Dog Art Today

Dennis Kucinich: Frida Kahlo's Itzcuintli Dog and Me

 

In case you haven't been paying attention, Rep. Dennis Kucinich is married to a stunning 6 foot tall, pierced-tongued young Brit named Elizabeth.  Her mother is a healer.   She frequents thrift stores for her wardrobe needs.  She worked with mother Theresa in India.   And she's 31 years younger than Kucinich.

I think he is perfectly depicted as this Itzcuintli Dog, standing proudly in the shadow of another statuesque, worldly woman, Frida Kahlo.

This 3000-year-old Mexican breed is thought to have mystical healing qualities and accompany souls to the next world.  Kucinich mirrors such mysticism through his friendship with Shirley MacLaine and his belief in UFOs.  He may be small in stature, but he's never afraid to stand strong for his often unpopular beliefs like his anti-war stance right from the start.  He's also not afraid to believe in the cosmic possibility of finding one's soul mate and falling in love in an unlikely, magical way.  Read more about his policies at Kucinich for President.

Dog Fight In Iowa

Although I am political junkie, I promise to refrain from turning Dog Art Today into yet another political blog. But as the Iowa caucuses approach, I can't help getting swept up into the race. So, I've decided to create a helpful election-year tool --- my interpretation of each candidate based on a correlating piece of dog art. Here goes…

Dachshund's First Christmas

My parents gave me this beautiful hand carved nativity scene for my First Communion. I think it's from Mexico. Years later they sent me the Dachshund ornament that I noticed fit right in with it!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday season!

xo, Moira and Darby

More Banksy Dog Art

Banksy's new print, Stop and Search. Again, I wonder about copyright issues. But Banksy plays by his own rules.

Via The World's Best Ever.

The Perfect Evening: Dalí, Dog Art, and Cheese (oh...and some red wine too) PART II

To continue our adventure…After the Dalí exhibit, Allison and I crossed the street to go to see our friend James Panazzo at his Lawrence Asher Gallery Christmas party. Kris Kamm, our other friend, met us there too. You may remember James and Kris from the pig roast escapade.

James (center) and friends

LAG owner Steve Kramer with his daughter Jennifer (right) and family friend

I hadn't seen the gallery's latest show and was pleasantly surprised to see several wonderful dog works on display.

Allison, Kris and Me in front of The One by Kim Kimbro

Prey by Kim Kimbro

Artist Barry Baldwin with his intriguing English Girl statue.

English Girl close up

Eventually we felt a little peckish and Kris recommended we to go to Lou, a tiny wine bar nestled between a Laundromat and a Thai massage parlor near Vine and Melrose Ave.

Lou exterior

Because the windows and door are covered in fabric, I had no way of knowing that inside is one of the coziest, coolest restaurants in LA. With no reservations, we sipped some wine from the 25 wine-by-the-glass menu and hovered near the bar. I had the Lirac Syrah which was just right for a rainy night.

This is the entire restaurant. My camera doesn't do justice to the low warm lighting, but you get the idea. It's like being at someone's dinner party.

Eventually seats opened up at the bar and we had the perfect spot to chat with owner Lou Amdur, to watch him meticulously pour his flights of wine, and to discover that he's a former financial biz guy who always had a passion for wine and cheese.

Lou Amdur

I like wine too, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cheese, so I was thrilled by this new find, not that I would ever doubt Kris, who is always on LA's inside track. But…we all were a little disappointed with the food. The pig candy (bacon with savory/sweet seasoning) and the macaroni & cheese were cold. And the cheese board was bizarrely uninspired. Granted, by this time I was starving and anxious to inhale a hamburger (not on the menu) and the room was slammed with standing room only patrons. And there are many raves for Lou at Yelp. So maybe it was an off night. Plus, Lou was so nice and the place has such an inviting speakeasy feel, I would definitely go back. But I was glad I had the fixings for a turkey sandwich when I got home.