Tillamook Cheddar: All Heart

Tillamook Cheddar aka Tillie in front of her artwork. Photo by Dirk Westphal.

I think Tillamook Cheddar, a Jack Russell from Brooklyn, is the perfect dog artist to feature on Valentine's Day. First, of course, because of her vivid heart shaped pendant that has become her signature piece, but more importantly because her work is illustrative of true passion. I've always felt that the Victorian cutesy aesthetic that coats Valentine's Day is just plain corny, especially as it's morphed into the Hallmark Teddy Bear industrial complex aesthetic of today. It's not sexy or romantic or remotely interesting. And it's certainly not passionate, like Tillie's work is.

Gas Mask

Tillie expresses her artistic sensibilities with the help of her assistant F. Bowman Hastie III, who assembles a touch-sensitive recording device by affixing pigment-coated vellum to a sheet of lithograph paper backed by mat board. Then, Tillie takes the "canvas" in her mouth and uses her teeth and paws to scratch sweeping lines and intersections with a ritualistic intensity, sometimes to the point of nearly destroying her creation. The finished piece is reminiscent of the Art Brut (art of the insane) movement in 1940s France when "artists drew entirely on their own resources, rather than on the stereotypes of classical or fashionable art." Tillie's art is all heart. What could be more perfect for today?

Here are some of my favorite Tillies:

A Secret Message To C.A.T.S.

Memories of a Geisha

The Eye Of Fu Manchu

Shayla LaVeaux

Read about Tillie's evolution as an artist and then a mom (she had six pups) in her biography Portrait Of The Dog As A Young Artist by F. Bowman Hastie III.

P.S. Tillie also creates sculptures that I love because they are reminiscent of Darby's artwork. I considered placing this photo at the top of this post with the title "Happy Valentine's Day! Eat Your Heart Out." It sounded a bit too cynical, so I didn't. Have a great day!

Tillie in front of her pelt sculptures.

Comments

[Melissa]

Hi Moira!
Tillie is so amazing! I have never seen her before. As always, you open my eyes to so many wonderful things.
Happy Valentine's Day!

[Sheila Joyce Gibbs]

Wow...........What a gorgeous sweet & talented Pup !!!
And thankyou for sharing this with everyone !!!
The TV, aka: Idiot-Box, is near worthless these days, except for staying current with the News, which is scary.......then this morning, you show such a delightful little babe doing his work & selling it too !!!!
What a joy to wake up to !!!
Many thanks !!
God Bless !