In honor of the Inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama, I created this Shepard Fairey-esque image of Darby. You can make one of your dog, cat, child or self at Paste Magazine's Obamiconme.com. It's very fun and super easy!
For more a round up of the hippest Obama memorabilia, check out If It's Hip It's Here.
Original photo by Grace Chon of Shine Pet Photos.
As most of you know, I’m a big believer in speaking up for all who
suffer injustice, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation or in
this case, species! And I’m all for adopting from the shelter. My
wife and I share our home with 2 pooches, George and Weezie, who is a
rescue. They are the happy canine siblings to our 2 human daughters.
The image I created for this print reminds me of a dog I had as kid, a mutt named Honey.
The
exciting news for art collectors and animal lovers is that 400 signed,
limited edition prints will be available for sale some time this
January and all proceeds go to Adopt-A-Pet.com. You can sign up for
news alerts at Muttslikeme.com. These prints are highly collectible and will go in a matter of minutes.
But
if you don't get one, the website also has free badges, banners,
posters, and wallpaper you can download and add to your own sites to
raise awareness and show support. There is even a black + white
version for kids in class to color in and discuss. Click here to see all the free artwork available.
Thank
you, Shepard Fairey, for continuing to use your talent for good. Your
work shows us that giving means more than writing a check. An image,
an hour of time, or simply speaking out against injustice can change
the world.
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.
Shepard Fairey poster
Obey The Chihuahua poster
by Kevin McCormick
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…
Heel NYC via Michael Surtees at DesignNotes…
Update: 5.19.09: There is a hot thread about this Hillary/Heel poster by Tony Puryear over at reddit.
Highlights include:
Is the Heel/Hillary poster a poorly done rip off of Shepard Fairey's Obama poster?
Can it be a rip off when Shehard Fairey appears to be inspired by these artists?
Or perhaps Fairey found inspiration from Chinese propaganda posters…
Or the Japanese Naval Ensign…
I'll keep you posted on this intriguing nexus of dog art, pop art, politics, and propaganda. Comments welcome.
