Danger Dog Blog

It is Leap Year and the Bunnies are jumping.

Today, the Santa Monica Museum of Art has included a Bunny collection from the Nepal Art Dog Project.

Come by and get your Easter Bunnys before the Leap Year.

Coco Bunny by Megh Raj Thapa 12"x12" Synthetic enamel on metal  2011  Available

Any of the bunnies on today's post are available through the Santa Monica Museum of Art  (smmoa.org).

This lovely bunny is named Coco.

Coco Bunny by Sufraj Khadka, 9"x12" Synthetic enamel on metal, 2011  Available

This is a personal favorite of mine.   Coco looks like he is nesting on a Necco wafer.

Munga the Rabbit by Hari Timesina, 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal 2010  Available

Munga is another handsome rabbit, this time painted by the always different Hari T.  

Stop by the Santa Monica Museum of Art at Bergamot Station to buy these paintings.

Their present exhibit in the museum is a good one - Beatrice Wood and her fanciful pottery.   These are the closing weeks, so hurry.

 

Live from Kathmandu: The final post from Nepal

Solomon, or Solly is a wise old dog.   His portrait above is painted by Megh Raj, Ram Krishna and Amar Shrestha (clockwise from top left).   I'll bet he is not a Knucklehead!

This is Palden, a very handsome Lhasa Apso who lives in Nepal.   One of his tricks is to stand on his hind legs and furiously wave his front paws and give a Namaste.   These three portraits are by Megh Raj, ShaShi and Indra (clockwise from top left).   The portrait by Megh Raj is unavailable, but the second two are still available.   Anyone need a Lhasa Apso portrait for a Christmas gift?

Here is the world's first Danger Pig!   Miss Piggy, a Nepali pig, was rescued by an animal right's organization here and has been immortalized by Amar Shrestha, Sagar and Megh Raj (clockwise from top left).   The portrait by Sagar is still available if anyone has a porcine present in mind.

Dilip showed me a tiny black and white newspaper clipping of this attack Jack Russell, and asked if I wanted him to paint it.   Of course, I said yes, and this is the result.   The bunny is Mungo the rabbit painted by Hari Timesina.   I love Hari's work, and I have a lot of collectors who agree, but hardly anyone who orders a portrait will choose his art, as it is quite different.   Hence, I give him old photos of previous commissions, just to keep him busy and also because I am curious just how he will handle a photo.

On a more lighthearted note, these two puppies were born of a street dog here at the Boudhha Stupa.   They were two of six puppies who have now all been dispersed to happy homes.   My guess is that the mother has found a permanent home as well at the Saturday Cafe.  

Anyone looking for the perfect holiday gift for a pet lover who collects art and would like to make a difference, look no further!

I have many, many charming Danger Dog (Cats, Horses, Birds - and now a Pig!) for sale.    You can always send me a photo of your pet, and I will let you know if I have anything similar to your pet. 

Contact me at ampage1@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

 Check out my website at www.NepalDog.com.

Stranded in Pokhara

 

It has been two days now that the flights are canceled due to rain.   The monsoon was late this year, and light last year, so heavy rain is a good thing for the farmers and the region in general.

We took advantage of the lull in the rain to sit by the side of magnificent Lake Fewa and have unlimited Nepali organic filter coffee and a breakfast.

The water hyacinths have flourished in the two days of rain and seem to be taking over the center of the Lake.   Our chickens like to eat the hyacinth in our pond at home and I wonder why they don't feed it to the livestock here.   Though lovely, water hyacinth is a famous but noxious weed that has blocked waterways from Thailand to Jamaica.   

 
Friday evening we stopped at this rooftop restaurant overlooking Lake Fewa for a quick beer and a game of dice.   It soon filled up with young Nepalis ready to start their weekend.   Saturday is the day off here in Nepal.   Sunday is a work day to many.   Just as we were leaving 4 beautiful young Nepali girls dressed to the nines pulled up.   Let the weekend begin!

 
The young man who runs this coffee stall studies geology and wanted a signboard that showed the formation of the Himalayas.   This is a replacement sign and the original had been painted by Shahi - one of my artists that has 'disappeared'.   The replacement was painted by Santosh but he may have it redone by Shree.   The rumors you hear on the street!

 
Speaking of Santosh, he painted this fine wall with everything you could ever ask for in a travel shop.

 
  

Pokhara used to be filled with hand painted signs advertising everything from massages to elephant rides in Chitwan.   Now most are pre-printed and not as interesting.   I have to admire Santosh' choice of phone above.

 
The Yeti is a common feature of businesses here in Pokhara.   Always shown kneeling with one big foot behind serving something on a tray -- I'm not sure I'd want to be offered a drink by a Yeti.

 
This body builder is impressive.

 
Speaking of Yetis, this is the impressive garden at the Yeti Guest House.   The large rooms are 500 Rupees per night off season and 1000 rupees in season.   (500 Nepali rupees converts to just under US$7 per night).   This includes an attached bathroom.   Contact the Yeti Guesthouse at yetiguesthouse@hotmail.com.  

 
Also featured at the Yeti Guest House is a pair of bunnies.  

 
They are friendly, love to be petted and happily gobbled up the fruits we found on the grounds of this lush garden. 

 
Yellow fungi on a fence log in Pokhara.   The humid climate of Pokhara is conducive to many lovely flora.

