Tag: portraits

Jane Oriel’s Domestic Dog Art

When I first saw Jane Oriel’s pet portraits, I knew I would feature them today, the first day of fall. There is something so autumnal about her palette and something so cozy about her dogs. Here, dogs are at home, posing in front of intricate wallpaper, lounging around in the den. Even her outside paintings incorporate manicured branches, probably from no farther than the front lawn.

They remind me of one of my other favorite domestic dog paintings, Stove by Alex Colville.

Stove by Alex Coleville, 1988

And, I can’t help but comparing her impressionistic, swirly style to another artist who embraced the beauty of short days and ochre tones, Vincent van Gogh.

Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh, 1887

Yes, it’s true, Van Gogh the master of vivid, glowing yellows and oranges, knew how to dazzle with darkness.

In fact, MOMA’s current exhibition Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night proves it right now. If you can’t get to New York, read the NYT’s Roberta Smith’s illuminating review. And take a moment to witness the Van Gogh’s colors of night yourself via their excellent slide show.

Oh, and if you want your own impressionistic masterpiece visit Jane Oriel’s website to commission one for yourself.

September 22, 2008
Hilda Spain-Owen’s Whippet Portraits

Anything for You

Writing about artist Julian Chung and his circus inspired animals reminded me of a painter I’ve been meaning to feature named Hilda Spain-Owen. Her work is so popular even non-dog owners collect her fabulous Whippets.

She also supports sighthound rescue groups in Florida and North Carolina and has raised thousands of dollars from her dog art donations. Very cool!

Break Point

Cool Whip

Call of the Circus

Madame X

Designing Woman

Visit Hilda Spain-Owen’s website for giclées, note cards, and information about commissioning a portrait of your pet.

September 1, 2008
Dogs in Art: A New Film by Moira McLaughlin

Several months in the making, my new film Dogs in Art was a true labor of love. It was such a pleasure working so closely with all these spectacular pet portraits and charting the history of dogs in art over 5,000 years. The art and the artists were, and still are, endlessly inspiring. Hope you enjoy it!

View Dogs in Art on a "wide screen" at YouTube.

See a list of all the art (full images) and links to the artists here.

As a favor, if you'd like to leave a comment, please click on this YouTube link and leave it there. I'm moving up the charts as "Most Discussed" video in the Pets & Animals category and feeling very competitive.

P.S. Adding me to your Favorites on YouTube is also greatly appreciated. Thank you : )

P.P.S. Music is Parlez-Moi D'Amour by CharlElie Couture from The Moderns soundtrack by Mark Isham. I couldn't find it on iTunes but you can get the CD here.

P.P.S. In case you haven't seen it, this film was inspired by Philip Scott Johnson's masterful "Women in Art" video blockbuster of last year. Click here to see it.

June 18, 2008
Kara Walker: Wow!

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.

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.

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 .

March 19, 2008
Marion Morrison’s Old Fashioned Pop Art

Zorro

As I’ve mentioned here before, Photoshop has done a real number on Pop Art. The simplicity with which one can Warholize an image has diminished Pop’s impact as a genre. But artist Marion Morrison keeps the Pop spirit alive by doing things the old fashioned way – which is a bit disturbing to consider – when did Pop Art become so retro? Anyway, Morrison uses acrylics on large canvas to create her "in your face" life size pup portraits and has been collected by dog lovers all over North America for the last 7 years.

I think she does a wonderful job getting each of her subject’s expressions just right. You can really sense their personalities. And her mastery of light and color are simply wonderful. She says that she is inspired by another dog pop artist, Ron Burns, but I think her works stand on their own as true originals in the Pop tradition and I am a big fan! To order a portrait of your pet visit Morrison’s Pup Art Studio.

Misty

Mulligan

Coco & Chanel

Ellie-May

Beaudiddly

Arthur

Speaking of Pop Art, did you ever wonder exactly how Andy Warhol created his silkscreened masterpieces? Click here and see his process revealed step-by-step in a fascinating interactive lesson courtesy of The Andy Warhol Museum.

March 18, 2008