Last September, Swedish artist Camilla Engman's friend Adolfo Serra suggested she publish a book with illustrations of her beloved dog Morran created by artists from all over the world. Then, another friend, Lynn Louise Larson, suggested all the proceeds from the book go to a charity that helps dogs. Camilla posted about the idea on her blog. People liked it. So she put the call out to artists, and soon the Morran images started rolling in. To help her curate the incredible response, she put together a jury. Together they selected what images would go where, but Camilla had already decided to include them all.
At the end of November, Morran passed away. Camilla was flooded with condolences and more illustrations of her sweet girl. Somehow, through her grief, Camilla created the book and got it published on Blurb in time for Christmas. Since then, The Morran Book Project has raised over $1000 for the WSPA, a Sweditsh organization dedicated to the protection of animals.
And it doesn't stop there. Camilla also started a blog where she posted every Morran image that was sent to her. And she encourages artists to keep sending them. So if you missed the book deadline, you can still be a part of this global dog-art tribute to one of the most endearing, and enduring, muses ever to grace the art world. Anyone who knows Camilla's work, knows how precious Morran was to her. She was her muse in the studio, a subject of her paintings, her companion on walks in the woods, and sidekick on vacation. She was the namesake of Camilla's new website Studio Morran. Camilla never made apologies for being totally gaga for Morran (except when she was compelled to apologize to her husband for leaving him out of a photobooth session).
I was so sad when I read Morran had died. I didn't know she was sick. I didn't know her. But I thought she was still a young pup because she was always on the go, though she was an outstanding nap-taker. But, as Camilla expressed it on her blog, through The Morran Book Project, she channeled her sadness into "something good."
Picking favorites was impossible. I highly recommend you visit the book's blog and see them all for yourself.
If you would like to contribute, click here for the specs. View Morran's flickr page for more inspiration. If you participate, I'd love to hear about it.
Lilie Melo
See all The Morran Book Project art here. There are over 230 pieces.
