Danger Dog Blog

Tibetan Terriers on their home turf

While not technically Tibet, the Mustang District of Nepal borders Tibet and is home to many Buddhists from Tibet, whose customs, language, food and dogs have not been diluted by Chinese rule.  

Does any dog look more chill than this handsome Tibetan Terrier lazing on the porch of his home in Jharkot in the Mustang District of Nepal?   He is in his element.

This Tibetan Terrier has been cooling his paws in mud and is ready to call it a day.   The dogs all over Nepal sleep all day and bark all night (guarding the compound is their job, after all).

This shaggy example of a Tibetan Terrier from Dhakarjhong - a village far from the main road - sports a 'tika' or red powder placed as a blessing on his forehead.   His dreadlocks belie his traditional lucky status in this part of the world.

Not a true terrier, the Tibetan Terrier's role was as companion, shepherd and guard dog to his family.   They were highly esteemed, and still are.  They are larger than a Lhasa Apso.

Hugo & Minnie by Baba, 2010, Synthetic enamel on metal, available

Hugo and Minnie are a beloved pair of Tibetan Terriers who made a great pair of Danger Dogs a while back. 

Hugo & Minnie by Hari Timesina, 2010, synthetic enamel on metal, available

You can see more paintings of Lhasa Apsos and Tibetan Terriers at the NepalDog.com website.

One of the great things about Nepal is the friendly, laid back dogs.   Not only Tibetan Terriers and Lhasa Apsos, but Spitz's, German Shepherds, Pugs and Labradors are all popular.  And there are many, many mutts who are just as cute.

More on them another time!

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If you would like to have your dog (cat, horse, chicken , bunny, etc.) immortalized on metal here in Nepal, now is the perfect time to order.   I will be here in November, 2012, to order more Danger Dogs and Cats.

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 accepted for the Winter 2012 trip.

 

HOW TO ORDER

To order, please send me a photo of your pet.   I will give it to three different artists, giving you achoice of 3 paintings and three artists 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, be framed or unframed.

While I am in Nepal, your pet will be featured on the Danger Dog Blog, as I stop into the artists' studios and document the works in progress.

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 [email protected] or find out more at www.NepalDog.com.

Let's keep these artists painting.

American Dogs = Nepali Jobs.

Hello from Dogmandu!

Please check out the Nepal Dog YouTube Channel:   http://www.youtube.com/user/NepalDog

You will be happy you did!

Micro-finance through art patronage.    Trade not Aid.

 

Funeral rites of Mustang

While walking towards the Upper Mustang town of Tiri, just opposite Keg Beni on the Kali Gandaki River,

we came across this pile of clothing, shoes, and mementoes.

Notice the kite shaped string sculpture which reminds me of the dream catchers of the Native Americans.   The wooden sticks are in Tibetan script.  

The figures above are probably made of sticks and clay and are hand colored.

This would also have been a young person judging by the clothes' style.  

This is a tradition followed by some, though not all, Hindu families in Nepal.   When a person dies all of their personal effects are placed by the side of the road.

I hope that he rests in peace.  

Mustang is a fascinating place -- both Upper and Lower Mustang.   The village of Tiri is just north of Keg Beni, on the other side of the Kali Gandaki River and is technically part of Upper Mustang.   Since the last few years, though, you can go there without the expensive entrance fee to Upper Mustang.

The majestic backdrop for Tiri -- far on the other side of the river.   I highly recommend you visit this wonderful part of the world.

If you'd like to learn more, a few years back I wrote an article about the area for ECS Magazine.

 You can also ask me for travel advice to the area.

Happy Losar from the Danger Dogs

Losar is the Tibetan New Year, celebrated for a 15-day period.  The first 3 days are especially festive.   This year Losar starts on February 22, 2012.  

Gubby the Pit Bull by Baba, 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal, 2008, Available

Gubby the Pit Bull by Baba has lettering in Tibetan (along the right hand side of the painting), in Nepali (along the right hand side) and English (at the bottom!). 

Losar is celebrated by Tibetan Buddhists worldwide as well as in  Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet.

Chuckie the Schnauzer by Shiva Thapa, 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal, Available

Gambling, drinking and eating are a huge part of the fun.

Millie the Chocolate Lab by Shiva, 15"x15" synthetic enamel on metal, Available

The lettering on this sign is sure to make a Tibetan laugh.   I had asked a learned monk at the Shechen Monastery how to write 'Beware of Dog' (Kidjee poo doo or Dog here is brilliant) in Tibetan and this is what I got.  

What this translates to is:   "Dog here is brilliant, is here, do you have dog?, have none."

Shiva does not speak or write Tibetan (or English for that matter) so he just copied what he saw.

