Dog Art Today

A Message About the Wine Label Contest

 

 

Boom Boom, Tunka, and Bella at Ankida Ridge Vineyard by C.W. Vrooman, 2012

Regular readers of Dog Art Today know that for the past three years March kicks off our annual wine label contest with Mutt Lynch Winery.  After comparing notes about scalability and our own pet projects Brenda Lynch and I have decided not to go forward with the contest. 

I am so grateful to Chris and Brenda Lynch for saying yes to me when I proposed the idea back in 2008.  In many ways it led to my new life in Northern California.  I am also grateful to all the artists who submitted work.  When we created the contest we wondered if we would get any submissions.  It was a privilege to have so many of you share your work and get the vote out.

Also, we are so proud to go out on a high note: Nancy Schutt's "Out of Reach" received the gold medal (think of it as the Best in Show) in the wine label category of this year's San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, where over 5,000 wines compete.

Congratulations, too, to wine label designer, Rae Huestis, who took the winning works and made them label ready, crowd pleasing, and award winning.

Brenda Lynch has put together a lovely Mutt Lynch Artist Series Gift Box.  It is available here.

Thank you, Brenda and Chris Lynch, and Ann Joly for making the contest a reality.

Cheers!

Mutt Lynch Dog Days 2011

 

The Dog Days of Summer event at Mutt Lynch Winery this year was a heady experience.  I gasped when I first saw the bottle of "Out of Reach..." sitting on the table at the dinner winemaker Brenda Lynch hosted for this year's winning artist Nancy Schutt at Ravenous in Healdsburg.  Earlier this year when Brenda, label designer Rae Huestis, and I selected Nancy's entry as the winner of the Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest, I was confident the artwork would make a fantastic label.  But the final product was beyond my expectations.  The dark sleek bottle and capsule on top, the matte finish, the contemporary font, the cheeky ellipses, and over-sized, stand-alone artwork that wraps around the bottle -- I couldn't put it down and I think I was starting to overheat the wine with my hot, excited hands.  Luckily Brenda took control and showed us how to pour without ruining the label (keep it facing up and twist wrist after filling the glass). 

The wine, a "Muttitage" that includes 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc aged for 18 months in French Oak, is big, but not too big, with a lovely finish.  Brenda describes it as having "aromas of cassis and red berry fruit framed by youthful tannins and pretty dark chocolate French oak flavors...[the] Merlot adds some pretty red fruit and herbs.  The Cabernet Franc is like a pinch of spice... It is a wine that will soften and grow more complex with some bottle age."  She encourages drinking it with a steak.  I had it with the grilled sea bass and thought it paired nicely.  Keep it at a low temperature and don't save it for your winter roast.  "Out of Reach..." is a red for all seasons, especially patio season.

The next day at the Dogs Days of Summer open house everyone who visited seemed giddy.  Sure, it was probably the wine.  But there is something intoxicating about an outing where your dog is not only welcomed but celebrated.  It was like a support group for dog fanatics and Darby and I fit right in.  Luckily, Nancy Schutt's partner Anita Nowacka is an accomplished professional photographer who specializes in documenting families.  She was the perfect person to capture a day of dogs and their doting "parents."  Here are some hightlights...

Smiles, wine, and dogs

 

Dog artist Nancy Schutt sketched pet portraits all day

 

Dog lovers adored Nancy's work.

 

Keeping Darby hydrated in style

 

Just outside the door.  Spectacular!

 

Winemaker and Mutt Lynch Winery owner, Brenda Lynch, with her works of art

Blissed out

Cheers

Thank you, Brenda Lynch for your inspiring spirit and sharing the art of winemaking with us.  Thank you, Ann Joly for your endless energy and savant-like knowledge of everyone on in Sonoma and their dog.  Thank you, Rae Huestis for your exquisite label design.  Thank you, Nancy Schutt for making the trip down from Seattle and bringing your creativity to the day.   And thank you, Anita Nowacka for your beautiful photography and expertise.

To buy a bottle of "Out of Reach..." click here.

