Dog Art Today

Tag: William Wegman

  • Dog Art Today and Strathmore Unleashed!

     

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    Desire by Clair Hartmann

    I am thrilled to announce that the exhibition I have been working on as an advisor, Strathmore Unleashed!, is opening this weekend, April 28, 2012 at Strathmore, the fine arts and cultural center in Bethesda, MD.

    My involvement with Strathmore Unleashed! began in February when curator Harriet Lesser contacted me looking for dog artists who depict "an alternative approach to our relationship with our dogs."   She wanted work that expressed a "depth of feeling and intensity in a mostly non-verbal way."   She also wanted to include my video tribute to 5,000 years of dog-centric artwork entitled "Dogs in Art."

    "Yes," I told Harriet. "I would love to be involved."

    Not only was this a meeting of the minds between Harriet and me, both artists who take dog art seriously, but it was also a tremendous opportunity for me to look back at the last five years of my blog Dog Art Today.   I reviewed every single article, over 1200 posts, and thousands of artists.   I was reminded of works I had forgotten and fell back in love with old favorites.

    I gave Harriet a four-page document of artists to consider, and she did the outreach and coordination. When she sent me the list of her selections that included Jane O'Hara, Clair Hartmann, Anna Dibble, Kaththyn Freeman, David Corcoran, Marjorie Weiss, Heather LaHaise, Kent Ambler, I was so proud to be a part of this prestigious group.   I was also excited that she chose to include my sister Sheila Cameron's work.   And since my parents' dog, Minnie, and my sister Regan's dog, Logan, are both in my "Dogs in Art" video, Strathmore Unleashed! is truly a family affair.

    Strathmore Unleashed! will also feature five doghouses, from futuristic polypod structures to scale models inspired by the Sydney Opera House, photographs by the iconic William Wegman, large scale installations by Dale Rogers, and a fiber sculpture by Ann Citron.

    Most exciting is that for the opening reception on Thursday May 3, 2012 Strathmore Unleashed! will host a special Yappy Hour from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. for dog owners to bring their pets to the exhibition.  It is free and open to the public.

    Strathmore Unleashed! runs from this Friday April 28, 2012 to June 23, 2012. The exhibition also includes an art talk, a children's drawing session, and special tours.

     

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    Man's Best Friend by David Corcoran

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    Pink Chihuahua by Sheila Cameron

    Nest_william_wegman

     

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    Trying to Get Along by Anna Dibble

     

    Dogs in Art by Moira McLaughlin

     

    If you're in the Washington D.C. area, plan a trip to Strathmore Unleashed!   Please send photos if you go.

    View the invitation.

    Read the press release.

     

     

  • New William Wegman Prints from Jen Bekman

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    About 4:30

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    The Architects

    Art for everyone entrepreneur, Jen Bekman, is offering a pair of prints from William Wegman today.  Some restrictions apply, including that they be purchased together.  She wants people to see that he's more than just "the dog guy."

    If you're interested, don't wait.  Some editions are already sold out.  Order here.

  • Wendy B’s Wegmans

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    Jewelry designer and blogger Wendy B left a comment on the William Wegman post that she was "lucky enough to have Wegman take our dogs'
    picture!"  And added her impression of Wegman's interaction with her pups.  "He was very good with them and knew exactly when they'd had
    enough. If anyone was annoyed it was me — by my pooches' bad behavior!"  OK, further evidence that the famous photographer is not abusing the animals by putting them in stress positions.

    Wendy_B_wegman_2

    Wendy has graciously shared her custom Wegmans of her Pekingneses, Gigi and the late Chubbs, with us.  She scored the session with Wegman at a charity event in 2004 and took the shots at his studio where "various Weimaraners were wandering around the studio and they seemed like calm, happy dogs."
    The frame  photo was created by holding the dogs behind a painted image on black paper with the middle cut out, and sticking the heads through the opening. Clever.

    Excuse the strange perspective.  These are large photos hanging in a very narrow hallway.  Thank you for sharing Wendy.  Oh, and don't forget to visit Wendy's wonderful blog where she writes about medieval history, feminism, dogs and anything else that inspires or annoys her.  Her caustic take on all of the above is thoroughly refreshing.  And I adore her jewelry, especially her rings.

  • Wegman’s Fay in New Order Video

    In response to yesterday’s post about the William Wegman: Fay exhibition at the Akron Art Museum, Dog Art Today reader and Evie’s mom, Jewel, left me a comment that Fay stars in New Order’s 1988 video for Blue Monday.  I love New Order.  Thanks, Jewel!

  • William Wegman: Fay at Akron Art Museum

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    Basic Shapes by William Wegman

    To be honest, I have always had mixed feelings about William Wegman's work.  I can't shake the feeling that his Weimaraners look sad, or at minimum annoyed.  But much like my view of George Rodrigue's Blue Dog tempered into deep appreciation after learning more about his relationship to his muse, Tiffany, after reading the press notes for William Wegman: Fay at the Akron Art Museum, I am looking at Wegman's photos anew.   And seeing his dog Fay as his collaborator, not simply his tool, makes me think differently about his work.

    Here are some excerpts that changed my mind:

    While living in California, Wegman acquired Man Ray, a Weimaraner whom he named after the surrealist French photographer.  The dog became his partner in both life and art during their twelve-year collaboration. Man Ray became so famous that, upon his passing, he was named ‘Man of the Year’ by the New York City newspaper The Village Voice.

