Dog Art Today

William Wegman: Hello Nature at Bowdoin College

 

 

Washed Up by William Wegman, 2000

Carol Kino of The New York Times writes about the exhibition William Wegman: Hello Nature now on view at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, Maine:

[T]he show...aims to shine light on a less obvious aspect of Mr. Wegman’s oeuvre. Its ostensible focus is his attachment to the western mountains of Maine, where he has summered for over 30 years. Yet the true thread running through it is Mr. Wegman’s lifelong fascination with nature itself, and his affection for the many ways it has been revered, romanticized and interfered with by human beings.  (full article)

As I've mentioned, I have mixed feelings about Wegman's work because the dogs look annoyed.  But this video made me feel differently about his muses.  In nature, they seemed to be collaborating with him.  And enjoying themselves.

Destitute Family and Dog by Dorothea Lange

 

 

American River camp, Sacramento, California. Destitute family. Five children, aged two to seventeen years. Dorothea Lange, November, 1936

An interesting male complement to Dorothea Lange's iconic Migrant Mother.  Via Shorpy by way of Carolyn Gann's Pinterest board.

Dogs of the Great Depression.

AP reports US Poverty Rate Hits Highest Since 1960s.

Andrew Wyeth Studio Tour

 

 

Andrew Wyeth's studio, recreated by curators based on memories of family and friends, arranged as though he were in the process of painting Raccoon, a portrait of a hunting dog.  Emma Lee/NewsWorks

The studio of one of my favorite dog artists, and one of the greatest American artists, Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009), is now open to the public at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA.

Peter Crimmins writes about his studio visit with photos by Emma Lee of NewsWorks that will make you feel good about your own messy studio.  According to Crimmins, "There are broken egg shells (Wyeth mostly worked in egg tempera), photographs are haphazardly hung on the walls, and sketches are scattered on the floor...Wyeth enjoyed seeing his preliminary sketches scuffed with footprints and paw prints."

My kind of artist.

Full article.

P.S. Did you know the Helga sensation was phony art-and-sex scandle ginned up by the collector who bought the paintings *and* the copyright?!  I didn't.

Tyler Foote* by Kat Corrigan

 

 

Tyler Foote* by Kat Corrigan, June 2012

Have you been following Kat Corrigan's 30 Dogs in 30 Days Project?

Yesterday she painted my dog, Tyler Foote.*   I adore it so much.  Every time I look at it I smile and tear up, and I think that's about all you can ask for from a client.  And to share so you can have a Corrigan original of your pup.  See all the dogs here.

Kat asked for a description of Tyler.   I decided to send her a haiku:

within the deepest wound
everything is black and white
my honky tonk dog

Thank you Kat.  I can't wait to see it in person.  Love.

* Tyler Foote is a road in Nevada County, California built in 1913 by Arthur DeWint Foote, Mary Hallock Foote's husband. It connectes North Columbia, California to a town called Cherokee that used to be called Tyler.   I am not sure why.  Developing...

Howard Stern Openly Mourns His Dog's Death

 

 

Bianca Romijn-Stamos-O'Connell-Ostrosky-Stern by Howard Stern via Marla Porter

However you feel about Howard Stern (I happen to feel he is multitalented performance artist), I think he did a great service to all dog lovers, especially men, when he shared his grief last week over the loss of his dog, an English Bulldog named Bianca Romijn-Stamos-O'Connell-Ostrosky-Stern.

Here is an excerpt of his Sirius XM radio show on Wednesday, July 18, the day after she passed away via OTC.

"I've learned I'm human because I'm so touched by my dog," said Stern, who has Bianca's name tattooed on his arm. "My dog taught me how to love - love deeper. When my kids were born, of course you realize a level of love that you never thought you'd have. But this was a very different experience in that even your kids grow up and move away from you."

"I spent the whole day crying," he said. "My daughter Ashley came over and we were crying. The two of us were just crying like babies."

"I had made a vow, I don't know, a couple of months ago, because Bianca's health was declining," the radio host said. "I said, you know, for as long as I've got my good girl with me, I'm going to, every morning, I'm going to spend 15 minutes, half hour, whatever it is, just rubbing her belly and doing what she likes to do. This is tough for me. I'm really bummed."

Howard's wife, Beth Ostrosky Stern is a passionate advocate for dog rescue and active with the North Shore Animal League Rescue.  She is also the author of the book Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train, Groom, Nurture, Feed and Care for Your New Best Friend.

Rest in peace, Bianca.