Naive Hound by Khardar Gurung, 12"x12" synthetic enamel on metal, 2007, Available

Khardar Gurung does, however, know how to write in Tibetan script.   He lives high in the Himalayas in the busy town of Jomsom, gateway to Mustang (altitude 2700 m or 8900 feet).  These are on very lightweight metal, as most metal has to be carried up on mule, donkey or horseback.   Indeed, the signs by Khardar were hand carried back down by yours truly.

Additional Danger Dogs that include Tibetan script can be found on my NepalDog.com website. 

You can order a portrait of your own pet, be it a Pekingese or a Poodle, a Calico or a Siamese at through me at ampage1 @ gmail.com.

It is not too early to order for the next trip !!!

Please send in photos for your order for the next trip.   I leave in early 2012.  However, I have many, many portraits already made of many breeds of pet.   Please ask!!!

This may be the perfect gift.   Give someone you love a portrait of someone they love, and in the meantime support this dying art form.

Each commission I receive will be given to 3 different Nepalese signboard artists, giving 3 struggling artists Fair Trade work and you a choice of 3 colorful paintings on metal!  

Your satisfaction is guaranteed as I accept no money up front, only if you like one of the portraits do you pay.   The artists are paid fair trade wages whether you buy or not.

How to Order: 

1. Send a photo of your pet to me at [email protected].

2.  Let me know what you would like the signboard to say.

3. Tell me which style of Danger Dog art you prefer, by giving me examples of signs you have liked on the website or just say whether you like realistic, naive, cartoonish or fanciful. 

4. Follow the Danger Dog Blog and see the works in progress, trips to the studios, the life and arts of Nepal.

5.  Decide which painting you prefer of the 3 and send me a check and I will mail you your very own personal Danger Dog (or Cat)!  

Pricing, more information and examples of the Nepal Art Dog project can be found at NepalDog.com.

The Craft and Folk Art Museum also features the Danger Dogs.  cafam.org

Also, at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, stop by the Santa Monica Museum of Art to see some art. 

New Stone Age on West Third in Los Angeles also has a good selection.  

Or you could order your own pet......

 

Live from Kathmandu - Nepal's Day of the Dog 2011

Today is Nepal's Day of the Dog, my favorite festival.   Dog's are feted and given treats and sometimes decked out in amazing colors.

It's hard to say who's cuter in this photo.   I am especially impressed with the gold eyeliner around this dog's right eye.   Looks like someone had fun with the finger paints.

Part of the festival of Tihar, the Day of the Dog was even celebrated by this Buddhist lady with her excited Lhasa Apso this morning on the famous Boudha Stupa.

This lovely red-headed Nepali pup seems to be enjoying her day.

Meanwhile, downtown near Durbar Square, a Hindu area, this handsome dog has received many blessings.

This dog is happy in his nest of marigolds.

They look like they have enjoyed a long morning of treats.   They are too tired to even bark at the strange lady in the cowboy hat.

 

This dog is master of all he surveys from his perch high above the streets of Kathmandu.

More later.   I am recovering from a 30 hour plane trip, and while I don't have jet lag, something has to give.   I jumped out of bed this morning to find many charming dogs to photograph, went to a friend's for lunch and am about to head out for the last night of Kathmandu's celebrated Jazzmandu - more on that tomorrow.

Kathmandu is a 12 hour and 15 minute time change from California, but I am not one to miss a party.

 

Mannequins from Nepal

This sad, sad mannequin is from a small shop in Boudhanath, Nepal.   While I have seen many unusual headdresses around the Boudha Stupa, I have never seen one like this.

A 'menly' hipster mannequin.

These two chef mannequins watch over a busy downtown Pokhara street.

She's all tied up with her Korean language lessons !   Memory cards and darts?    It is a memorable image and I would think of them first to learn Korean in Pokhara.

For more images of Mannequins from Nepal, go to a previous post here.

 

Sasha the German Shepherd by Sufraj Khadka, Hari Timesina and Amar Shrestha 2010 (clockwise from top left) Top two are available, the bottom one by Amar is sold.

These paintings are part of the Nepal Art Dog fair trade art project.   These talented signboard artists are losing work to digital graphic designers and rarely hand-paint signs now.  

HOW TO ORDER

To order your own pet as a Nepal Art Dog, please send me a photo of your pet.   I will give it to three different artists, giving you a choice of 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, be framed or unframed.

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 [email protected] or find out more at www.NepalDog.com.

Let's keep these artists painting.

ORDERS ARE OPEN FOR NEXT TRIP: (OCTOBER, 2011).   I'll be back in early December with your order.

American Dogs = Nepali Jobs.   Micro-finance through art patronage!

 

Goodbye from Dogmandu!