 
Leika is a white shepherd who deserved a 'beware of dog' sign to guard her traditional Nepali compound.   We heard a low growl from her as we passed admiring the sign.   I gave this to Leika's young master last year and this is the first time I saw where they hung the sign.   The sign was painted by Santosh Shrestha.

 
While we were applying for a TIMS trekking permit, I came across a new quirk of Nepali bureaucracy...

Nepal recently recognized the rights of gays, lesbians and transgenders, and this may be the result!   Look carefully.   You have the Gender choice of Male, Female or Third!   Bravo Nepal!

 
Passing by the artist Poon's studio, I took a few photos of his favorite works that line the walls of his studio.   I'm not sure what is happening in the bright painting in the center of this photo.   The self-portrait on the left is Poon as a young man.

I hope to be in the mountains when you read this, but you can see that it is not too hard to be stranded in the resort town of Pokhara.

If you would like to order a Danger Dog, there is still time.   Send me a photo of your pet and I will give it to at least 3 Nepali signboard artists.   You pay only after you choose which one you prefer.  All artists are paid fair trade wages whether you choose theirs or not.

Please contact me at ampage1@gmail.com with any questions or comments or with a photo of your pet.  Or go to NepalDog.com for more information.

Be reassured that your order will be received and taken care of. 

The Danger Dog project promotes signboard art from Nepal which is fast disappearing, being replaced with ordinary and common digitally produced advertising.   I believe in Micro-finance through Art Patronage - a rod instead of the fish.

Nepal Art Dogs are for pet lovers who collect art and would like to make a difference.   

Give a gift to someone you love of a portrait of someone they love!

Why I love Nepal - signboard art from Pokhara!

 

This guy certainly has his hands full!   This signboard is in Pokhara, a lovely resort town centered on the lovely Lake Fewa.

 
Looks like this dog took the advice on this sign.   His chakra seems well-balanced.   Again on the main road in Pokhara.   Notice the signboard on the left:   Namaste Bakery.   Pokhara is a very continental town and caters to many nationalities, as evidenced by the Israeli lettering on that sign.   Israelis are catered to in town, with many restaurants offering bagels, Israeli salads, etc.   There are many cyber cafes that offer Hebrew keyboards.  

 
Fresh hot delicious fish from Lake Fewa.   Can anyone figure out what the G/V, R/V mean on this sign?   R/V might be rice and vegetables, but G/V?

 
These are definitely Funny Bunnies.   I can guarantee you that rabbit is not on the menu.   

 
Cheap and Best.   This signboard was painted one of my signboard artists:  Shahi.

 
I've tried to find the artist who painted this butcher shop signboard.   I enjoy the bloody neck detail and he had fun with the lettering, too.   This guy tried hard to put his stamp on this signage.   The artist's name is Arjun, but I don't know the last name and Arjun is quite a common name in Nepal.

 
Here is a self portrait of Arjun that was hanging in his shop.   He wasn't there at the time and when I went back next trip, his shop had disappeared.   He does look quite the character.

 
As you can see, Pokhara is a sybaritic town, with fresh fish, mountains, massages and all sorts of ways to relax and have fun.

 
This is Harriet the rescue dog as a work in progress from Punam Arts in Pokhara.  This is an example of the type of work  you can expect when you order a portrait of your pet from the Nepal Art Dog Fair Trade art project.

As you can see, the art of Nepal is versatile and charming.   It would be a shame to have these hand-painted signs be replaced by corporate sponsored signage produced in conjunction with a focus group, probably a focus group in another country.

The Nepal Art Dog project promotes the endangered art of Nepali signboards.   These Fair Trade signboards are hand-painted on recycled metal, using synthetic enamel and can be hung indoors or out.  They are approximately one foot square.  Over 1400 portraits have been commissioned to date, giving these artists real work.

 

On my most recent trip to Nepal, the Danger Dog commissions were the only art these artists were still hand painting -- all their other work was mass-produced, digital or printed on flex.   I decided to concentrate on pets as there was a tradition in Nepal already of 'beware of dog' placards and I knew that people would like them.    These are truly fine artists whose work is disappearing at an alarming rate. 

 

Each commission will be given to at least 3 signboard artists - giving 3 people work, the pet owner a choice and museum shops Nepali folk art.   No money is accepted up front.   If you don't like any of the 3 choices, you pay nothing.    Or you can buy an existing painting. 

 

This project is for pet lovers who collect art and would like to make a difference in these artists' lives.

 

Micro-finance through art patronage!

 

More information is available at NepalDog.com.

 

Contact me at ampage1@gmail.com to place an order or to answer any questions.

Enlightened Bunnies put the Spring in Spring Break.

There have been a number of portraits of Mungo, the "Enlightened Bunny".   

These two are from my most recent trip.   The bunny in orange (by Sabala) is the only Easter Bunny I still have available.   The bunny with the green background is by Amar.

This bunny by ShaShi is the one the owner picked.  

This Enlightened Binny went to a lady nicknamed 'Binny'.   I love those little misspellings!   By Amar Shrestha.   

This little bunny (by Sabala) went to lady whose last name means 'rabbit' in Russian!   Any questions or comments, please contact me.   I love to know who's out there.   ampage1@gmail.com.