Zen Doggie

A bit of a different look.

Just as each animal is unique so is each pet portrait.

Earlier this summer my housemate & I went to the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur. It was a very fun day and our favorite booth was that of Colorado Greyhound Adoption. The volunteers working the booth were all friendly and very knowledgeable about the dogs-- and of course the dogs were great.

I have an extra soft spot in my heart for this particular breed as my Foxee was part greyhound.

This is the original picture I took of Legs:

Here are my three favorites after manipulating it in the graphics program: (My printer and program are still having an argument over color management. In the thumbnails I printed what shows as lime here was a very pretty light turquoise and the yellow here printed as lime -- I liked that color combination even better so stuck with it. I left the files of the proofs alone color-wise to show the importance of choosing your pet's portrait from the printed proofs rather than from an emailed jpg file).

Here is the final piece of art:

The Artwork

I am making expressive pet portraits in contemporary textile art. To give that soundbite a bit more meaning let me show you the process.

People send me digital snapshots of their pet(s) like this one of Pixie:

I then import it into a graphics program and manipulate it to make it a fun and artistic expression of the animal's nature. Here is my favorite of the ones I made of Pixie:
I then print out the image on specially treated fabric, piece borders to it and and quilt it to enhance the design and give it more character.
The finished size of Pixie's portrait is 10" x 10".

Special thanks to ChesireKat56 for the picture of Pixie.

Foxeedawg Designs?

Foxee was my dog.
Like many dogs she was much more than a pet.

She was my friend and like any pair of friends we played & laughed & cried & fought & grew together.

Foxee was very gregarious and delighted in meeting people and dogs. She would even try to get horses and cows to play with her.

When I got the idea the idea to make portraits of pets I of course thought of her and all the things we shared and how much I miss her.

Naming the company after her and the artwork itself is my way of honoring her and the love shared between people and their animal companions.

It is going to be a bit before I am able to get a website up and running. In the meantime I thought I would use a blog to share with friends what I am up to and have a way for people to order artwork of their beloved animal friends.