In chapter 14 of Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan’s book Faith, Hope, and Carnage, Nick Cave discusses something I found very beautiful which is how he sees the spirit of his late son in his dog. I think that seeing human traits and the spirit of people we know is something that a lot of us project onto our dogs - I remember my mom and I being convinced that the spirit of my nonna was in our dog, Coco.
Seeing the human spirit in dogs makes me think of an artist I love who I’ve been following on social media for a while now, Alison Friend (@mcfriendy on Instagram). Alison Friend specializes in creating paintings of dogs and other animals in human-like states. Eating, reading, posing in jackets and sweaters, etc.
Alison friend currently has almost 900,000 followers on Instagram, has a successful online store where she sells prints of her work, and has released a book of dog prints titled "DOG ONLY KNOWS." What makes so many people connect with Alison Friend’s art is way she paints the animal’s eyes, side-eyeing the viewer, and the way she semi-awkwardly poses them, which makes them feel so real and full of personality. She’s able to touch viewer’s hearts the way that our own dogs' unique personalities are able to touch ours.
I love these paintings and the story behind them. I have a dachshund who, like the painting of the one in the pink sweater, has very soulful, human eyes. Alison has an amazing ability to capture these pups' personalities, and I will definitely have to check out more of her work!
ReplyDelete