Craft and Folk Art Museum Dogs!
May 27, 2009
The Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, just across from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has a long and storied past. A Folk Art Museum since 1973, I am proud to say that the Danger Dogs have been sold at CAFAM since October 2007, only a few months after I started the Danger Dog Project.
This cute little white dog by Karma is owned by the artist Carin Berger from a photo I took at Bergamot Station. All of the signboards featured today are available at the Craft and Folk Art Museum gift shop.
My husband and I were at a garage sale in West Los Angeles when we came across this little bulldog. He sure liked to be petted. By Megh Raj.
This is a portrait of Rufian by Sagar. A guard dog that lives on a ranch bordering Mexico. He and his packmate Luna actually have the job of keeping peace and order in their bailiwick. Sagar signs his pieces with the Japanese Chop that means Ocean.
No Danger Dog exhibit is complete without a Zen Cat. This is Fuzzbie by Amar.
This is Layla, a black labrador from Northern California by Sabala. This photo does not do justice to this painting.
A Maltese puppy by Santosh.
A signboard by Pulkit of Nepal Art. This wavy dog reminds me of an Edward Munch.
This portrait of Chloe the Jack Russell is one of my favorites. In Tibetan script and a delightfully mangled English. This is by Ram Badahur Lama. I was completely surprised by this one. I had ordered 8 pieces from an artist I knew -- Shahi -- and when I came to pick up, Ram had painted the signboards. It was a pleasant surprise. As I told Shahi, next time both of you get work. It's an interesting and sometimes frustrating aspect of this business that if an artist is busy, or his cousin, friend, whatever, needs some work, the artist will pass the commission on to the one in need.
Exciting and frustrating at the same time. I can't complain about Ram Badahur in any case.
This is taken from a photo of a Nepali dog that I took. I call this the 'Harliquin Dog' by Nabin.
A Pekingese by Vinosh. Vinosh is one of the artists that I have lost to Saudi Arabia. It is common for a Nepali signboard artist to work with a Manpower agency and enter into a 3-year contract to work overseas. The first 6 months of the contract all the money goes directly to the Manpower agency who brokered the deal. The portrait is signed Birju because Birju is the one who does the lettering and hence the last to handle the piece before handing it off to me. I will miss Vinosh. Probably not as much as his family will.
A Bernese Mountain Dog by Manoj.
Diesel the Boston Terrier by Amar. Diesel runs a shop on Abbot Kinney.
On Saturday, May 30, in conjunction with the Muse Art Walk at LACMA and the Craft and Folk Art Museum the Danger Dogs will be part of the Global Bazaar at CAFAM. From 10 am to 6 pm I will be in the courtyard with a very special lot of Danger Dogs and Cats. Remember 'Every Danger Dog has a Story'. Come by and hear those stories, meet me, see these featured Danger Dogs in person, and have a great time all around.
The Craft and Folk Art Museum also is exhibiting Mithila Paintings, a traditional Folk Art from India and Nepal. You will be enchanted.
I'm going to Nepal soon for the fifth Danger Dog trip! And I promise it will be a trip! Please send me your commissions, and help the Nepali Signboard art from disappearing like so many other artforms. Any of you who remember the huge movie posters on canvas that covered the Asian Movie Palaces in places like Burma, Thailand, India and Malaysia in the 70's and 80's and see the printed movie posters that replaced them will want to join me in supporting these artists.
This is a Fair Trade Art Project that gives the artist money, dignity, and artistic license. Micro-finance as art patronage.