Visit Seattle dog artist Nancy Schutt's website to see more of her  work.  Limited edition prints of "Out of Reach..." will be available in September.

All photos by Seattle Family Photographer Anita Nowacka.

 

Nancy Schutt and her Chihuahua Pablo

Seattle-based artist Nancy Schutt is the winner of this year's Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest with her entry "Out of Reach."  Nancy has a BFA from Colorado State University and an MFA from the University of Oregon.  Before devoting herself to painting dogs, she was courtroom artist, a drawing instructor, and a general contractor.  She will be joining us at this year's Mutt Lynch Winery Dog Days of Summer event in Sonoma on August 6, 2011 to unveil the wine that was inspired by her winning entry.  She will also be selling prints, sketching dogs, and signing bottles of "Out of Reach."  To me, Nancy is one of the most inspiring dog artists working today.  I think her use of color, composition, and, most of all, humor, are simply brilliant.  I am so pleased to share her work and her process with you in this studio spotlight.    -- Moira McLaughlin.

How did you get started as a dog artist?

If one wants to be an artist, it's very difficult figuring out what to do with that desire and how to make a living with it.  I started out painting metaphorical images that came to me (some of which are in my Early Work Gallery on my website), but one day I did a watercolor of my sister's dogs, and my mother said, "Honey, you could make money doing this."  Magic words to an artist!  I painted the dogs of my friends and had a show at a small gallery in Seattle, and people called me asking for paintings of their dogs.  I showed in cafes for years to get commissions.  Now I primarily get business through my website, and often never meet the dogs or people.

Tell me about your studio.

I built this studio in my backyard ten years ago.  I mean I built it with hammer and nails and the help of two teenagers.  No rent!

 

Nancy's studio

What is your favorite medium and why?

Acrylic on canvas or board.  I like how it dries quickly and I can rework an area fairly soon.   I like the vividness of the color.   I like that though it is not entirely benign, acrylic paint is fairly non-toxic, and because it is water based, I use no solvents.

How would you describe your art?

Colorful, playful, humorous.  Hockneyesque.  David Hockney is my favorite painter.  My initial goal was to paint dogs like David Hockney paints interiors, or swimming pools, or landscapes.  It shows, but now the paintings dictate themselves rather than strive to be similar to those of another artist.

I am most concerned with color and composition.  The dogs are a wonderful vehicle for allowing me to create color compositions that have meaningful content as well as energetic color relationships.  For me, the dogs are important and portraying them in all of their uniqueness is the main purpose of the paintings, but I spend most of my time on a painting working out the color composition.  Colors are capable of creating a three dimensional illusion just by their relationships to each other.  To the human eye, colors may reach forward or extend back into a painting, and this motion creates a pulsation of energy in the painting.  That is the heartbeat of the painting, and making it visible, rhythmic, harmonious, enticing, is the ultimate objective for me.

 

 

Heidi, with a hint of David Hockney

Please share three of your favorite pieces and why you chose them.

I chose these three because they are some of my most recent works, and two of them incorporate people, which is a new direction for me.  Also, the one entitled Bob, Fay, and Polo is a portrait of one of my favorite artists, Fay Jones, who lives and works in Seattle and whose work I greatly admire.

 

Rebel

 

Lynn, Bertie, and Pia

 

Bob, Fay, and Polo

You have over 30 "bad" dogs on your website.   How did you select which one to submit to the Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest with the theme of "naughty" this year?


I was working on a series of paintings of dogs doing things that I found humorous, though to them they are just being dogs. Then, I actually painted Out of Reach specifically for the contest, based on a similar painting I did previously.  Of course in Out of Reach, the dog isn't after the wine, which kind of amused me too, since we humans would find the wine a more valuable prize.  So it's just a bit askew that this image is for a wine label with a dog theme, but to the dog it's all about the butter.

