dogs of the forest

Roy De Forest (1930-2007), that is. Born in Nebraska, raised in Yakima, Washington, he headed to San Francisco to attend art school. Personally, I do see a deal of the wacky good nature of midcentury San Francisco in his work, though I admit that might be happy prejudice on my part. In any case, he was possessed of a playful vision that wasn't afraid of color or fantasy.

He loved dogs, and painted them so often it was a recognized theme. When you look at some De Forest work you'll see clearly that cute and funny as they are, he gives them a presence and autonomy that lets them racket off on their own adventures, no leash required. You'll see that clearly in the first two "Untitled" works at this page from the Linda Hodges gallery. See the ones flying off in the claws of birds? They look like they're off for a grand airborne expedition. Even the dogs accompanying men on the ground look out of the picture plane with a collected air.

Some more on Roy de Forest, and a few more works, here.

I'd like to thank T. Mike for inspiring this post with his primo De Forest dog tshirt.