Pentagram's Custom Signs Make Picking Up Dog Poop A Religious Experience At Manhattan's Famous Cathedral Saint John the Divine.

Michael Bierut and designer Jesse Reed of Pentagram have created a series of heavenly signs for New York's well known Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine that gently remind visitors to curb and leash thy dogs on Sunday, Oct. 6 (today) for its annual St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals.



Funerals of many notables have been held at St. John the Divine, such as Soprano's star James Gandolfini, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, writer James Baldwin, inventor Nikola Tesla, musician Dizzy Gillespie and puppeteer Jim Henson.



Visitors will encounter a new set of commandments designed for the institution, which employs the custom font Divine, a redrawn version of Frederic Goudy’s 1928 Blackletter.


above: The font, St. John The Divine, was created exclusively for Pentagram to rebrand the Cathedral by typographer Joe Finocchiaro in 2009.




Throughout the past few years, Pentagram has been refreshing the identity of Manhattan’s Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. Their relationship with the Cathedral, an extraordinary New York institution, goes back fourteen years. They designed its previous identity in 1999.



Shortly after 9/11, the Cathedral was severely damaged by fire; a painstaking seven-year restoration followed, and the interior was reopened to great acclaim last November. The updated identity, which has been slowly introduced over the past years, builds on the success of the reopening.


above: The updated identifier pairs a drawing of the Cathedral's rose window with the name set in Franklin Gothic.

The Cathedral’s identifier juxtaposes a drawing of the rose window (shown below) that dominates the building’s western wall with asymmetrical sans serif typography. The signature is complimented with a new version of Frederic Goudy‘s blackletter text from 1928, which Goudy had based on Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible.



In a process that paralleled the Cathedral’s detailed interior restoration, typographer Joe Finocchiaro “repointed” Goudy’s letterforms to ensure crisp reproduction at large sizes.


above: A comparison of the letter P in Goudy's original blackletter, left, and redrawn by Joe Finocchiaro for the custom font Divine, right.

The signs will be a permanent addition to the Cathedral grounds, a popular spot for walking dogs in the neighborhood.


above: The church also holds many exhibits. Dog Bless You: The Photography of Mary Bloom, opened there last month and will be on view through winter 2013. For more information on the exhibition and photographer Mary Bloom's evocative portraits of Cathedral friends both four- and two-legged, visit here

Related links:
Pentagram
Joe Finocchiaro
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Architectural history and images of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
Construction of the West Rose Window

Got Your Nose! Belt Buckles, Pendants & Keychains Cast From Your Dog or Cat's Nose In Sterling Silver.

Incredible Things posted these fabulous custom pet pendants cast from the noses of dogs and cats the other day, so I simply had to dig a little deeper. And I'm glad I did or I'd never have discovered handmade jewelry designer Jackie Kaufman and her Rock My World, Inc.

Even better, these unusual pieces are made from "recycled" sterling silver. The jewelry is crafted from a major jewelry firm that no longer sells their items. Jackie "recycles" the silver by taking the jewelry pieces, melting them down and repouring the silver to make new pieces.

Cat Nose:



Dog Nose:


Using the lost wax cast process, Jackie will not only immortalize your beloved pet's nose as a pendant, but also as sterling silver keychains and belt buckles!

Sterling Silver Custom Cast Cat and Dog Nose keychains:


Custom Dog Nose Sterling Silver Belt Buckle:




The backs of the pieces are inscribed with your pet's name:


Jackie creates many forms of fabulous handcast sterling silver jewelry including human fingerprints and more. Be sure to see all her stunning work at her etsy store here.



You can also find some of Jackie's custom cast products at Uncommon Goods and at Daily Grommet

Paul Boddum's Pet Paintings & Custom Portraits

above: Lucy (1992-2008), Portrait for Ann Rohmer

Paul Boddum (b.1966) is a visual artist based in Toronto. His passion is creating contemporary artworks for people who cherish their dogs and cats. Paul's inspiration comes from his love of animals and the unique personalities and stories of each pet he paints. Boddum's paintings are concerned with the idea of dogs being little versions of our ideal companion and the positive effects pets have by enhancing our quality of life.



Paul has done portraits for such animal enthusiasts as Art Smith (chef, author, television personality) one time personal chef to Oprah Winfrey, and Anne Rohmer of CP24 Breakfast Television and Animal House Calls Host. The Pet Network has profiled Paul on two occasions and his artwork has been featured in publications such as the Toronto Star, Style and Home, Canadian House and Home, Boston Herald, and the National Post. He has been exhibited locally and in the US including the Art of the Dog exhibition at Morgan Stanley, California with other nationally recognized animal artists from across North America. In 2002 after showing at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition he began taking orders for private commissions by independent collectors.

Jasper and Cooper:


Link:


Brody:


Paul Boddum studied visual art briefly at York University and in 1989 became a self-taught artist focusing on combining figurative and abstract painting styles. Currently he continues to work on private commissions and original works for future exhibiting.

Molly and Sadie:

Basil:

Moti:

Janet and Bug:

Sparky:

Charley:


The Artist's Statement:


My paintings address issues of personal identity and my growing up as an adoptee. I'm interested in exploring the effects of the environment one is exposed to and the nurturing of one's family. My impulse is to paint domestic pets and the transformative bond that forms from the need to be cared for by others.

My early portraits were inspired by a visit to a dog show, photographing the event, and drawing from that energy to produce works that capture the interspecies interactions and personalities on display. Afterwards I created my works using an overhead projector to blow up pictures of dogs from vintage breed books onto canvas in a Pop Art style.

Gesso:


These images confronted the viewer with a familiarity to viewing a human portrait painting like Chuck Close and Andy Warhol. My use of commissioned portraits is a traditional practice that I approach in a contemporary way. I purposely leave the human out of the picture, and declare the pet as family member of equal importance. My paintings are concerned with the idea of dogs being little versions of our ideal companion.

Rudey:


I present the animal as a subject deserving of its recent ascent in society to full blown family member. Dogs are now seen as similar to having a child, they are pampered and nurtured more so than any other time in history. The animal in my recent work is paired with bold abstract expressionist gestures.

My works Autumn (2007) as well as Pampered Puppy (2006) convey the expected details of the animals form, but the background is not treated like a background, it is painted as an extension of the animals.

Pampered Puppy:


Autumn:


Commission Pricing (as of 08/2009):

above: Ferris, the final painting and photograph from which it was painted

16 x 20 inches - $1000
20 x 24 inches - $1100
24 x 30 inches - $1200
30 x 36 inches - $1400
36 x 48 inches - $1800
48 x 60 inches - $2200

(square sizes)
30 x 30 inches - $1200
36 x 36 inches - $1400
48 x 48 inches - $2000

For 2 or more pets, $200. is added to the cost. Larger and custom sized canvases are available.

See more of his work and/or order a custom portrait here.

Other dog art related posts:

•For the Love of Dogs & Art: The Wurstminster Dog Show

•Dogs As Seen By A Dutchman: Maarten Wetsema's Fab Photos

•Moira McLaughlin: Dog Art, Dog Talk, Dog Videos. Doggone Fun.