Dog Days, Silly Dogs by Gandee Vasan

Being a dog lover, I can't resist blogging on the four legged creatures when I came across these striking images from award winning photographer and artist Gandee Vasan.

Gandee combines fine art background with photographic and cutting edge digital manipulation skills, specializing in expressive animal photography. Originally a talented painter, he uses his artist's eye to "paint in" the most subtle nuances of the animal's expression in post production, lifting a good image into something really impactful. Gandee Vasan has received numerous awards such as The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Prize, AOP awards and more.

Gandee has also published several books on dogs and cats. His work has been exhibited at the National portrait Gallery in London and the Association of photographers gallery and his limited edition prints are in private collections and galleries.

Gandee Vasan lives and works in London.

The best mirror is a true friend

Courtesy Gandee Vasan

all in all

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a woman needs good friends & good shoes-

Lillian Bassman Coiffure for Harper's Bazaar c 1954 c Christie's

compliments of Kobi Levi

the most joyous of all footwear

sit! MIAO

SIT!

roll over-

good dog!

(there is nothing more comforting that good shoes- and good dogs.)

unless it be-

more clever Kobi Levi

from the bird series

SWAN

please do not wear a swan with a  SlingShot

that's no Banana that's my nose.

(Peggy Lee kissing Jimmy Durante)

oh Popeye!

oh! Olive Oyl

 

 

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by clicking on the bold text you may travel to Links 

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every dog deserves its day

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the photograph of a beloved family. my dearest family of friends- every last one including the 2 beasts of a dog.  told by my father for many years- "you do love dog flesh"- & I do. I can think of no substitute for the companionship of the dog.
Husband?
No, she has one.
Children?
No, she has two-
and now 2 dogs-Argos and Sophie- Pulsing Weimaraners.
Doubtless any of these family members feel the same about these 2.
Ah! the stories they could  tell. The stories she tells are quite something, so certainly their rival versions would curl your ears. Argos- the year old gumby can sit you down and wrap himself around you in a modestly proportioned club chair. You are surprisingly comfortable- Argos is akin to an alpaca blanket. He is quite settled. Surely you can guess- Argos is the sprawled one-center stage. Sophie, ever the lady, in the forefront-observing, admiring her charges. Sophie knows all.
Whether you prefer the galumphing sort, the temerarious, gregarious or the raucous sort, often the dearest held are the oddest proportions of these. My own "pet" breed right now is something of them all, making each day a "treat."

What's the build up for? The most charming, delightful and soulful film I have seen in some time.

Dean Spanley

 It might just be the perfect film.

Peter O'Toole. Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, Brian Brown.

streaming on Netflix, and on youtube as well. If you have seen it-let me know, If not. Do- and let someone else on on this little masterpiece- every deserves its day.
& if you have an English dog-you may already know it- if unknown to you Sir-no thanks is needed.

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Have a Ball This Christmas (or next, it's pretty late)

SPOT THE DOG and SILVERFACE THE CAT
“English Bone China with a Japanese twist,” is how these baubles by Reiko Kaneko are described by UK online retailer Rockett St. George.




PLAY MORE
Note pads by Amsterdam-based Trapped in Suburbia.




ORBS
You’ll find both 'functional' and 'decorative' items for sale at the Paul and Kate Studio on Etsy. These orbs are from the 'decorative' (completely useless) category. But who cares--they are so textural and mysterious, and absolutely perfect for someone who really doesn’t “need” anything. You might want to combine the Prehistoric Planet (top) with a copy of "The Little Prince." And you can safely assume that the recipient of the Caramel Barnacle (not really an orb, its flat bottom makes it more like a scone), doesn’t already have one.



FILAGREE BALL
This vintage pendant, from TopsyDesign on Etsy, is so Rosemary's Baby. If you're giving this to a pregnant woman, don’t forget to fill with tannis root!

remembrance

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"As you ask me about the dogs, I begin with them. The two Newfoundland dogs coming to meet me, with the usual carriage and the usual driver, and beholding me coming in my usual dress out at the usual door, it struck me that their recollection of my having been absent for any unusual time was at once cancelled. They behaved (they are both young dogs) exactly in their usual manner; coming behind the basket phaeton as we trotted along, and lifting their heads to have their ears pulled,—a special attention which they receive from no one else. But when I drove into the stable-yard, Linda (the St. Bernard) was greatly excited, weeping profusely, and throwing herself on her back that she might caress my foot with her great fore-paws. M.'s little dog, too, Mrs. Bouncer, barked in the greatest agitation, on being called down and asked, 'Who is this?' tearing round and round me like the dog in the Faust outlines."' Charles Dickens 1868

every thing that lived must be remembered

Moses collar stands in the hall on an urn

Bonham's auction here

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hair of the dog

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on Riding : First Coursing Meet of Irish Wolfhounds

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from my collection,

captioned: The first coursing meeting in this country of Irish Wolfhounds took place on Wednesday near Amesbury (Wilts) Two of the dogs in the slips.

James and Florence Nagle were both very keen on animals being able to do the work they were bred for and he was a driving force behind the setting up of coursing meetings and the foundation of the Irish Wolfhound Coursing Club. The first coursing meeting was held near Amesbury, Wiltshire (the Nagle's home at the time) in February, 1925. .
"Mr. J. Nagle writes that he has some very interesting entries for the coursing meeting, and that several very well-known winners on the bench are to take part. Mrs. Southey is running Crewkerne Georgie (winner bitch challenge certificate at LKA) and another. Mrs. Beynon is running three or perhaps four. This is an interesting entry, as all her hounds have hunted big game in Kenya, and that good sportswoman is anxious to see how her hounds perform against the English-bred hounds. Lady Watson will probably run her hound, Sulhamstead Pedlar (the sire of Ch. F. Kilcullen). Pedlar is now in his sixth year, but kills hares regularly and will make some of the younger hounds gallop. The greatest support seems to come from the fair sex, and the entries by men are so far Mr. Nagle's Sulhamstead Thelma and the writer's Ch. Felixstowe Killcao.

