Dog Art Today

Moving Day

Darby and I are moving to Gold Country today.  I'll be back blogging after the Fourth of July.  Have a great holiday!

P.S. I love the title of this photograph from the Library of Congress: "We have it rich." Washing and panning gold, Rockerville, Dak. Old timers, Spriggs, Lamb and Dillon at work.

Kellie Oliphant-Burns Wins Wine Label Contest!

Leeroy Out Loud!

After careful deliberation, Rae Huestis, Brenda Lynch, and I chose Kellie Oliphant-Burns's painting of her Italian Greyhound, entitled Leeroy Out Loud!, as this year's winner of The Mutt Lynch - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest.

I will be writing a feature on Kellie next month, but be sure to see more of her work at Doodle Dog Paintings.

The Leeroy Out Loud! wine label designed by Rae Huestits will will debut on the exclusive Meritage at a 12:00 pm press conference on August 8, 2009 at Mutt Lynch Winery's Dog Days of Summer event in Healdsburg, CA.  Only 500 bottles of this rare Leeroy Out Loud!  wine will be released.  Please come and help us celebrate dogs, wine, and art benefiting the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.  Tickets are $10.  Click here for more information.

Congratulations, Kellie!  And thank you again to all the artists and voters who participated.  We plan to to it again next year.

Thank you - Moira McLaughlin

P.S. Please share any feedback about the contest...what you liked, what you would change...in the comments section below. 

Mutt Lynch - Dog Art Today Top 10 Wine Labels

Congratulations!  The following wine labels now go to the finals.  The winner will be selected by Brenda Lynch – winemaker/co-owner of Mutt Lynch Winery,  Rae Huestis - wine label designer, and Moira McLaughlin (me) – founder of Dog Art Today, and announced here on Monday June 22.  Thank you everyone who participated.  And yes, we hope to do it all again next year!

1.)  Vineyard Crew by Mylette Welch

2.) Leeroy Out Loud! by Kellie Oliphant-Burns

3.) Cheers by Maggie Crawford

4.) Frances by Cheralynn Johnston

5.) A Mellow Yellow by MarySue Krueger

6.) Boomerang by Jen Raynes

7.) Caber "NOSE" Merlot by Jennifer K. Keller

 

8.) Doggedly Faithful by Nikki Solone

 

9.) Bully Blend by Kristin Bowen

10.) Barcchus: The canine god of wine (after Caravaggio) by Christine Throckmorton

The wine with the winning label will debut at a 12:00 pm press conference on August 8, 2009 at Mutt Lynch Winery's Dog Days of Summer event in Healdsburg, CA.  Only 500 bottles of this exclusive Meritage will be released.  Please come and help us celebrate dogs, wine, and art benefiting the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.  Tickets are $10.  Click here for more information.

Vote For Your Favorite Dog Art Wine Label This Week!

I am in awe of all your beautiful and ingenious entries for the Mutt Lynch - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest.  Thank you everyone for participating.  The contest has blown past my wildest expectations.

Description of the wine that will have the winning label: a Dry Creek Valley Meritage, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that is aged in 100% French oak for 18 months.  Only 500 bottles of this rare and exclusive wine will be produced.

Click here to review all 51 wine labels and then cast your vote for your favorite.  The top 10 artists with the most votes will go to the next round.  Then, the winner will be selected from the finalists by judges Brenda Lynch – winemaker/co-owner of Mutt Lynch Winery,  Rae Huestis - wine label designer, and Moira McLaughlin (me) – founder of Dog Art Today.

Voting runs until midnight PST, Friday, June 19, 2009.

The wine with the winning label will debut at The Dog Days of Summer event at Mutt Lynch Winery August 8, 2009.  Proceeds benefit the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.  Please come and bring your dogs.

photo credit: Vote Dog by Rebecca Collins.

Wine Label Contest Deadline Tonight at Midnight

You still have time to put the finishing touches on your Mutt Lynch-Dog Art Today wine label entry before the deadline tonight at midnight.  Contest guidelines are here.  Voting for the top 10 finalists will begin Monday June 15 and continue through Friday June 19.  Remember to get your friends to vote for you.

The winning label will grace an exclusive new bottle of Meritage from Mutt Lynch Winery.  The wine will debut at Mutt Lynch's annual Dog Days of Summer event, a day of wine, dogs, and dog art in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, CA on August 8, 2009 from 11 am to 5 pm.  Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Healdbsurg Animal Shelter.  Click here for more information.  Dogs are welcome.  Darby and I will be there and we would love to meet you and your pups.

Photo credit: Dog in Knutsen Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon by  Janis Miglavs.

Nancy Schutt's Video: The Dog Song

I am a big fan of dog artist Nancy Schutt's work.  With her Matisse-vibe and her Hockney-esque color palette, her playful dog paintings always make me smile.  She also is a loyal reader who leaves frequent comments here at Dog Art Today (hint: great way into my editorial heart).  Nancy just debuted her new video of her work with a song she commissioned specifically for the piece.   It's called The Dog Song and it was written and performed by Emily Westman, a singer and songwriter from Seattle.   I think the video is fantastic.  Hope you enjoy it too -- if you're reading this in an email click through to the blog to view it.   Brava, Nancy!

Visit Nancy's website for more information.

Venice Biennale: Steve McQueen's Giardini Dogs

The fantastical art experience known as the Venice Biennale opened to the public yesterday and dogs are already making a statement.  Specifically the greyhounds that appear in British artist Steve McQueen's film Giardini, which is actually two films screened side by side showing images of Venice's public gardens.  This is not the Venice of summer and the art world.  It is the haunted, quiet Venice of February. 

There is not exactly a story, although there are two men who interact in a way that hints at a narrative.  But according to Charlotte Higgins of The Guardian:

The most arresting characters are the dogs who appear like a leitmotif through the work. "They are racing greyhounds that would otherwise be shot but are looked after by a charity,'' said McQueen. The point is that they ought to be dead – and are thus a kind of ghostly presence, he added.

Hear Steve McQueen discuss his work and see clips of the film:

The Independent's Charles Darwent glowingly reviews the film and concludes:

Every now and then, I'm reminded of my good fortune in being a critic, and seeing Giardini in the Giardini is such a moment. I know Venice is far away and that there are other things to do there, but make the trip for McQueen, if you can.

I would echo Darwent's advice.  Attending the Venice Biennale was one of the most magical experiences of my life.  If you get a chance, go.  Click here for more information.  It runs until November 22, 2009.

Lauren Grabelle: Documenting Dog Love

When NJ-based photographer, Lauren Grabelle,  pitched me the idea to feature her work of "dogs at play, " I put her email on the back burner.  Her work is terrific, but I had done action shots before, and I am always looking for something new. 

Later, when I had some time to visit her site, the shots I really responded to were the intimate ones of dogs and their owners.  I think Lauren's ability to capture the bond dog lovers have with their pets is extraordinary.   It makes perfect sense that her undergraduate work was in Anthropology, because these photos are really more about the owners than their dogs.  You can sense their intoxication, that split second when oxytocin levels soar and dog love consumes them.   Realy beautiful work, Lauren.  Thank you for sharing.

Lauren is also a very talented wedding photographer.  So if you're a lucky couple able to include your dog in your wedding, I think Lauren would be perfect for you.  Visit her website and blog for more information.