Dogs plus art usually equals kitsch -- velvet tapestries of hounds playing poker or paint-by-number illustrations of big-eyed pups. But the upcoming "Gone to the Dogs" exhibit --
opening today in New York City -- will turn you into a true believer that canines can be Cezannes.
The show features pooch portraits done by humans, along with art created
by dogs -- and demonstrations of puppy Picassos in action. We talked to the owners of the three doggy Gauguins featured in the show to learn about their artistic process and style.
Ziggy the Painting Pekingese
Ziggy, a five-year-old Pekingese, is an actor and painter based in San Diego. Elizabeth Monacelli, a classical violinist, has owned Ziggy since he was a pup.
"I initially got Ziggy as a show prospect, and within six months, he was halfway to a championship. But the show ring made him very cranky, so I retired him," Monacelli tells Paw Nation. "Ziggy has always loved to play with cardboard paper towel rolls, and one day, I said, 'It looks like he's painting!' " And with that, Monacelli found a whole different career for Ziggy.
"This started as a training exercise," says Monacelli. She attaches a paintbrush to the end of a cardboard tube with a rubber band, dips it into nontoxic acrylic paint for her artist friend, and then stands back. "We taught him to pick up a paintbrush and approach a canvas, breaking the act of painting into its components and devising commands for each."
Ziggy knows how to signal when he's ready to create. "We have a paint box with all of his supplies in it, and he'll go right over and sit on top of it when he's ready to work," Monacelli says. Similarly, when he determines a piece is done, it's done. "He'll drop the brush, turn in a circle, and run out the door," says Monacelli.
When asked what moves her pint-size Picasso, Monacelli says that music spurs Ziggy's creativity. "I've done several experiments. When we don't have music on, he's not as inspired. I've tried playing Chinese music -- that's the heritage of his breed -- and that seems to really get him excited to work."
Finally, says Monacelli, "Many people ask me if I think Ziggy knows what he's doing. I am absolutely sure he does. One day, I went to wash the paint brushes, and I came back in and Ziggy was looking at his painting, his tail wagging like crazy, and he had no idea I was watching him. He's proud of what he can do!"
Ziggy's paintings have sold for as much as $500, though most are in the $150-200 range -- quite a bargain for a non-human work of art.
"The 18 Saints of Tillamook Cheddar" Photo: F. Bowman Hastie
Tillamook Cheddar, the Terrier who WatercolorsTillamook Cheddar ("Tillie" to her gallery assistant/owner F. Bowman Hastie) is a 10-year-old Jack Russell Terrier who lives and works in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Her medium is a watercolor block -- 20 sheets of watercolor paper laminated together and nontoxic wax-based paints.
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