Dog Art Today

Watch Dean Spanley

 

I never heard of the 2008 film "Dean Spanley," but it kept popping up on my Netflix recommendations. Then, my mother told me I might like it.

My mother doesn't usually tell me what to do. But when she does, she's usually right.

I loved this movie. I loved it when I watched it. I loved thinking about it later. And I loved seeing Peter O'Toole in one of his final roles.

So, watch "Dean Spanley." I think you'll like it.

Thanks, Mom.

P.S. If you can, watch it without knowing anything about it like I did.

The Last Days of Disco Is Lady and the Tramp

"Lady and the Tramp" Debate in "The Last Days of Disco" by Whit Stillman

I re-watched "The Last Days of Disco" (1998) by Whit Stillman this weekend.  I totally forgot that it's a reinterpretation of "Lady and the Tramp."

It's on Netflix.

View clip on Dog Art Today.  Brilliant and hilarious.

Dogs on Vine (Not Just Porn)

Chomper Gets His Meds with Peanut Butter by Jeremy Townsend

Vine, the Twitter-owned iPhone app that lets you embed six seconds of video on your Twitter or Facebook feed, launched last week.  It's Eadweard Muybridge meets Andy Warhol.   And it's a sensation.   But, within days, many users were outraged when hardcore snippets appeared in their feeds, especially when a pornographic clip was selected as an "Editor's Pick" on the app's main page. Twitter apologized, blamed human error, and made the naughty stuff harder to find.

I've always believed that the Internet runs on porn and pets.  So, it's not surprising that when you take away one, you have lots of the other.  What else are you going to shoot for your first six-second experimental Vine?   OK, I did see some cool strawberries...and babies...and planes taking off...and surf...and papers being graded...

***Warning*** There is a mesmerizing new site called Vinepeek, not officially connected to Vine, that allows you to view the Vines coming in in real time from all over the world.  It's totally trippy, highly addictive, and unmonitored, so probably NSFW.

Here's a selection of some of the dogs on Vine.  Boring Dogs by Will Carroll (below) is the earliest one I could find, so I think Boring Dogs might be the first dogs on Vine, ever.   Enjoy.

Boring Dogs by Will Carroll

An Informal Poll of Dogs vs. Cats in the Office of Daily Candy by Lauren Lumsden

These Dogs Need a Walk by Marshall Kirkpatrick

Yamkei's Post on Vine  by Yamkei

Give That Dog a Bone by Deborah

Download the app. It's free.

First Film Review for Dogs in Art

 

"Stroll upstairs and be captivated by the breathtaking video of canine images throughout history by Moira McLaughlin of Dog Art Today.   I walked through Strathmore mansion twice, hating to leave the memorable depictions and celebrations of dogs. I admit I stood and watched McLaughlin's magical video four times. While you can view a short version at Dogs Art Today's website, to stand in the glowing light of beautiful Strathmore gallery, inches from the crisply filmed, mysteriously unfolding images is a must." -- Sarah A. Ferrell, Fredricksburg.com.

The Strathmore Unleashed! exhibit has ended, but you can view the film below.  It is the full version, though the one on view at Stratmore was on a loop.  See a list of all the dogs and artists here.

Before I was a dog artist I wanted to be a filmmaker. 

Feels nice.

Happy Birthday Darby!

For Darby's 17th birthday I wanted to make a short film of him peacefully sitting in his favorite spot.  Like Andy Warhol's "Sleep," maybe I could get him napping and make a quiet, soulful tribute to my very old dog.  This is how it turned out..

 

Happy Birthday to the little dog who changed my life. 

Thank you for not always letting me be in charge.  

I love you.

 

If you can't see the video in your email, view it here on YouTube.

 

Credits: Projector sound effects by nemoDaedalus, available for free under the Creative Commons license at Freesound.org.  Camera by Sheila Cameron on her iPhone 4s .   Edited by Moira McLauglin in iMovie.