working like a dog

I’ve been working like a dog lately (is there any other way?) to create pieces to sell at an art & craft show here in Burgau on April 4^th. I’m raising funds for my friends at the animal shelters in the Algarve.  I hope that if any of you are in the area you'll drop by and say hello. The show is at a fabulous café called Tomik. There will be many vendors with splendid wares on offer including stained glass, handmade soaps, homemade chocolates and more. You will even be able to get a manicure or pedicure (or in my case, a pawdicure). At the bottom of this post I've put a link for more information.

Here are some of the pieces I've been working on:

postcard
4" x 6" (10 cm x 15 cm)

Scottie
acrylic on board
8"x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

red sentinel
acrylic on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

I'll have a variety of work for sale including paintings and illustrations; Dogs & Cats of Portugal (Cães & Gatos de Portugal) photographic postcards; relief print cards; hand printed t-shirts; and handmade books with original art on the covers. Prices will range from €1 to €50 so just about everyone can afford to help the hounds.

Boris and the bird
acrylic and ink on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

dreaming of Paris
acrylic and ink on board
8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm)

After the show I may have unsold pieces available to be shipped to folks in Europe and North America. There will be a small window of opportunity for these pieces so check back here after April 4th but before April 14th. I'll post images of the available pieces and payment can be made through Paypal.

Here's the link for more information about the show: https://www.facebook.com/events/785698321512556/

Tchau-wow!

suicide squid = a bittersweet treat

Every now and then when I'm trotting along the beach, something out of the ordinary catches my nose. The other morning, following the Blue Moon (the rare occurrence of a second full moon in one month, in case you didn't already know), a delectable scent wafted my way. Upon investigation, I found a small squid on the sand. He (she?) was dead. Quite dead. Clearly he had committed suicide. I know that a full moon can provoke weird behaviour. The Blue Moon must have pushed this creature over the edge.

I truly felt sorry for the poor thing, but I'm not one to waste a culinary opportunity so I fetched a fancy plate (I felt I had to infuse the event with a touch of ceremony) and carefully placed the squid on it.

I studied it closely for a moment and noticed a puzzling phenomenon.

Some of the little dots on the skin were pulsating - almost disappearing and then expanding, disappearing and expanding. It was very strange. I'm sure the squid was dead. The fool proof sniff test confirmed it. But this dot thing kind of put me off. Not for long though. I had one last look ... And then I ate him. R.I.P. in my belly, suicide squid. Yes, that was a bittersweet treat.

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Sundown

Sundown is one of my favourite times of the day (or night).

Not only is it a visual feast, it’s also an aural feast. It’s the time when we dogs pass on our news. But this news need not be particularly eventful. Just as people use status updates on Facebook, we (dogs) like to make our voices heard, however insignificant what we have to say may be.

Click on the video above to see what I mean.

It’s just a way of connecting to the community of canids, of adding to the pulsing pandemonium. The barking, yelping and baying ricochets down the valleys, dozens of ruff voices overlapping and mingling in an odd dissonance that both excites and sooths my doggy soul.

another beautiful sundown in Portugal

the art of fish

relief print in journal (detail),  ink 

The feast that Rita and I were treated to a few days ago got me thinking about fish. Fish and art, that is.  You see, the person who cooked the fish was an artist with food. And the subject was fish. I was thinking about this and started to notice that fish inspire many artists. I see examples all around me. And I have been inspired by fish as well, and continue to be so.

I thought I’d give you a little taste of the variety of fishy art to be found here. Some of it is mine and some is just what I’ve stumbled across in my local wanderings. Unfortunately I don’t know who to credit for every piece, but if anyone out there reading this can give me information I’d be happy to add it.

mosaic on wall of bath at ruins of Milreu (click image to enlarge)

This is just a taste of the many incredible mosaics found at the ruins of Milreu near Estoi here in the Algarve. These were made by Italian artists about 2000 years ago. Each little stone that makes up the mosaic is only about the size of a piece of dog kibble. They must have worked like dogs to make this!

broken tile mosaic on wall

This is a much more recent fish mosaic found right here in Burgau.

sign outside restaurante in Carvoeiro

This one isn’t a mosaic, but it is made of many bits. In this case the fish are cut and shaped pieces of metal.

journal page, ink, watercolour and crayon

Fish are fun to doodle. There is such a variety in the colour, shape, and texture. I think you could draw a fish a day for the rest of your life and never repeat yourself.

painted platter (work in progress)

I was visiting my friend Lotte in Pereira. His person rescued him from a garbage bin when he was just a pup. Lotte and his person live in a house that also has a tile workshop where people go for lessons. This is a platter being painted by one of the students.  The subject? Fish of course.

interesting fish graphics on sugar packets

For some reason fish appear on these sugar packets. I’m not sure what fish have to do with sugar, but they did catch my eye. I think sometimes that's the sole purpose of an interesting image - simply to catch your eye. Well, I guess it worked.

