Pet Love!

I've been meaning to share this poster I did for the Pasadena Humane Society with y'all. It was done this past summer for their Artistic License art auction benefit. PHS is a wonderfully run humane society, and it is where I got my dog Clover this past spring. It was a bit of a surprise, getting this dog- I went to an environmental fair at the L.A. County Arboretum, and there she was with the mobile pet unit- as pretty and happy as could be! It was right around St. Patrick's day, and with my love for all things Celtic, the name Clover seemed the right fit for her. Being the happy owner of both a dog and a cat, and I thought them the perfect subjects when I was asked to make something for the art auction. The original was an acrylic painting (my first full painting since college!) on canvas board, and the wonderful lady who won it commissioned me to make a print of it to hang in the adoption room at PHS. Gallery Street did a beautiful job of producing the giclée, so if you find yourself in the Pasadena area looking for a pet, pop your head in at PHS and take a look. And find your own fuzzy friend to inspire you! Here are the models, in case you are curious:

Jeanie, my 7 yr old American shorthair rescue cat

Clover is a 3 year old Lab/Australian Cattle Dog mix

Get Fuzzyness

I am very endeared to my friend who got me Bucky Katt's Big Book of Fun; a compilation of comics from my favorite strip, "Get Fuzzy", by Darby Conley. I can't even begin to describe how the bizarreness of this strip touches me. It is that odd, nameless, shiny quality that attracts me like a magpie... The same quality I've found in Story People, and my beloved Pratchett books. But of course, "Get Fuzzy" has animals in it. The cantankerous cat, the loving (if clueless) dog, their hapless owner... It's like "Garfield" all gone wrong. It's delicious. I'm sure many of you are fans too.

So I was having trouble getting to sleep one night last week; I decided I felt like drawing something. I looked over at my cat- sleeping peacefully on my bed- and I looked over at my desk with the Get Fuzzy book, and I had an idea... Above of course, you see the outcome. I had wondered what my cat Jeanie might look like, had she stepped into the "Get Fuzzy" world. Now I know. And I'm sure she'd give Bucky a run for his money...