Danger Dog Blog

Spider Art from Nepal

Kathmandu artists are no strangers to spiders in their hometown, but they jumped at the chance to paint an animal of a different color.

This four-eyed spider is lovingly recreated by Sanjib Rana.   This painting is acrylic on metal and perfectly captures the hairy fascination of this spider.   This portrait is 12" by 15".

I will try to get an id of the type of spider and will update you when I learn.

Megh Raj Thapa took some liberties with the color background of this dramatic spider.   This is synthetic enamel on recycled metal and is 12" x 12".

Last but never least, we have Baba's portrait of a spider on a golden flower.   Also 12" by 12", using synthetic enamel on recycled metal.

The original photos were taken by Miriam Schulman.

For pricing and more information on these charming folk art portraits of spiders from Nepal, please visit NepalDog.com on the Spider page.

If you look closely, in center frame, there is a rather large spider ensconced in his web. This photo was taken in the small town of Darbang, in the province of Myagdi.   I recommend getting off the beaten path to this traditional village.   After completing the Annapurna Circuit, stay a while in Galeshwor, then trek up the hill to Darbang.   We stayed in town 4 days and went exploring in each direction each day.   More on Darbang can be found in a previous Danger Dog Blog.  

Hope everyone enjoyed Earth Day.  

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I am planning to return to Nepal soon, so if you would like to order your own Danger Dog (or Danger Spider) now is the time.

This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for the Spring 2012 trip. 

Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out.

Let me know what you would like it to say.

Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc.

That's it !   Click here for pricing.

Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!

Send your photo to ampage1@gmail.com

Go to www.NepalDog.com for more information and current pricing.

Let's keep these artists painting.

 

 

Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase is on Saturday

Mar Vista is celebrating Earth Day a day early this Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 10am to 4pm.   Their 4th Annual Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase is bigger and better than ever. 

Showcase Central is at 3635 Grand View Blvd.   Name a vegetable and you will find it here.   From artichoke to zucchini.

This sustainable garden features dozens of fruit trees.

Apples, Apricots, Avocados, Bananas, Blueberries, Figs, Grapefriuits, Grapes, Guavas, Lemons, Loquat, Oranges, Passionfruit, Peaches, Persimmons, Pomegranite, Plums, Strawberries, Raspberries and Tangerines.

More than one of most types of fruit and I am sure I forgot a couple.   A veritable paradise in her backyard.

 

Set amidst one part of the orchard is a chicken coop.   The 2 girls (Rhode Island Reds named Chuck and Betsey) forage in a large fenced in area covered in wood chips made from deadwood from this large garden.    Good sustainable ideas abound in this garden.  Water catchment techniques are something we all can use in our dry climate.   What garden doesn't need art?   What burgler would dare to tresspass? Learn more about the Nepal Art Dogs, here at www.NepalDog.com. HoneyLove.org will be joining us in Susan's garden, giving us a chance to learn more about the exciting new world that could open to us.   Santa Monica recently passed a law allowing beekeeping.   Los Angeles could soon follow.   Sweet! Solar installers will be present here as well as many of the garden's on the tour. Sounds like a great opportunity to find out about sustainable urban gardens and what is possible in our blessed microclimate on the Westside. Learn more and get maps at the MarVistaGreenGardenShowcase.com.   See you tomorrow at the Garden Showcase.   This is a great chance to See the Dogs in Person.   I've just updated my website featuring these lovely 'Be ware of Dog' signs and separated the White Labs from the Golden Labs from the Chocolate Labs...  The link is here.   Enjoy. This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal! Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for the Spring 2012 trip.  Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out. Let me know what you would like it to say. Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc. That's it ! Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it! Send your photo to ampage1@gmail.com Go to www.NepalDog.com for more information and current pricing. Let's keep these artists painting.

Happy April 20th - High in the Himalayas

These Nepali cows are enjoying a roll in the pot plants growing by the side of the road just outside Tukche on the Annapurna Circuit trail. There are also amourous bulls in Nepal.

Just down the road a bit from the village of Marpha, this goat is getting the munchies!

More about Nepali goats here!  This link shows the goats of Mustang wander through the world's most dramtatic scenery.

Nepal has many goats.    But I may have the only 'Be Ware of Goat' signboards!  

This Billy goat is 'pented by Amar' and is still available.

 

This rather square goat is by Hari Timsina.  Available.

 

Hari Prasad painted this goat.   Available.

 

Karma weighs in with this Danger Goat.   SOLD

 

This lovely goat is also by Hari Prasad.  Sold

All of the signboards are approximately 12"x12" using synthetic enamel on metal.   They can be hung indoors or out

Go to NepalDog.com to find out more about these goat portraits.

Butcher signs featuring goats are common, but you can own your very own signboard.   Please contact me at ampage1@gmail.com for more information on these goats. 

I've written a story on Kegbeni and environs, featured in the September issue of ECS Magazine.   Check it out:

http://www.ecs.com.np/place.htm#

More tomorrow. Stay tuned.

