the adorable photo Lee Anderson had taken of Willy, and I thought if I can help the Porties for Obama folks elect Barack Obama as our next president by posting Willy on my blog I am happy to do it.

    Cut to, this Fall when Buffy commissioned me to do an Obama collage of Willy.  She graciously gave me time to work on it after the holiday rush.  She asked if she could have it by the Inauguration.  Perfect, I thought.  That will give me a nice image to put on my blogs that day (I write The Obama Dog Blog too).  Little did I know that I would be swept up into the Portie presidential frenzy.   With apologies to the Labradoodles for Obama people, I now feel like an honorary member of Team Portie.  And, after spending so much time working with darling Willy and his passionate mom, I can't help rooting for them.  Go Porties!

    Here are some Portie for Obama products from my store:

    Porties-for-obama-greeting-cards

    Porties for Obama Greeting Cards


    Porties-for-obama-journal
    Porties for Obama Journal

    Porties_for_obama_tote
    Porties for Obama Tote

    Porties for Obama Women's T-shirt

    If the Obamas do choose a Portie, I think this shirt would be perfect for the President:

    Portie_mens_t_shirt

    Property of my Portie Men's T-shirt

    This one would look great on Michelle:

    Portie-mom-t-shirt

    Something for the girls is in the works, actually, another Willy collage.  Thank you, Buffy.

    To see all the Porties for Obama items in my store click here.  Labradoodle fans, feel free to contact me to commission art for your dogs.  Yes, I can be bought.