   

My friend (er, aquaintance really - he's a bit too grumpy for me) Bossy Pants at Ancora

Well all this talk of fish has made me hungry. I’m off to the back door of Restaurante Ancora where the owner Rex is always eager to feed a ruggedly handsome dog like me.

Tchao-wow! 

A fish in the pan is worth two in the sea.

Sometimes the smell of fish makes me lose my head, but not quite like this!

Rita and I were at the fish market in Lagos this morning and we were seduced by the lovely smells. I hopped up on a stack of chairs that were near the counters to get a good view of all the tasty ocean treats. One particularly caught my eye so I did a sketch of it in my journal. The sign said it’s called azevias. The name in English is flounder.  But I think the sign is wrong. It didn’t smell like flounder to me. And besides, all the azevias I’ve known have their eyes only on one side of the body, except the very young ones whose eyes haven’t migrated yet. Boy, that’s a whole other subject though. Imagine being born with your eyes in a certain place and then one of them gradually moves and the whole shape of your body transforms. It’s weird! But I digress.

journal sketch, watercolour

While I was drawing, Rita ran into a person friend from Burgau. He could see how much Rita wanted some fish so he invited both of us back to his place for a feast.  He let Rita choose what she wanted so she pointed to the cavala (mackerel). He had the seller pick two of the best, had them wrapped up, gave the man some coins and off we went. Before we left Lagos we stopped by the bookstore to let Rita’s person know she was going for a visit to Burgau.

Our friend didn't waste a bit. The guts were the appetizers.

Our friend set up a couple of stools for us to perch on and supervise the preparations. He carefully grilled the fish over a fire and it was delicious! This man can cook! Rita and I had the appetizers and one fish, he and his friend shared the other fish. I think Rita and I were the perfect guests. We happily allowed the man and his friend to pat us much as they wanted. We courteously licked their hands clean after they had finished eating, and we cleaned all their dishes too. With any luck we’ll be asked to visit again soon. In the meantime we have other fish to fry.

Yes, I'm an artist, but I'm a dog first!

The art exhibit on Saturday night at No9 Tasca Bar was a treat. I had been worried about sneaking in, but as it turned out no one really paid any attention to me. I kind of hung around outside until the music started then I slipped in unnoticed. By this time people were pretty focused on the music and I was able to get a close look at the paintings. This one is my favourite.

"Exodus" by Michael Fuller, acrylic on canvas, 50cm x 60cm

His ability to capture a person’s face is obviously much more advanced than mine as you can see from these sketches I did of some of the people there that night.

jam session sketches at No9

I guess it makes sense. I feel comfortable doing sketches and paintings of dogs because I relate to them, I’m one of them. Sometimes when I’m painting a dog I actually feel like I AM that dog. I’m guessing it might be the same for Michael when he paints people. I think you actually have to feel your subject’s emotion to get it down on paper. Hmmm. Wait a minute. How does that work then if I’m painting a cup of coffee or a car? Do I feel like a cup of coffee? Or a car? How does a car feel? Oh, now I’m confused.

Okay, so the art was good, but the tiny bits of food dropped on the floor were even better!  Bacalhau a bras, sweet potatoes fritas em azeite, Galician octopus, Marcella … I was in heaven! Yes, I’m an artist, but I’m a dog first. Food rules!

Exhibitionists or artists? Is there a difference?

I just saw a notice for a painting exhibition opening at the No9 Tasca Bar (click the green text for more info) here in the village. It’s this Saturday night at 10. I hope to sneak in and have a look. The paintings are by a man I met here in Burgau a couple of years ago. Last year Michael started painting in acrylics (he had done some painting before but it was theatre set painting which is another thing altogether) and he asked me if I would add a dog to a painting he was planning to do. I was happy to make my mark on his work. He had a particular image in his mind of Murphy, a very handsome and chilled out dog who had been rescued from an animal shelter just a couple of months earlier.