First Lodge in Lupra now open!

Lupra is a Bon Po village not far off the Annapurna Circuit.   Just below Eklabhatti and Keg Beni on the road towards Jomson, this little village now has its first Guest House - the Dakar Lodge.

The Bon Po religion predates Buddhism.   This chorten should be circumnavigated counter clockwise to give it the proper respect. No mention about the motorcycle!
Lupra is reached by walking along a rocky, windy riverbed or over the pass from Muktinath.

We walked up the rockfilled path under the newly trimmed poplar trees towards the Bon Po Gompa which is the spiritual and cultural center of the town.

The new Guest House is the Dakar Lodge.   It was still not open for business when we arrived (April 2011).

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They were still working on the dining room, though it was open for tea.

You can see the nice traditional details in the rooms.  I believe there are 4 or 5 available.

All rooms have nice views with traditionally built windows.

The upstairs rooms come with small balconies overlooking Lupra proper and the dramatic mountain views across the river bed.

This is the view as you approach the Lodge, with the upper balconies apparent.

Even before they opened, they have all the necessities for a quick snack after a hard trek.   I talked to the matriarch of the family and I can tell you that she will be a good cook.   She is certainly a good hostess.

The Bon Po Gompa of Lupra is painted in red in the foreground.   The route from Muktinath is shown here just below the bright blue sky.  This route does not (yet) have a road for motorcycles or jeeps.

What to do in Lupra?  You can climb up the mountainside to see the sights and listen to the flapping of the prayer flags.

Just across the river, there are meditation caves, including one with rooms and chambers set up by the monks to take care of the meditator. Some monks have spent 3 months to a year in solitude - in the dark, fed once per day, in a tiny space.

Wildflower walks are always fun in the HImalayas.

You can wander through town and learn about the Bon Po religion at the Gompa.

You can comb the river bed in search of Shaligrams.   Shaligrams are ammonite fossils that are considered to be a representation of the Lord Shiva by the Hindu religion.   They are only found in the Kali Gandaki region.    Shaligrams are illegal to export from Nepal, even though they can be found for sale throughout the region.

If you are lucky, you can go for a walk up into the hills surrounding Lupra with a local dog.   This dog adopted us and joined us for 4 hours as we explored the area.

As you can see Lupra is a great place to spend a few days and the new Dakar Lodge has made this possible.   Please comment below if you get a chance to stay there.   Let me know how the food and accommodations are! 

When I arrived back home, I found a website where this dog had spent 6 days in the Annapurna Sanctuary with a group of trekkers.   This was only two weeks later!    Those distinctive markings made me sure it was our friend whom we named Kukur (means dog in Nepali).

Kukur by Saachin, 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal, 2007, available

We later immortalized our friend Kukur as part of my fair trade art project Nepal Art Dogs.  

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This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for the Spring 2012 trip. 

Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out.

Let me know what you would like it to say.

Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc.

That's it !   Click here for pricing.

Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!

Send your photo to ampage1@gmail.com

Go to www.NepalDog.com for more information and current pricing.

Let's keep these artists painting.

 

 

Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs from Nepal

Sierra, a Great Swiss Mountain Dog, made the headlines today when she ate her master's Masters tickets to the practice round of golf's  Augusta National.

Bernese Mountain Dog by Manoj, 2007

A new take on the old excuse 'The dog ate my homework.'   

Happily, Sierra's quick thinking owner gave her a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water to induce vomiting.   He carefully cleaned off the tickets and reassembled and photographed them, called the Augusta National officials who reissued the tickets.

All's well that ends well.  

Bella the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog by Baba, 2011 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal available

Baba painted this romantic portrait of Bella, a Bernese Mountain Dog, giving her a dramatic background.

Bernese Mountain Dog by Dilip, 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal, 2011 available

Dilip Niroj paints a more naive version from the same photo of Bella.  

You can purchase these paintings at the NepalDog.com website.   More information here.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This hand-painted art form is fast disappearing in Kathmandu, as it already has in most parts of the world.   I pay fair trade wages, the artists get to paint again, pet lovers get a choice of three paintings for each commission, and I get to help Nepali artists make a living.   Everybody is happy.   Rescue dogs from America get to rescue artists from Nepal!

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for the Spring 2012 trip. 

Please send me a photo of your pet.  I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 3 paintings and three people will get work.   Each painting is about one square foot and is on metal with synthetic enamel paint.   These can be hung indoors or out.

Let me know what you would like it to say.

Let me know what style of portrait you would prefer:   naive, realistic, colorful, etc.

That's it !   Click here for pricing.

Satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front.   If you do not like one of the three, you pay nothing, and the 3 artists are paid in full in any case.   Let me know what you want it to say and that's it!

Send your photo to ampage1@gmail.com

Go to www.NepalDog.com for more information and current pricing.

Let's keep these artists painting.