Nonpareil Pet Portrait. One Sweet Beagle Made of 221,184 Colored Sprinkles.

What began as a university fine arts project on Pointillism and Georges Seurat by student Joel Brochu, evolved into a remarkable artistic idea.



What looks like an image of a beagle getting a bath (above) is actually a 4’ by 1 ½’ high definition photograph covered in 221,184 nonpareil sprinkles, each placed painstakingly by hand.



At a distance of 16 feet, the sprinkles blur, tricking the human eye into believing that it is looking at a large photograph. Only when you closely examine the work do you realize that it has been created entirely with tiny spheres of rainbow nonpareils.







Meticulously placed by hand using jewelry tweezers, the sprinkles adhere to the board with the help of double sided tape and a thin layer of glue.




Using only 6 colors of sprinkles (Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Black, and White), a myriad of hues was created.




Joel used a customized computer program, in which a template was created from the original image which guided the placement of each sprinkle. Taking just under 8 months to complete, once finished, it was permanently preserved with a clear acrylic resin.

Sweet, huh?

A big shoutout to Betsy Wills and her wonderful blog, Artstormer, for bringing this unique piece to my attention. Most images courtesy of Joel Brochu

Shake, Shake, Shake. Dogs In Motion Caught by Pet Photographer Carli Davidson.

Pet photographer Carli Davidson of Portland, Oregon will take portraits of you and your pet, be it a dog, cat, goat or even an armadillo. Like many pet photographers, she will shoot them with and without their owners and is more than capable of capturing the special bond between human and animal. While the portraits are nice, it's her series "Shake" that's really worth sharing.



In black and white and color photos, Davidson captures dogs shaking their heads. Ears flying, foam flinging and fur all a frenzy. The distorted expressions - half-grimace, half-smile - are familiar to many a dog owner, but when caught with a camera are truly mesmerizing:











all images ©Carli DavidsonAbout Carli Davidson Photography (from her site):
Carli Davidson is a nationally recognized fine art pet photographer currently working out of Portland Oregon. She has a background in both commercial and documentary photography, as well as over 7 years experience as an animal trainer and caretaker. Her love of both art and animals led her to work as an animal care technician and photographer for the Oregon Zoo, as well as a volunteer photographer for local animal rescues.

Her photography has been published in Portland Monthly, The Atlantic, The Village Voice, The Oregonian, The Portland Tribune, and numerous Zoo publications. She is also a regular photo contributor to Andrew Sullivan’s The Daily Dish.

Her retouching includes products for Cartier, David Yurman, Movado Watch, and Coach and have been published in Vogue, Destinations, NYT Magazine, and People Magazine.

Carli has taught for the Newspace Center for Photography, and The Oregon Zoo, and has spoken at numerous institutions including The Art Institute, and The Evergreen State College.

Carli Davidson LLC
119 SE Main se.
Suit 203
Portland, OR 97214
United States


Visit Carli's site to learn about scheduling a sitting, check out the prices and to see other wonderful pet photography.

Carli Davidson on Facebook

Nama "Stay" - Puppies & Kittens Strike Yoga Poses For 2011 Calendars.

above: Prince does the Adho Mukha Vrkhasana, or handstand

How do you top Dogs and Cats doing yoga? Why with puppies and kittens striking the enlightened poses, of course.



After great success with his Yoga Dogs and Yoga Cats calendars in 2009 and 2010, Texas photographer Dan Borris has come out with Yoga Puppies and Kitten calendars for 2011.


The 2011 Yoga Puppies Calendar:

Some of the puppies from the 2011 Calendar:

above: Liza does the Virasana, or hero pose

above: Kerrigan does the Ardha-Chandrasana, or half-moon pose

above: Pansy does the Bitilasana, or cat-cow variation

The 2011 Yoga Kittens Calendar:

Some of the kittens from the 2011 calendar:

above: Candy also does the Virasana, or hero pose

above: Miles does the Dhyana, or self-inquiry pose

above: Randy does the Vyaghrasana, or tiger pose variation

above: Skittles does the Urdhva Dhanurasana, or backbend preparation

The Yoga Dogs 2011 calendar, shown below, will be in stock soon.




above: The 2010 Yoga Dogs and Yoga cats were bestsellers.

About:
Five years ago photographer Dan Borris came across his first Yoga Dog. Otis was a two-year-old English Bull Terrier who loved to do yoga with his friend Joy. Joy would be practicing her yoga in the mornings while Otis wandered around her legs, stopping now and again to lick her face as she did a headstand. Slowly but surely Otis began to imitate Joy. At first he tried out simple poses, ones that came naturally to him like Downward and Upward Dog. As time went on Otis's poses became more and more complex, until finally he began his own practice. While Otis himself wasn't captured on film, he did lead Dan on his path to finding other four-legged Yogis.

The original two-legged Yogis discovered poses by observing and imitating the movement of animals. Now the practice has come full circle and it's the dogs that are imitating us! You can see the absolute delight they take in their yoga and when they practice you can feel their profound concentration.



You can buy the 12 " x 12" calendars directly from their site, but pssst! they are cheaper at the links below:



thanks to Dan Borris and The Guardian for the images

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.