"I know that Mr. Nagle has splendid and ample accommodation for the hounds that will take part, and that the air at Stourbridge is indeed very bracing, so that both owners and hounds should have an enjoyable outing. There are no fences or ditches, so that risk of injury is reduced to a minimum."

Another publication ran an article with several pictures, with the title "Irish Wolfhounds for Coursing: Some of the entrants for the forthcoming official meeting near Amesbury, Wiltshire. The idea of holding coursing meetings with Irish wolfhounds came some long time ago from Mr. James Nagle, of Amesbury in Wiltshire, and at last a meeting has been arranged to be held near Amesbury in January, under National Coursing Club rules. Support has been promised by many well-known breeders, and a good entry is expected. Mr. Nagle, who has had a very wide experience of these dogs, has found that they have plenty of speed, can outstay a greyhound over a long course and are only a little slower at killing. By reason of their great size the Irish wolfhound is probably the most powerful breed of dog in the world and Mr. James Nagle's famous Champion Felixstowe Kilcullen, a son of Lady Watson's Sulhamstead Pedlar, is of such giant proportions that he must be one of the largest dogs anywhere in the world. Although they are growing steadily in popularity here, wolfhounds are not in such great demand as in North America and such places where they are trained to combat the prairie wolves who prey upon the flocks. The projected meeting will be awaited with much interest."


All text linked- here

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The Art of Thierry Poncelet: " Ancestral Dogs "

As a great collector of classical art and a lover of dogs, Belgian artist Thierry Poncelet has ingeniously managed to comically reinforce the human individual's expression, creating an interactive situation where his portraits are not humans disguised as dogs, but dogs taking on a human character. Poncelet's unique talent, exceptional technical skills and experience in restoring 18th and 19th century paintings, and the surrealistic substitution of dog's heads on ancient portraits, have made him internationally famous. Though some perceive his work as a social satire, Thierry Poncelet's true magic is not to mock humans, but " to give dogs humanity."
Some of his artwork is currently on view at Le Printemps in Paris.

Ancestral Dogs

Courtesy Thierry Poncelet

To view more click on Thierry Poncelet

those Mitford Sisters & their dogs

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Deborah, at l. with her greyhound Studley & dachshund Jacob with sister, Jessica with Nancy's French bulldogs, Dominic & Lottie. Nancy (the Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd).

images from The Thirties In Vogue by Carolyn Hall,
fellow blogger & Mitford admirer LUCINDA has done several of "THOSE MITFORD GIRLS"-  read them HERE

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Lesley Blanch walks the dog

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a Lesley Blanche illustration for Pamela Hinkson's 1933 British Vogue story about one of my favorite subjects- dogs & in this case their national origins.

'Admittedly it is as common for women to express their clothes, as for their clothes to express them. Yet in these islands it is in our dogs that we often best express ourselves, or sometimes-they turning the tables on us- express them. They express our way of living as well as, or better than, we do ourselves.' Pamela Hinkson



illustration from DOGS IN VOGUE by  Judith Watt.

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Millay on dogs

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photograph by Berthold Litjes

Parrots,
tortoises

&

redwoods 

live a longer life than men do; 

Men 

a longer life than dogs do; 

Dogs 

a longer life than love does.

edna saint vincent millay

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The Dogs of Will Rannells (And a Contest!)

Somewhere between Cassius M. Coolidge’s Dogs Playing Poker and William Wegman’s elegant and complex Weimaraners, lie Will Rannells’ canine men of the world.
“What's on the 6th floor?” a history and special collections blog of The San Francisco Public Library, recently featured these Life magazine covers (not to be confused with LIFE, the Henry Luce publication), by Rannells (1892-1982).

Early on, Rannells found that his paintings of dogs set him apart from other artists. It is reported that he thought they were much better subjects than the beautiful girls he had previously been drawing. In fact, his first commercial success (at age 19) was a portrait of a collie that had previously been held in the arms of a girl. When he realized the dog was better off without the human figure, he painted the dog alone and sold it for $40. It later appeared on the June 1, 1912 cover of Country Gentleman. He went on to illustrate for the magazines Life, Judge and McCalls, as well as for a number of children's books.

Will Rannells became an art professor at The Ohio State University, where he taught painting and advertising design. He was active in the Humane Society and was known locally for his efforts to rescue stray animals and for his opposition to vivisection.”

To truly acknowledge the dog days of summer you must head over to Newmanology and partake of, either as a participant or an observer The Newmanology Dog Days of Summer Dog Magazine Cover Contest. There is already a fantastic gallery up, with new additions coming in fast and furious. Add your canine contestant to the mix. Still needed: a bejeweled lady-dog (not just any bitch with bling, must be canine).




Will Rannells covers (starting from the top): "Putting on the Dog," Life (Nov. 3, 1927);
"The Dog Star,"Life (July 16, 1914); "R.F.D.," Life (Dec. 16, 1915);
"An Old Sea Dog," Life (Sept. 3, 1925); Country Gentleman (June 1, 1912);
"Never Again," Life (Jan. 15, 1920). Life courtesy Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor; Country Gentleman courtesy Magazines & Newspaper Center, San Francisco Public Library.