Tag: Pet

Distractions

Not all distractions are bad! Some are frustrating. Some are too much fun to be mad at. Nothing you can do about distractions but move through them.

Some things have gotten in the way of my blogging as of late. The biggest problem was the new computer I bought from Apple. It was not the right size and after struggling for months to make it work, I have finally given up and traded it in. Now I’m happy with the computer but not the process that brought me to this place. At least now, I’m much more versed in gigabytes and terabytes. I won’t be fooled again!

And the second distraction is this cute little ball of fur named Angel. Angel came with the name and I felt like it suited her. Well sometimes! She has already doubled in size in a few short weeks and I soon will no longer be able to pick her up. But she is a complete and total delight even when we are fighting with doggie lessons. I quickly gave up on keeping her out of mud puddles. She’s a natural mud puppy. However, she loves the shower so we can easily get the mud off. It’s been raining almost the whole time she’s been with me so I have to monitor the backyard time for mud hazards! She has learned to sit well. We’re working on “no jumping” but not yet doing well with the “no biting” with sharp little puppy teeth. Potty training has gone well too. Did I mention that she is very smart??

Finally the distractions have been tamed and it’s time to get down to business! I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad to say good-bye to 2022. Counting on things looking up in 2023!!

In the meantime, enjoy some puppy shower fun for a little smile in your day!

This shower water sure tastes yummy!

Pet Muse

“My little dog–a heartbeat at my feet.”  Edith Wharton  (from Petsinpastel.com)Screen shot 2013-10-27 at 9.57.01 PM

Pets get to people in ways humans can’t.  They are the silent inspiration, the quiet heartfelt love that only asks for basic needs and your company.  Do they effect art and art making?

Picasso’s dog, Lump was the only other being allowed in his studio.  Warhol immortalized his dogs in his art.  David Hockney continues to paint his two dachshunds even now.  Many artists have shared their lives with pets.  For some it’s cats and others dogs.  Freda Kahlo had monkeys.  Salvador Dali’s pets were ocelots.  The list goes on.  Summer Anne Burton at Buzzfeed has outlined these and other artists and their pets in an interesting article with wonderful photos.

George Rodigue turned portraits of his dog into a multi- million- dollar empire.  The Blue Dog series, along with paintings of life in the Louisiana Bayou became Rodrigue’s life’s work.  He based the Blue Dog character in his paintings on his spaniel, Tiffany.  70 of the Blue Dog works were on display at Baton Rouge’s LSU Museum of Art recently.

I confess I talk to my dog as he sits quietly at my feet beside the easel or under the drawing table.  He doesn’t usually talk back.  For some reason, it is easier to work out problems if discussed with Twinkie.  He doesn’t offer advice or suggest it could have been done another way.  He just listens and occasionally thumps his tail.  I take that to mean he has approved the solution.  Once Twinkie sat too close to the easel when I was working on a pastel.  Green pastel dust covered the top of the white fur on his back.  He didn’t seem to mind but people looked at him very strangely until I got it all out.

It is likely different from artist to artist.  Not all artists have pets.  For those who do, there is a connection that is hard to describe in logical terms.  Maybe it’s the companionship.  Could be the fact that a pet is hardly ever critical.  All your art is good with the pet.  They think you, and by extension, your art are wonderful.  But I believe it is deeper than that.  A connection between artist and pet creates a bond that flows over into the work.  A silent communication happens sparking the creative juices.  Or maybe, it’s just my imagination.  Twinkie’s not saying.

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