Michael working on another acrylic

We went down to the slipway and had Murphy pose, looking out to sea. The idea was that Murphy was dolphin watching.  So, from the photo we took of Murphy sitting on the slipway, Michael painted the whole scene and when he was finished he handed the canvas off to me and I added Murphy. I was a little nervous working on someone else’s painting so I did a sketch first to get a feel for what I was going to do and also to let Michael see it and be sure that it was going to be okay. 

watercolour pencil preliminary sketch of Murphy

Even though the sketch was done with watercolour pencils, it still gave me a feel for what I needed to do later with the acrylics on Michael’s canvas. Here's the finished painting.

"Dolphin Watching", Michael Fuller & Ruca, acrylic on canvas, 50cm x 60 cm

"Dolphin Watching" detail

I'm hoping everyone at No9 Tasca Bar likes dogs so that I can hang around and have a good look at what Michael's been working on this past winter. Actually, digging up the photos of our collaborative piece and the preliminary sketch has got me itching to do another acrylic so that's my next project. Here’s a little teaser for you. This will be the photo I’ll work from. 

inspiration for my next painting

 Now it's off to tackle some preliminary sketches!

Tchao-wow

Houdini hound

Hey there. This is just a quick post to tell you about an article I read the other day. It’s about a German Shepherd who managed to break out of a veterinary office where he had been locked up so that he could be treated with intravenous antibiotics. I imagine being locked up for days made him feel  a little like this dog in the photo.

Is this what road rage is?

Nothing like a little anger to get the adrenalin flowing and the synapses firing.

His cagey uncaging got me to thinking maybe I could hire him to rescue the down and out drunk dog I spoke about in my last post. The only problem is that the German Shepherd is in America and I’m not sure how he would get over here to Portugal. Maybe someone reading this knows of an equally ingenious and dexterous dog closer to home. Let me know. I can make payment in several currencies including pork ribs, chicken feet, and guided tours (with personal introductions to the chefs) of the back doors to restaurants in Burgau.

You can read the full story of the cunning canine here.

Tchao-wow.

it drives a dog to drink

In my last post I joked about a rescue mission for the dog being teased about food. It reminded me of this  page I did in my journal not long ago. If ever there was a dog in need of rescuing, this is one. 

journal page, ink and watercolours

I came across him in Luz, which is a tidy little village just east of Burgau. I’d spent a lovely afternoon walking along the cliffs, doing some birdwatching and sketching. In Luz I stopped by my person friend Meri’s shop for a drink of water (and she treated me to an organic dog biscuit – thanks Meri!). I did a sketch of a flower covered balcony just alongside Meri’s shop. As I was walking along the waterfront, heading back to Burgau, I came across this poor fella slumped beside an empty wine box. I tried to talk to him but he was pretty out of it. He barely looked at me, just gazed, unfocussed, out at the inviting rocky beachscape just on the other side of his prison. I hung around for a while, hoping his person would show up so I could give him an earful. No one ever did show up. Eventually I left. What could I do?

more strange goings-on

As I had mentioned in my last post, I was planning to spend Sunday at my friend Charlie’s house by the beach in Burgau. This time of year there’s always a great feast put on by his people and their relatives and friends. But this year Charlie and I were on our own. His people went to Evora for a couple of days so Charlie and I had the house pretty much to ourselves. The only interruption was when a friend of Charlie’s people came by to put out food and water for Charlie and to take him out for fresh air. I offered to do all that but my voice seemed to fall on deaf ears. People just don’t seem to get it that we dogs can be quite capable of taking care of ourselves, although I have to admit that Charlie’s gotten a bit soft ever since he’s been living in the lap of luxury. He seems to like it though, so there’s no point in me trying to change him. 

Even though Charlie’s people weren’t there putting on a huge feast, they left all kinds of feasty food for us.  We had shrimp and sausage and chicken and bread and cheese and rice and eggs. And after all that we had one of my favourite foods. Raw carrots. It’s my secret weapon to keep my teeth clean and strong, not something a lot of other dogs give much thought to. And it seems that a lot of dogs here in Portugual have a problem with their teeth. But that's a topic for another post.

So we spent much of the day eating and lounging and drawing. Or at least Charlie was lounging, which made it easier for me to do some drawing.

a couple of quick sketches of Charlie

Charlie and blue go well together.

