Danger Dogs Visit from Nepal

One of the Nepali Danger Dogs at Nomad
One of the Nepali Danger Dogs at Nomad

Have no fear, the Danger Dogs at Nomad will not bite. Hand-painted in Nepal, the Danger Dogs are a fair trade art project to benefit traditional Nepali signboard artists whose livelihood is endangered by digital technology.  Continue reading “Danger Dogs Visit from Nepal”

Dogs Know How To Play

"Dogs Know How to Play" by Joan Baldwin (28"x36" oil)
"Dogs Know How to Play" by Joan Baldwin (28"x36" oil)

The title says it all!

I stumbled on this utterly delightful painting  at the Kingston Gallery in Boston’s South End. The artist, Joan Baldwin, has captured  a “decisive moment” in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson. She told me it was inspired by a visit to a park in Eastham on outer Cape Cod with her son’s dog, Lucy (a rescue dog). I love the way the composition conveys the unalloyed joy and athleticism of the dog’s upward leap, and how the sinuous line of the loose leash pulls the viewer’s eye back down to the ground, anticipating the dog’s imminent descent. The bright red accents of the leash and the ball  inject a dash of canine-cayenne to the cool greens of the marsh grass.

The painting is part of Baldwin’s “Sit & Be” exhibit, on view through Sunday, April 29. The gallery will hold a closing reception on Saturday, April 28, from 4-6 pm. The Kingston Gallery is located at 450 Harrison Avenue #43, and is open Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 pm.

 

Please note: The image here is from a photo I took on my iPhone, so please allow for slight variations from the original artwork. Better yet, go see the original and other charming paintings by Baldwin in her show at the Kingston Gallery!

Best in Show

It’s award season and canine celebrities are walking the red carpet at New York’s Madison Square Garden for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Show as I write. Closer to home, there’s a beguiling show of ceramic dog sculptures by Ronnie Gould that is well worth a visit to Concord center’s Lacoste Gallery this month.

Basset Hound, by Ronnie Gould (Raku, 10.5 x 9.5 x 17 in.)
Basset Hound, by Ronnie Gould (Raku, 10.5 x 9.5 x 17 in.)

It’s award season, and canine celebrities are walking the red green carpet at New York’s Madison Square Garden at the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Show, as I write. Closer to home, there’s a beguiling show of ceramic dog sculptures by Ronnie Gould that is well worth a visit to Concord center’s Lacoste Gallery this month. Continue reading “Best in Show”

Bulldog Brawn in Bronze

Bulldog by Tomomi Maruyama (Bronze, 24" x 20" x 36")
Bulldog by Tomomi Maruyama (Bronze, 24" x 20" x 36")

Bulldog lovers and Yalies will swoon over the bronze sculpture standing watch in the vestibule of Mobilia Gallery in Cambridge. Painstakingly hand-fabricated by Japanese artist Tomomi Maruyama, the one-of-a-kind piece is made of hammered bronze using the repoussé process, and finished with the traditional Japanese urushi lacquer finish. The dog’s studded collar is of copper and brass. Continue reading “Bulldog Brawn in Bronze”

The Dogs of Mount Auburn Cemetery

Stone dogs only
Stone dogs only

Mount Auburn Cemetery is one of my favorite places to walk in Cambridge. As the seasons change, a stroll amid century-old specimen trees past the graves of generations of notable Cantabrigians (and others) evokes a strong sense of time and timelessness. Unfortunately, but not unreasonably, dogs (both living and deceased) are prohibited on the historic cemetery’s 175 acres, so I don’t visit as often as I’d like. But on a recent solo walk, I found consolation by communing with several distinguished stone dogs guarding their late owners’ graves. Continue reading “The Dogs of Mount Auburn Cemetery”

Hounds and Gowns at the MFA

Mary and Elizabeth Royall, by John Singleton Copley (MFA, Boston)
Mary and Elizabeth Royall, by John Singleton Copley (MFA, Boston)

On a recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, I was drawn to two delightful American paintings featuring (what else?) dogs. Created 225 years apart, one is a double portrait of two girls (and a dog) by the Neoclassical master John Singleton Copley; the other is also a double portrait (of the artist’s wife and their dog) by Scott Prior, a contemporary photo realist painter from Northampton.

Copley’s Mary and Elizabeth Royall (c. 1758, oil, 57-3/8’ x 48-1/8”) pictures the beautiful young daughters of a wealthy colonial merchant, Isaac Royall, Jr. The painting’s formal composition includes an elfin Cavalier King Charles spaniel nestled in the billowing folds of Elizabeth’s silk dress. The dog gazes up with the puppy-eyed devotion synonymous with the breed. Or, perhaps his plaintive expression beseeches the girl: “Please, get rid of the itchy flower garland around my neck!” Continue reading “Hounds and Gowns at the MFA”