Dog Art Today

The Kitchen by David Teniers The Younger

 

 

The Kitchen by David Teniers the Younger, 1646

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last Call To Advertise On Dog Art Today

 

 

The Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery in Brussels by David Teniers the Younger, 1651

If you've been thinking of advertising on Dog Art Today, now is the time. Next year I will be taking a break from advertising here as I work on other projects.

For the holiday season, I'm offering 3 months for $90 (usually $94.50, which is already a 10% discount).

Graphic design fee is $45.

Total = $135/3 months.

There are 10 spots available.

This offer ends Sunday, September 7 and does not apply to single-month ads which are no longer available unless you are a current client.

Advertising on Dog Art Today is fun and easy.*  I work with each artist to create an ad that reflects your style and individuality.

Please email me to get started.

*For statistics and testimonials click here.

In The Company of Dogs and Cats at Blanton Museum of Art

 

 

L’Artisan Moderne Poster by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, 1896

Now on view at the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin, In the Company of Dogs and Cats, featuring over 150 works by masters such as Albrecht Dürer, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, William Blake, Francisco Goya, Paul Gauguin, Takahashi Hiroaki (Shotei), Pablo Picasso, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Hopper, Louise Bourgeois, and others.

The museum is keeping most of the included works out of the press, but shared L'Artisan Moderne Poster by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. I've never seen it before. Wonder what other dog-art treasures they have? If you go, let me know.
Exhibition runs until September 21, 2014.

Visit Blanton Museum of Art for more information.

Word For 2014: Alignment

 

Two Dogs Copulating by Jan Fyt, 1640/1642

Our local poet, Molly Fisk, whom everyone in town refers to as "our-local-poet-Molly-Fisk," all run together like that, encourages us to choose a word for the year.  The whole community gets into it.

Molly's word is "empty."

Others have chosen "acceptance," "morph," "elevate," "see," "humility," "let go (yes, you can have two words), "euphoria," "love," "balance," and "refine" to name just a few.

My word is "alignment."

I wanted it to be "fruition."  But, like a bad graft, it didn't take. 

Molly advises that you to open yourself up to the word and not rush it.  She says that your word might not find you until a few months into the new year.  It might not find you until October.  So don't stress.

Once you find it, look it up:

align·ment - noun  \ə-ˈlīn-mənt\

1:  the act of aligning or state of being aligned; especially:  the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts (as of a mechanical or electronic device) in relation to each other

 

2a :  a forming in line

 

2b :  the line thus formed

 

3:  the ground plan (as of a railroad or highway) in distinction from the profile

 

4:  an arrangement of groups or forces in relation to one another "new alignments within the political party"

 

Then look up the etymology.  This is where things get interesting.

alignment (n.) 1790, "arrangement in a line," from French alignement, from aligner (see align). Political sense is from 1933.

align (v.) early 15c., "to copulate" (of wolves, dogs).

Whoa. This should be interesting.

Happy 2014. 

What is your word?

P.S. Molly Fisk is a writer, teacher, and poet who lives in the Sierra foothill town of Nevada City, California.  Her latest book, Blow-Drying a Chicken: Observations from a Working Poet, is on its way to global domination via local bookstores across the country.  She recently blossomed into an accomplished painter (her flowers in mason jars are my favorite). Listen to Molly's radio essays at KVMR.  And view her spectacular Pinterest boards here.

Downloading the Rijksmuseum: Masterpieces for Everyone

Night Watch by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1642

After ten years of renovation, Holland's Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam will reopen its doors on April 13, 2013. The national museum, built in 1885, is home to thousands of works from the 17th Century Golden Age of Dutch painting, including many renowned Rembrandts .  But, according to Wim Pijbes, General-Director of the Rijksmuseum, their 21st century vision for the museum is to be modern.

To that end, they launched Rijksstudio, a groundbreaking online initiative featuring 125,000 high-resolution images available for download, printing, and manipulation for free.  Knowing that unleashing this toolbox onto the public might overwhelm, they strategically partnered with (and linked to) innovative on-demand print companies like ixxi (wall art), eeeeFUN (electric scooters), colormyinterior (wallpaper), and designskins (smartphone skins).

And, to get the creative juices flowing, they asked leading international artists, designers, and architects to play around.

VW Van

Tattoo by Droog Studio

My favorite is this video (yes there's a dog in it)....

"Part of a Bigger Plan" by Christian Borstlap (click here to view)

Mother Task by Pieter de Hooch, ca. 1658 -1660

Inspired, I downloaded Binnenkamer met een moeder die het haar van haar kind reinigt, bekend als 'Moedertaak'  by Pieter de Hooch.

Translation: Mother Task, Mom Picking Lice from her Child's Head.

It's a wonderful painting of Dutch domestic life. But perhaps a little dark, no?  And, I really liked that dog.  What's he up to?   Watching another child go off to school?  Waiting for Dad to come home 'cause he's loose with the table scraps?  Maybe, he just doesn't doesn't want head lice.

I made this...

 

Dutch Dog manipulated by Moira McLaughlin, 2013

It, too, is high resolution, available for framing, wallpaper, t-shirts, etc.  But, to me, what's really neat are the other images my new "painting" recalled...

Falling Star by Romare Bearden, 1979

Dog with Couple by Vivian Maier, 1926- 2009

Dog in the Night by Chuck Rigg

Darby's Spot by Moira McLaughlin, 2011

I've decided Holland is the Oprah of countries, "YOU get a Rembrandt!  And YOU get a Rembrandt! And YOU get a Rembrandt!"

Put another way, Rijksstudio is a Dutch treat.

Hat tip to reader Moniek Huizinga letting me know.  Go make something.