At one point we heard quite a commotion down on the beach. We went out onto the balcony to see what was going on. It was the strangest thing. There were a couple of very young people and some older ones and they were playing some sort of fetch - but not with a dog. They were playing with each other. And they weren’t using a stick or a ball. They were using eggs that had paint all over them. One person after another would throw an egg down the beach. Well, they were really sort of rolling it. You couldn't really call it throwing. And then once everyone had thrown/rolled his or her egg, they all ran down the beach after them and started doing it again. It seemed very odd. Then, all chaos broke out. A man was walking with his dog and the dog saw the eggs rolling along the beach so he thought it must be a game for him so he chased the eggs and picked them up and of course they broke and the dog had egg all over his face and the people were chasing the dog and yelling and laughing. It was quite a scene. I managed to get a quick sketch of the dog after all the commotion ended.

From Charlie's balcony we had a perfect view of the action.

So that’s how I spent my Sunday at this time of year, when people always seem to be doing strange things. I’d love to hear from any other dogs out there who find people where they live do strange things at this time of year too.

Tchao-wow

beady-eyed monsters

I'm awake early this morning. I couldn't sleep. Actually I haven't been sleeping well lately. I keep having bad dreams. You see, something weird always happens around this time of year. And I don’t like it. People start acting very strangely. It creeps me out. They wear strange clothes. They cover their faces with other faces. Faces that aren’t theirs. Sometimes they aren’t even people faces. Rabbits, birds, even dogs! They take long walks in large groups. They sing. They hang coloured cloth from the windows. They go up and down the streets making terrible noises banging and rattling things. I don’t get it.

But the worst thing I ever experienced was a couple of years ago when I was visiting a friend far away from here. It totally freaked me out. There were these things, kind of like people – maybe they were people. I didn’t stick around to find out. They were completely covered up in a dark cloth, even the head, and all you could see of them were bare feet…. and, peering out from two holes cut in the cloth, two beady eyes. Eyes of a monster. 

I still have nightmares of these beady-eyed monsters.

Ahhhhh! I couldn’t stand it. All the fur on my back stood up. My chest started thumping really loudly. I started to shake all over. I was drooling (and believe me, I'm not a drooly kinda guy). I got out of there faster than a seagull can eat a sardine. And I’ve never been back.

Now every year when this period of weirdness rolls around I surround myself with friends. It just feels safer that way. Today I’m going to hang out with my friend Charlie Barker and his people.  They live in a house beside the beach in Burgau. The food there is always good and there’s a better than fair chance that his people will drop yummy things on the floor. And Charlie always eats so much at this time of year that he spends a lot of time snoozing. This is the perfect opportunity to make some sketches of him. If I manage to do any today I’ll post them here.

Watch out for the beady-eyed monsters!

Tchao-wow

yoga for dogs

illustrated journal sketch - colour pencil

Gorda is a collared dog who wears no collar. She lives in Burgau. She likes yoga and fresh garbage. And not-so-fresh garbage. She is one very happy-go-lucky dog and will hang around with anyone (dog or human) who gives the slightest indication that her company would be welcome. Aren't we all like that in a way?

Burgau is my homebase

My bookstore friend tells me that I should make a few posts on the topic of my village, so that readers can get a feel for where I spend most of my time. So here's my village, Burgau, as seen from the eastern side of the village, up on the cliff.

 

And this is taken from below the slipway at fairly low tide. Low tide is a great time to go poking around the rocks looking for interesting smells and  unusual treats.

This is a photo I took a few years ago of a couple of locals checking out the ocean's offering of the day.

And here's the sort of thing they're finding.

 Lovely slippery squishy smelly stuff. If you're ever in Burgau, look me up and I'll take you down to the rocks and show you just where these critters hide.

Tchau-wow for now.

Bobby will be missed

BOBBY

1996-2011

Well, it's my second post and already I'm a bearer of sad news. I learned that a friend of mine, Bobby, died yesterday. I hadn't seen him for a couple of months. Normally he lives with Denise here in Burgau but she had been in Holland for the past two months and Bobby was staying in Lagos so he wasn't around his usual hangouts. Apparently he hadn't been quite himself for the past week or so. Denise arrived home from Holland a couple of days ago and could see that something was up. She took him to the vet and found out he was really sick. It seems that he hung on until she got back from Holland and then he was okay with moving on.

Bobby at the Brizze Cafe, sporting his summer haircut

At the Varandas Bar, ready for a stroll

Chillin' at home with his peeps

 I'd known him pretty much all my life. He was a great guy, kind of quiet until he really got to know you. He seemed much younger than he actually was. He loved his people, maybe even more than other dogs. Weird, I know, but it happens. It may have been because for the first 10 years of his life he didn't have a very good situation. Then when he went to live with Denise he felt like he was treated like royalty and he really loved her for that. Everyone, both people and dogs around the village will miss him. Tchao-wow my friend.