Image copywright M. Weiss and used by kind permission of the artistA few years back during my professional petsitting days I once had the pleasure of housesitting a tiny West Highland White terrier - a Westie. He was only a few months old, not much bigger than both my fists together. I had to watch him carefully on the big back lawn, as his house was out a bit in the country and - must I say it? - hawks.
But he loved to run! He would zoom back and forth and backandforth, like a possessed cottonball. And when I ran across this card at the shop LALOO* in Nevada City CA, I snatched it up because it looked exactly as I always think of that tiny animal: the only important thing in all that landscape.
The art is by Marjorie Weiss, and her dog-themed artwork as a whole truly does tap into the creature as seen through the lens of your heart and your passing time. As she says in her website bio regarding her earlier "Black Dog" series,
The shadowy, silhouetted figures that appear in these paintings come together with the feeling of memory and reminiscence that is an intrinsic part of her work. Together, they create a sense of mystery and enigma that make these paintings captivating works of art.
In this "Westie" image and her recent others like it, the playful upending of scale and generalized, emptied surroundings result in the dog as all-important center. And let's face it: that's exactly where all our dogs are when we remember or think of them.
Do find a moment to enjoy Marjorie Weiss' website and work. I know you will.
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*Full disclosure: my aunt owns that shop, and it's super cool and cute
1 comment:
"posessed cottonball"...the phrase is as great as the card's artwork!
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