    Grief-stricken by Ray’s death, Wegman made the decision not to get another dog, but some years later he came to meet another Weimaraner:

    “When we first met in Memphis, Tennessee, she was six months old and her name was Cinnamon Girl. I named her Fay after Fay Wray, of course, but also after my first color Polaroid with Man Ray and the nail polish, which I had titled Fay Ray. Her fur was taupe, lighter and warmer-toned than Man Ray’s, and she had yellow eyes like in a Rousseau painting. I had no intention of photographing Fay. Man Ray was irreplaceable. I didn’t want to mar my memory of him.
    … In a short time Fay matured from a coltish youth into a Garboesque beauty. My pictures grew with her. Now she was the muse, the adored one. Skin-deep beauty became the soul of my work.”

    Fay had a chameleon-like quality very different from Man Ray's concrete presence. The bond between the artist and his muse is undeniable.  Images of Fay balanced upon an ironing boarding in Sphinx (1987) and coolly starting into the lens from beneath a black net in Netted (1988) show her deep trust in Wegman.

    I still don't know if balancing a dog on an ironing board is the best idea.  But I think I see more love and less annoyance in Fay's eyes.  And to me that makes a big difference.

    If you are in the Akron area, you have a chance to hear William Wegman speak on May 15, 2009 at 6:30 pm.  Tickets are available here.

    William Wegman: Fay runs from May 16 to August 16, 2009 at the Akron Art Museum.

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  • William Wegman’s Weimaraners Baking Bread

    I stopped watching Sesame Street in the early 70’s so I missed some great segments from the later years like William Wegman’s Weimaraners baking bread. Sometimes I think his dogs look like they’re not into the whole dressing up thing, but they look like they’re having fun here, especially the dog at the end. Enjoy!

    Sesame Street continues to amaze.

    Via Taxing Tennessee.

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  • Crypton Beds by William Wegman

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    Kari at Mod-Dog has another great offer, 20% off Crypton (super fabric) dog beds. My favorites are the new Doodle Dog design from the William Wegman collection. Kari's Dachshund Kassi subjects her bed to a thorough dig/chew/scratch/wash test and gives it a rave. Click here for more details.

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    P.S. Head over to We Covet to enter to win 2 free Mod-Dog prints (your breed choice) like the one below:

    Modern_dog_print_2

    Good Luck!

  • William Wegman: Fay

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    Retriever by William Wegman, 1994

    It's not to late to see William Wegman: Fay at the Allentown Art Museum in PA.  The show "celebrates the artistic partnership of Wegman and
    his beloved canine muse, Fay Ray. For ten years (1986-1995), their
    lives were creatively entwined, resulting in a brilliant body of photographic
    work for which Wegman and Fay are especially known.
    Their odyssey as partners in art and in life is explored in a rich array
    of photographs, 
    many of which have rarely or never been exhibited publicly."

    Show runs until September 7, 2008.

    Also, the museum is offering a special Dog Days Promotion through the end of August.  Visitors with admission receipts from the Allentown Art Museum receive $2.00 off the exhibition fee for Elliot Erwitt: Dog Dogs at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA.  Very cool.

    See some of my favorite Elliot Erwitt photos here.

  • William Wegman’s 2008 Calendars, Christmas Cards and Ornaments.

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    William Wegman Snow Batty Christmas cards

    A lot of visitors to Dog Art Today are searching for William Wegman gifts. So for all you Weimaraner loving Wegmaniacs out there, here are some helpful links for you. It’s not too late to order. Most of Wegman’s items are in stock and ship the next day. Shop now and enjoy your weekend. It’s time to get your “yule” on!

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    William Wegman’s Man’s Best Friend 2008 Calendar

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    William Wegman 2008 Puppies Calendar

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    William Wegman Santa ornament

  • DOGS by Catherine Johnson

     

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    I adore Phaidon Press’s new book DOGS, a collection vintage photographs collected by photography expert Catherine Johnson. With 450 photos presented in a family album style, paging through the book offers dog lovers a window to the past that’s a true joy to look through. The pleasure comes not from nostalgia, but continuity, for there’s nothing new in our bond with dogs. We, or at least I, just thought there was.

    For example, I was recently interviewed by Pet Style News and asked why I thought dog art is so popular these days? My response included assumptions about people marrying later in life, empty nesters, advertising – like the Target dog, and the fascination with celebrity dogs. Now, after enjoying DOGS, I see dogs are like beer, music, or sexy women, people simply love them and always have. Today if I was asked about the popularity of dogs in our culture, I would simply reply, “Well, have you ever met a dog?” Dog love is self-evident and DOGS is a truly awesome celebration of dogs, of course, but humans too!

    Picking out which photos to include here was almost impossible so I decided to focus on some core man/dog behaviors. Where dogs are concerned, people love to…

    inhale them…

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    dress them up and celebrate their birthdays…

    Dogs_vintage_birthday_2

    talk to them…

    Dogs_vintage_talk_3

    make them do tricks…

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    let them jump on the table…

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    include them as part of the family…

    Dogs_vintage_soldier_2

    get them professionally photographed…

    Dogs_vintage_fox_terrier_2

    and kiss them on the lips…

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    Suffice it to say, I highly recommend this book for any dog lover in your life. And the price of $14.95 sweetens the deal, because it looks like it could go for double that. There’s also an afterword by William Wegman and wonderful quotes from others throughout, my favorite of which is, “They’re not dogs. They’re art.” –- Rachel Leigh.