My Chihuahua, Pablo, always amuses me how he tries to get his nose up to counter top level where things are happening.  But, no matter the effort behind the stretch, he can only reach so far.  That doesn't stop him from trying again next time!  Dogs are pretty hilarious really, so like us in their behaviors but with none of the subterfuge, or shame, or concern for polite company.  Their blatant efforts to get what they want without hiding their true intentions can be very funny.  To a human, crawling under a table for a micro-crumb of cookie or rummaging through garbage might feel a bit degrading, even if we really wanted something that was there.  To a dog it's the most sensible thing in the world to just go after it.  I had a dog before Pablo who was CRAZY for balls.  I can't imagine having to be so forceful in my NO MOREs with a human who was after me to do something for them.  It used to crack me up how insistent she was even after strong rejections.

 

 

Out of Reach, Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today's 2011 winning wine label entry

What are your thoughts about winning the contest?

So fun!  What a treat to have one's artwork on a wine label!  And as a person running a small business, it's wonderful marketing and exposure for me.  The wine isn't available in Washington State, so I will do what I can to help find a distributor and hopefully see it on the shelves of some of my favorite shops.  And many thanks to you, Moira, for the brilliant idea of having this contest and to Mutt Lynch Winery for making it a reality.  The contest has brought many artists out into the public eye.

Would you like to share any upcoming projects or goals for the future?

I have recently been interested in painting multiple dog portraits that include the humans in the painting. Personal environments have always been a part of my paintings, which I think it part of what makes my work unique.  The humans are certainly a part of that environment too, and including them brings another level of interest to the piece.

Otherwise, it's always the same project -- trying to make a living as an artist.  I will continue primarily doing commissioned paintings, but I will soon be offering a new line of prints on my website which will be much less expensive than anything I am currently offering.  It would be wonderful to create more wine labels! And always in my mind is the idea of a book, but it's still brewing.

And finally, is your Chihuahua and muse, Pablo, named after a famous artist?

Yes, a verrrrry famous artist.

Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your work.  You are a true inspiration to all dog artists, including me.

Mutt Lynch Dog Days of Summer:

Date: August 6, 2011
Time:  11:00am - 4:00pm
Ticket Price: $20 if purchased online here before August 4.  $25.00 at the door.  A portion of admission and sales will benefit the Healdsburg Animal Shelter
Location: 602 Limerick Lane, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Dogs on leashes are welcome

For more information visit Mutt Lynch Winery.

To order a bottle or case of Out of Reach after it is released on August 6, 2011 click here.

Visit Seattle dog artist Nancy Schutt's website.

Photo of  Nancy and Pablo by Seattle family photographer Anita Nowacka.

 

 

The Great Escape by Betsy Doody

My sincerest apologies to Michigan artist, Betsy Doody.  She submitted this painting of naughty dogs to the 2011 Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label contest and I thought I never received it.  But yesterday I was cleaning out my inbox and I discovered it.  I feel terrible that it was not included and wanted to share it with you as a small consolation to her.   Thank you for entering, Betsy.  I'm sorry.

Next year I will make sure all artists know they receive an email from me to confirm that I have received their work.

See more of Besty Doody's paintings at Canineart.com.

 

 

 

Out of Reach

Congratulations, Nancy Schutt!  Your painting Out of Reach is the winner of this year's 3rd Annual Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest.  After lengthy deliberation, the judges, winemaker Brenda Lynch, label designer Rae Huestis, and I, couldn't resist the wit, vibrancy, and charm of this naughty pup.   

Nancy has won a case of Out of Reach, a profile on Dog Art Today, and an invitation to attend the unveiling of the "Muttitage" Cabernet blend she inspired at Mutt Lynch Winery's Dog Days of Summer event in Healdsburg, California on August 6, 2011.  And, she is the recipient of two nights stay at the dog-friendly Dry Creek Inn in Sonoma.  I hope you can make it, Nancy!

In the meantime, as Rae envisions the label, and Brenda contemplates the exclusive red wine she will create to complement Nancy's fearless, fun style, visit Nancy Schutt's Good Dog Art to see more of her work.  I especially recommend the humor section.

Out of Reach will be available after August 6, 2011 at Mutt Lynch Winery.  10% of sales will go to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.

Thank you to every artist who entered your artwork.   Just like real dogs, each piece was magic.

