Gone to the Dogs

I seem to be on a roll, having never painted animals before. Recently I was given an opportunity to leave my recent obsession with the bovine family and contribute to a dog rescue group by painting a member of the canine family.
Some members of the North York Visual Artists group were asked to paint pictures of rescued dogs onto canvas tote bags. This was under the direction of one of our members, a talented painter of animals - Soudabeh Majidi. The bags would later be offered for sale to support a volunteer rescue group.

Some of our NYVA members

Famous Dog Painter at Work

From the website of the Vafa Animal Shelter:

Founded in 2004, the Vafa Animal Shelter is the first animal shelter in Iran. We are dedicated to providing help and shelter to injured and homeless animals in Iran. The Vafa shelter is a non-government charity organization relying solely on private donations and volunteers. 

Hundreds of stray dogs live in the area. Since they are not altered, they constantly reproduce. Cars often hit dogs as they cross busy highways. Not all die immediately. Some linger in agonizing pain on the roadside for days until they finally perish. We are located in the town of Hashtgerd, about an hour and a half west of Tehran on the road to Ghazvin.

Pet overpopulation and animal cruelty aren’t just Iranian problems. They affect animals all over including affluent Western countries. Concerned and caring animal lovers around the world unite for a common cause - to end animal suffering and to make it a better world

"My Dog" called "Hope"

Hope lived with her puppies. Some of the puppies were shot by contractors and Hope was also. She survived, but surgery is not possible and she retains some bullets. She managed to return to the site to protect her puppies. Hope has been adopted by a family in the USA.

Darcy

Darcy is our  dog. He was a stray and rescued by "Speaking of Dogs" a rescue group. 


vafashelter.com

speakingofdogs.com

nyva.ca

smajidistudio.com

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Lost Sheep

Oh no! How did he get here? I thought he was sold. He must think he is a cow.

Lost Sheep

Thanks for hanging around the paddock.

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Round up

Home is Where the Herd is

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Sunny Ways

An Udder Day in Paradise

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In the Pasture

Tomorrow is an Udder Day

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The Cow Parade

Hang on to your artistic sense of humour!

Udderly Alone

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Why Paint Cows?

In the last post I explained my admiration of everything bovine: they remind me of some people I know - but no - I love their soft eyes, their varied colours, their placid nature, their international habitats and their soft "moos".  Their babies are charming. They are also just amusing, and a great diversion from "serious" art.
The herd will meander through these posts for the next week. Watch out for cow patties!!

Lucky to Have Each Udder

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Artist's Block

Don't you just hate blocks of any kind? I especially hate artist's block. What this means is that just when the New Year is a fresh start and calls for inspiration - I am stuck!

Gary Larson, was a very prolific creative genius who before his retirement produced 23 books of collected cartoons, with combined sales of more than 45 million copies. When I saw this cartoon it spoke directly to me in more ways than one. First of all, I have to get on with producing my collected works of art, and secondly, it reminded me of my desire at one point to paint cows.

"Why paint cows?" you say. Perhaps because they remind me of some people I know - but no - I love their soft eyes, their varied colours, their placid nature, their international habitats and their soft "moos".  Their babies are also charming. I have in fact a herd of photographs of cows doing various things in various parts of the world. Talk about inspiration! I no longer feel "cowed."

To the 45 million followers of this blog ---- HAPPY NEW YEAR

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Are My Paintings Underpriced??

Peter Doig, one of my favorite artists is a lucky man. He recently sold "Swamped" a 1991 painting for $26 million US at auction! This is one of his many paintings featuring canoes. (See more about Peter Doig in the January 30 2015 post)

Swamped

Modigliani's "Reclining Nude", 1917,  was sold at Christie's  recently  for $170 million. It nearly created a scandal when it was first exhibited in Paris.  It was the second highest price ever achieved at auction for a work of art.

Reclining Nude

Pablo Picasso's "Women of Algiers" of which there are several versions, holds the record for the highest sum ever paid for an artwork at auction. It sold for $179.4 million in May.

Women of Algiers

My thoughts - I will stick to my pricing plan, but consider doing some nudes in a canoe.

A final thought  - An artist asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings on display at that time.

"I have good news and bad news," the owner replied. "The good news is that a gentleman enquired about your work and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would, he bought all 15 of your paintings."

"That's wonderful," the artist exclaimed. "What's the bad news?"
"The guy was your doctor..."

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Paintings That Tell a Story

 I love paintings that tell a story, or rather that stimulate the viewers to complete the story themselves.

These paintings are inspired by interesting people or situations, usually seen by chance. My interpretation of the story is already formulating. I always carry a camera with me and so can often grab a photograph.  Preparing a sketch as a plan for the painting, allows me to adapt the photo to the story in my mind. 

Your Place or Mine

Our Red Umbrella

Cafe Wedding

Travels with Charley

Beach Play

Cold Out

Lady in Waiting

Shelved

Beach Stroll

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