In the Labyrinth

Oh the Bliss of Maddie On Things!

I think many people have been celebrating Maddie and her owner/photographer Theron Humphrey on their cross-country journey to photograph the elegant coonhound Maddie, balanced on all manner of "things" -- from signs, tires, a scantily clad drunk St. Patrick's-day goer (in my old home town of Madison, WI), stoplights, trees, and just about every surface you can image. Here is the trailer for the new book Maddie on Things -- which will kick off the tour. I hope they come through Tucson! And if you haven't seen Maddie before, go here to see 33 photographs of Maddie delicately (and quite serenely) balanced on things.

Adventures in Naplandia

"I usually take a two hour nap from one to four" -- Yogi Berra

It is quite an age when even a napping dog acquires a tumblr account and the opportunity to wax philosophic on napping and eating kibble at Adventures in Naplandia. I have a personal affection for this site because Buju the dog in question belongs to my daughter and I have known him since puppy hood. Now an old man dog, given to long luxurious naps throughout the day, he muses on an activity that has been forgotten by the rest of us in the need to hurry our lives from morning to night. When I see him stretched out on the bed, beneath the table, or curled in a blue blanket, I am instantly a little sleepy...and suddenly the thought of stopping all my furious scribbling seems like a really good idea. I have a pillow now in the office just for the impromptu-Buju nap on the floor. Learning from the master.

When Dogs Fly

 

This is the coolest dog ever, a member of the Austrian Special Forces taking part in NATO exercises in Norway. Check out the full article in the Times UK. And before you get anxious about the dog, here's what his handler said of the jump:

“Dogs don’t perceive height difference, so that doesn’t worry them. They’re more likely to be bothered by the roar of the engines, but once we’re on the way down, that doesn’t matter and they just enjoy the view,” said the dog handler. “It’s something he does a lot. He has a much cooler head than most recruits."

A Dog's Life

Terri Windling and her husband Howard Gayton have a gorgeous new puppy and I have been totally enjoying the prolific family photos of Tilly -- and watching her sweet little face show up in some of Terri's new art -- like this one above. That's Tilly sitting on the lad's lap.

 

It reminded me of another artist, Patray Lui who after two years now, continues to chronicle in wonderful black and white prints the life of the very philosophical Cane Picio at Le Aventure del Cane Picio.

And a while back, I posted a charming and very funny little film  created by OmniProductions called "Dog Years, Love." I was delighted to discover they had made a second film "Dog Years, Health" as well.  Like the first, the musings of the dog narrator are hilarious.

Dog Years 2

UPDATE!! Check out the major designer mansion dog houses on If It's Hip, It's Here. I mean, a Bauhuas Doghouse for a mere $5,000 or so...or what about the $328,000 pooch palace?  

Big Dog Robot Takes to the Hills.

I have a fascination with military toys -- and how can one not be weirdly fascinated by the new Big Dog Robot, created by Boston Dynamic, that recently premiered in military excercises in Thailand even as the trailers for Terminator Salvation were released?  About the size of a small mule, the Big Dog is described by its makers as  "the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth,"  But don't worry about its bite. Its function thus far is to carry stuff, as much 340lbs worth of stuff. It is capable of navigating all kinds of rough terrain, can run up to 4mph, has gyroscopes on all four "paws" that will kick it right side up if it falls, and has a host of other remarkable achievements which you can read about in detail here.

Despite its technological achievement, many in the field are not calling the Big Dog their best friend just yet. For one thing, there are quite a few remarkable real K-9 dogs working in the field right now (especially Afghanistan where their remarkable noses can sniff out explosives hidden in buses) and for another, the Big Dog sounds like a roaring chainsaw when it takes off. Not exactly stealth material. Still, watching the film of it slipping and readjusting itself on the ice, or traipsing confidently through the makeshift rumble is pretty remarkable.

Coyote and Cane: Two New Books

Last year I posted about two wonderful blogs: Le Avventure del Cane Picio -- with its whimsical black and white illustrations of the dog Cane Picio by artist and designer Patray Lui, and The Daily Coyote, with its daily photographic journal of an orphaned coyote named Charlie by author and photographer Shreve Stockton. Both sites are absolutely delightful and happily, both Lui and Stockton have now gathered their work into books! Lui's book is currently available here, while Stockton's book is forthcoming (check the site for updates.) I highly recommend stopping by both sites (though plan on staying awhile and saying "awwwww..." a lot.) and if you are new to the sites, enjoy the archives. I found watching Charlie mature in the many photographs from a tiny pup to an adult coyote fascinating and Stockton's posts about life in the middle of nowhere Wyoming romantic and inspiring (especially for a city girl like me). Below is my daughter's dog engaged in his own soulful contemplations photographed by friend and photographer, Patrick Manning. (Love the "matador hat" ears)

Samurai Dog Armor

Ok, I couldn't resist posting this (especially after the post below on Perros Paños): a suit of samurai dog armor found on the fabulous Pink Tentacle blog-- which posts on all manner of strange, unique, and wonderful things Japanese.

Perros de Paños

A young artist friend of mine, Emiliano Lake-Herrera, has recently published a blog showcasing some of his remarkable work. I was really taken with these powerful and startling images of savage dogs bearing their teeth, all produced with a ballpoint pen on fine linen handkerchiefs. They are such a fascinating contradiction -- the heavy, intense violence of the dogs paired with the fragile, translucent linen cloth. These drawings are part of a fascinating folk tradition that began in America's Southwest prisons.

Here's Emiliano's description: "The Paño is a folk tradition that originated in America's Southwestern prison system. Paños were originally constructed from torn pieces of bedsheets and were predominantly executed by Chicano/Hispanic inmates. Now, the paño tradition has spread throughout the prison industrial complex and is used as an outlet for many different racial and ethnic groups within prison. Paños are made with ballpoint pen, colored pencil, and/or ink on linen handkerchiefs.

"I constructed this body of work in order to discuss America and the world's growing prison industrial complex. The dog was chosen for its symbolic dichotomy which allows it to traverse between domesticity and the natural order. In addition to this, many of the source images were procured from images of dog fights which, as many know, take domestic animals and mistreat them until they become savage beasts."

Emiliano's work also includes gorgeous and robust sculptural paintings of Brazilian capoeira, perfectly conveying the convoluted intricacies of its fighting techniques and the musical and mythological influences that surrounds the art. You can see more of this vibrant work here.

Mondo Cane

I've also discovered while packing that we have waaaay too many pictures of the dog.

Grillin'

Here's how the dog keeps warm during these ridiculously cold days and nights. We half expect to see little grill lines on his flanks. And look at that mid-winter belly! We are all  dreaming of walking in the desert instead of huddling by the radiators and eating cookies to console ourselves...