 

Studio Spotlight: Nancy Schutt

Nancy Schutt and her Chihuahua Pablo

Seattle-based artist Nancy Schutt is the winner of this year's Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest with her entry "Out of Reach."  Nancy has a BFA from Colorado State University and an MFA from the University of Oregon.  Before devoting herself to painting dogs, she was courtroom artist, a drawing instructor, and a general contractor.  She will be joining us at this year's Mutt Lynch Winery Dog Days of Summer event in Sonoma on August 6, 2011 to unveil the wine that was inspired by her winning entry.  She will also be selling prints, sketching dogs, and signing bottles of "Out of Reach."  To me, Nancy is one of the most inspiring dog artists working today.  I think her use of color, composition, and, most of all, humor, are simply brilliant.  I am so pleased to share her work and her process with you in this studio spotlight.    -- Moira McLaughlin.

How did you get started as a dog artist?

If one wants to be an artist, it's very difficult figuring out what to do with that desire and how to make a living with it.  I started out painting metaphorical images that came to me (some of which are in my Early Work Gallery on my website), but one day I did a watercolor of my sister's dogs, and my mother said, "Honey, you could make money doing this."  Magic words to an artist!  I painted the dogs of my friends and had a show at a small gallery in Seattle, and people called me asking for paintings of their dogs.  I showed in cafes for years to get commissions.  Now I primarily get business through my website, and often never meet the dogs or people.

Tell me about your studio.

I built this studio in my backyard ten years ago.  I mean I built it with hammer and nails and the help of two teenagers.  No rent!

 

Nancy's studio

What is your favorite medium and why?

Acrylic on canvas or board.  I like how it dries quickly and I can rework an area fairly soon.   I like the vividness of the color.   I like that though it is not entirely benign, acrylic paint is fairly non-toxic, and because it is water based, I use no solvents.

How would you describe your art?

Colorful, playful, humorous.  Hockneyesque.  David Hockney is my favorite painter.  My initial goal was to paint dogs like David Hockney paints interiors, or swimming pools, or landscapes.  It shows, but now the paintings dictate themselves rather than strive to be similar to those of another artist.

I am most concerned with color and composition.  The dogs are a wonderful vehicle for allowing me to create color compositions that have meaningful content as well as energetic color relationships.  For me, the dogs are important and portraying them in all of their uniqueness is the main purpose of the paintings, but I spend most of my time on a painting working out the color composition.  Colors are capable of creating a three dimensional illusion just by their relationships to each other.  To the human eye, colors may reach forward or extend back into a painting, and this motion creates a pulsation of energy in the painting.  That is the heartbeat of the painting, and making it visible, rhythmic, harmonious, enticing, is the ultimate objective for me.

 

 

Heidi, with a hint of David Hockney

Please share three of your favorite pieces and why you chose them.

I chose these three because they are some of my most recent works, and two of them incorporate people, which is a new direction for me.  Also, the one entitled Bob, Fay, and Polo is a portrait of one of my favorite artists, Fay Jones, who lives and works in Seattle and whose work I greatly admire.

 

Rebel

 

Lynn, Bertie, and Pia

 

Bob, Fay, and Polo

You have over 30 "bad" dogs on your website.   How did you select which one to submit to the Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest with the theme of "naughty" this year?


I was working on a series of paintings of dogs doing things that I found humorous, though to them they are just being dogs. Then, I actually painted Out of Reach specifically for the contest, based on a similar painting I did previously.  Of course in Out of Reach, the dog isn't after the wine, which kind of amused me too, since we humans would find the wine a more valuable prize.  So it's just a bit askew that this image is for a wine label with a dog theme, but to the dog it's all about the butter.

My Chihuahua, Pablo, always amuses me how he tries to get his nose up to counter top level where things are happening.  But, no matter the effort behind the stretch, he can only reach so far.  That doesn't stop him from trying again next time!  Dogs are pretty hilarious really, so like us in their behaviors but with none of the subterfuge, or shame, or concern for polite company.  Their blatant efforts to get what they want without hiding their true intentions can be very funny.  To a human, crawling under a table for a micro-crumb of cookie or rummaging through garbage might feel a bit degrading, even if we really wanted something that was there.  To a dog it's the most sensible thing in the world to just go after it.  I had a dog before Pablo who was CRAZY for balls.  I can't imagine having to be so forceful in my NO MOREs with a human who was after me to do something for them.  It used to crack me up how insistent she was even after strong rejections.

