Scarlett’s Painting came!

We started a series of collies being featured in art, as they are a favorite subject for artists.  My own collies have been immortalized on both canvas and in digital art.  Scarlett, who will be turning 13 years old on May 1st, had her painting done by artist Barbara Guitas.  

I had the artist add the Shack on Grass Island, as it’s a local historical landmark, and I’ve always loved it.  And I also asked her to include the iconic image of a Christmas tree in a rowboat, which is the New England version of the little red truck hauling a Christmas tree.  I think the painting came out beautifully, and it’s already hanging on my wall.  I think I found the perfect frame for it too.

I didn’t intend to commission any more art, at least not for a while.  But during the National they held a raffle, to raise money for the show expenses.  I bought some tickets to support the National, and I won a free painting of one of my collies!  Now I have to pick a collie to have a painting done, and I’m struggling to decide on which one.  Do I pick one of the collies I have lost?  Do I pick one of my collies’ puppy pictures, as I don’t have a painting of a collie pup.  Or do I pick one of my favorite pictures?  I’m just not sure!

The Animated Collie

Continuing our series of posts about the collie in art, we have to include the animated collie!  Animation is a form of art that gives life, movement and emotion to hand drawn, or computer generated images.  These images are filmed in sequence, and used to tell a story.  There is an animated version of Lassie, that has charmed and entertained countless fans.  

The New Adventures of Lassie promotional picture from Lassie Fandom

Disney included a collie in its popular movie, 101 Dalmatians.  He appears as a wise, older dog, who comes to the aid of the Dalmatians.  

Image from Disney Fandom

In the movie, All Dogs Go to Heaven, one of the main characters is a lovely collie named Flo.  In the movie, the sweet collie is the loving foster Mom to dozens of homeless puppies.

Picture from Don Bluth Fandom

Growing up as a member of Generation X, one of the highlights of every Christmas season was watching the beloved holiday specials created by Rankin Bass.  One of these special holiday shows was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  In the film was the character Yukon Cornelius, who travelled through the snowy tundra with his sled dog team.  The team was made up of some unlikely sled dogs, like the tiny dachshund.   But if you look closely, you will see one of the dogs was actually a collie!  Yes, there was a collie living at the North Pole, and pulling a sled!  

I couldn’t find a decent picture, but there is also a collie featured in one of my favorite childhood animated films, Scruffy.  You can watch it on YouTube by clicking here.

So have you spotted a collie in other animated films that we may have missed?   Leave us a comment, and let us know!

Collies in digital art

Continuing my series of “collies in art,” I had to include a post about digital art.  This refers to art created on computers or electronic devices.  I am not including images created by AI in this category, only the images created by actual digital artists.  I have commissioned a few images, to use on our social media, and to support these artists who are very talented in this medium.

The following images were created by Sabrina Brinkerhoff Bingham, The first is of my sweet little Addison.  She filled in the background with a Winterberry bush, in honor of our kennel name, Winterberry Collies.  Sabrina has an Etsy shop called ArtzyBrina, where you can commission your own digital images, just click here.  She also created a collie coloring book, and it can be found on Amazon, by clicking here.

The next image is of my Ryder, created to celebrate a little known holiday, Therapy Dog Appreciation Day.  I think this captures the inherent sweetness of therapy dogs in general, and of Ryder in particular.  I told her exactly what I was picturing in my head, and she did a beautiful job capturing the image.

This image is of my Addison and Rosie.  Sabrina worked closely with me to create this digital art, as I wanted my own collies featured on a card, to use when wishing my friends and family a Happy Birthday on social media.  She used pictures of my collies to create the image, let me choose the background color, the banner, and even added the balloons and cake I asked to be included.

The next image was commissioned after I lost my beautiful Kori.  This was based on a picture I had of Kori and her puppy, Ben.  (Now called Gibbs) I just wanted an image of a happy time, to remember her.

This was created by Sabrina, using my pictures of Addison and Rosie once again.  I wanted an image I could use to create my own personalized Christmas cards.  She created this beautiful image, and even had Addi holding the ornament I requested!  I think it came out perfectly!

This last image was recently created by another digital artist, and the artist’s work can be found on Facebook, by searching for “Art by Dezzoi.”

Collies in art

Collies, with their beauty and grace, have been the subject of countless paintings.  I love seeing how their image has been portrayed by various artists over the centuries, each hoping to capture the sparkle in their eyes, their lush coats, their lithe bodies and elegant heads.  And artists always hope to capture the most important aspect of the collies’ appearance, their beautiful expressions.  As I do not have the skills or talent to paint or draw collies, I collect collie art instead.

The walls of my home and office are adorned by my personal collection of collie art, both originals and prints, so I thought sharing some of them would make a nice post for the collie blog.  In keeping with that theme, the first painting was done by Barbara Guitas, it’s based on a picture of my Kori.  This painting has always been my favorite, as it is a beautiful example of that sweet collie expression.

The eyes have it…

The next painting is of my Ryder and Kori, based on a picture I took on a hike many years ago.  It was also painted by Barbara Guitas, and she kindly added the Winterberry bushes behind them, to represent our kennel name, Winterberry Collies.

The third painting I wanted to share is a watercolor I commissioned by Debra St Germain.  It’s of my Peyton and Addison, and also includes a little Winterberry in honor of our kennel name.

The next painting was done on a slate, by Barbara Guitas.  It is also based on one of my pictures, taken at a local lighthouse.  It features my Scarlett, Ryder and Kori.

This original image, also on slate, was painted by Barbara Guitas.  I thought the whimsical Halloween scene was  charming, and I proudly display it each October.

The next two beautiful prints were created by Ramonette Dugan.  I just love how she captured the curious nature and playfulness of the collie in these two images.

The Road Home by Rick Aeschliman. This stunning print evokes so much emotion.  It was created to raise money for collie rescue.

Found -  Collie Dog & Lamb Print By Walter Hunt.  This classic image is very popular.

And lastly, we are waiting on another painting by Barbara Guitas.  This is one I commissioned of my Scarlett, also based on one of my pictures.  In the background is an iconic image of the Grass Shack, a local landmark.  And I had her include a typical New England image, a Christmas tree floating in a small boat.  (Our version of the little red truck, hauling a Christmas tree.)  I can’t wait to see it, hopefully soon, and I’ll update this post when the painting is completed.

Have you had an artist paint or draw your best friend?