 

 

Out of Reach, Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today's 2011 winning wine label entry

What are your thoughts about winning the contest?

So fun!  What a treat to have one's artwork on a wine label!  And as a person running a small business, it's wonderful marketing and exposure for me.  The wine isn't available in Washington State, so I will do what I can to help find a distributor and hopefully see it on the shelves of some of my favorite shops.  And many thanks to you, Moira, for the brilliant idea of having this contest and to Mutt Lynch Winery for making it a reality.  The contest has brought many artists out into the public eye.

Would you like to share any upcoming projects or goals for the future?

I have recently been interested in painting multiple dog portraits that include the humans in the painting. Personal environments have always been a part of my paintings, which I think it part of what makes my work unique.  The humans are certainly a part of that environment too, and including them brings another level of interest to the piece.

Otherwise, it's always the same project -- trying to make a living as an artist.  I will continue primarily doing commissioned paintings, but I will soon be offering a new line of prints on my website which will be much less expensive than anything I am currently offering.  It would be wonderful to create more wine labels! And always in my mind is the idea of a book, but it's still brewing.

And finally, is your Chihuahua and muse, Pablo, named after a famous artist?

Yes, a verrrrry famous artist.

Thank you, Nancy, for sharing your work.  You are a true inspiration to all dog artists, including me.

Mutt Lynch Dog Days of Summer:

Date: August 6, 2011
Time:  11:00am - 4:00pm
Ticket Price: $20 if purchased online here before August 4.  $25.00 at the door.  A portion of admission and sales will benefit the Healdsburg Animal Shelter
Location: 602 Limerick Lane, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Dogs on leashes are welcome

For more information visit Mutt Lynch Winery.

To order a bottle or case of Out of Reach after it is released on August 6, 2011 click here.

Visit Seattle dog artist Nancy Schutt's website.

Photo of  Nancy and Pablo by Seattle family photographer Anita Nowacka.

The Great Escape by Betsy Doody

 

 

The Great Escape by Betsy Doody

My sincerest apologies to Michigan artist, Betsy Doody.  She submitted this painting of naughty dogs to the 2011 Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label contest and I thought I never received it.  But yesterday I was cleaning out my inbox and I discovered it.  I feel terrible that it was not included and wanted to share it with you as a small consolation to her.   Thank you for entering, Betsy.  I'm sorry.

Next year I will make sure all artists know they receive an email from me to confirm that I have received their work.

See more of Besty Doody's paintings at Canineart.com.

 

Nancy Schutt's Out of Reach Wins!

 

 

Out of Reach

Congratulations, Nancy Schutt!  Your painting Out of Reach is the winner of this year's 3rd Annual Mutt Lynch Winery - Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest.  After lengthy deliberation, the judges, winemaker Brenda Lynch, label designer Rae Huestis, and I, couldn't resist the wit, vibrancy, and charm of this naughty pup.   

Nancy has won a case of Out of Reach, a profile on Dog Art Today, and an invitation to attend the unveiling of the "Muttitage" Cabernet blend she inspired at Mutt Lynch Winery's Dog Days of Summer event in Healdsburg, California on August 6, 2011.  And, she is the recipient of two nights stay at the dog-friendly Dry Creek Inn in Sonoma.  I hope you can make it, Nancy!

In the meantime, as Rae envisions the label, and Brenda contemplates the exclusive red wine she will create to complement Nancy's fearless, fun style, visit Nancy Schutt's Good Dog Art to see more of her work.  I especially recommend the humor section.

Out of Reach will be available after August 6, 2011 at Mutt Lynch Winery.  10% of sales will go to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter.

Thank you to every artist who entered your artwork.   Just like real dogs, each piece was magic.