Danger Dog Blog

Happy Inauguration Day to the Obama family

It was a beautiful day this morning when we had our country's 57th Inauguration.   For those of us who cannot be in Washington for the festivities, perhaps a quick peak at these hand painted fair trade portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama will be in order.

Barack Obama by Jit Gurung  Available at the Santa Monica Museum of Art

Notice President Obama is wearing his flag pin in his portrait.   All portraits in this post are approximately 12"x12" hand painted on metal by a signboard artist in Nepal.

Many of these paintings are also available via the NepalDog.com website Folk Art Obama Page.   The price is $300 plus shipping.

Barack Obama by Megh Raj Thapa.  Available at smmoa.org (SM Museum of Art)

These handsome folk art portraits are the second series of Folk Art Obamas.   The first was in 2008 after President Obama's historic first election.   Of the 28 commissioned at that time, I only had 3 left.  Naturally, I commissioned more in 2012 before the election.

Sufraj Khadka high above the streets of Kathmandu with his twin portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama.

Sufraj is very proud of his portraits of the first couple and displays a photo of three of his 'Enlightened President' portraits on the front door of his studio.

More of the Folk Art Obamas on display at the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

These 2012 versions show a more mature Barack.

As compared to the Enlightened Barack from 2008.   Also by Sufraj Khadka.

Of course, it would not be the Danger Dog Blog without including Bo, the Porugese Water Dog that has stolen our hearts.    The chalk lines used to line up the lettering has since been erased. 

This portrait of Bo Obama by Baba is available at NepalDog.com for $200 plus shipping.

You can also see the Folk Art Obamas at Nomad in Cambridge near Porter Square on Mass Ave.

If you would like to see the whole collection of Folk Art Obamas currently available, please visit my website at NepalDog.com.

If anyone would like to commission a portrait of Sasha or Malia, just let me know.

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Your pet can be immortalized on metal by struggling Nepali signboard artists whose hand-painted work is being replaced by digital graphics.   Find out how below.

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

You will be happy you did!

 

Now is the time to order:   Be ahead of the Pack!   Orders now being accepted for March/April 2013 trip. 

 

HOW TO ORDER

1.   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, be framed or unframed.

2.   Let me know what you would like it to say.

The cost is $250 plus shipping.   Shipping is around $18 per sign (to and from the US).   And 9.75% California sales tax for California residents.  
Pay after choosing your portrait. 
Multiple pets on one sign cost more ($325 for Double, $400 for Triple).

 

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

Let's keep these artists painting.

American Dogs = Nepali Jobs.

Hello from Dogmandu!

 

Danger Dogs of the Venice Art Walk

This year you will get the chance to bid on Danger Dog Diptychs at the 31st Venice Art Walk.

 
Punam of Pokhara painted this romantic version of Cheeto and Scooter -- 2 tabbies from Riverside.

 
Another version of the same lovely cats by Jit Gurung of Munal Arts.   These two will be offered at the Venice Art walk as a diptych.  

 
NT Arts of Beni painted this sweet puppy.   Part one of a diptych.

 
Here is the same puppy, by Sagar, with a decidedly different spin.   Part 2 of the diptych.

 
Gabby on a hike by Sanjib Rana, part one of the diptych and...

 
Gabby by Sabala part 2.   Gabby seems happily exhausted after her hike in the Malibu hills.

 
Punam from the resort town of Pokhara painted this Pirate Dog.   Desi is a Havanese puppy.

 
Desi the Havanese puppy by Sagar.   Part 2 of that diptych.

 
Another cat diptych begins with Cruiser by Ram Krishna.  

 
Cruiser part 2 by Karma.  

 

Above is a single poodle.   I could not resist this Spiritual Dog by Sufraj Khadka.   Louis was recently featured in a post by an Indian humorist.   Nepal recently passed a non-discrimination law in favor of gays, lesbians, transgenders.   Even same sex marriage is allowed.   This is unusual in this part of the world and shows how progressive Nepal can be.

 
And who could resist this painting of Bo Obama by Sabala.   I was lucky enough to watch the first layer being painted on a rooftop in Maharajgunj on a hot fall day.   You can watch the process on my YouTube Channel here.

Please bid on these folk art pieces from Nepal.   You will be helping the Venice Family Clinic as well as the Nepali artists!   Join us this Sunday May 23 at the Westminster School and bid!

Danger Dog news!

It's good to be back in Danger Dog mode.  

 
They needed more chickens at the Santa Monica Museum of Art and I was happy to comply!   They are opening a new exhibit this Friday night from 7-9pm at Bergamot Station, so please stop by if you are in the neighborhood.  Above is the rooster Nigel Too by Sanjib Rana and Ginger by Shree Shrestha.

   

Flowers from the garden...   I am back and cooking up a storm every night in my own kitchen and couldn't be happier.  

 
Bo Obama by Sabala will be included in the upcoming Artful Living section of the Venice Art Walk on Sunday, May 23.

For all of you out in Palm Springs, there will be a Danger Dog exhibit at the Terrence Rogers Fine Arts Gallery at the end of June and early July.   Stay tuned for more details.  

New Folk Art Obamas at the Santa Monica Museum of Art

The Santa Monica Museum of Art has a new stock of Folk Art Obamas from Nepal.

 
Above is Barack Obama as painted by Sagar of Kathmandu.  These are part of a limited edition that I commissioned in Nepal in November 2008, just after the historic election.  Sagar signs his pieces with a Japanese script meaning Ocean - the translation of the name Sagar in the Nepalese language.

 
What I began to notice is that each artist painted Obama in his own likeness.   Here is Sagar with his portrait of Obama.   Notice the similarity?    Sagar's Obama is older and darker.

 
Obama the Green President by Sufraj.     Alternatively, as in the case of the Folk Art Obama above, the artist may paint Obama in an idealized way.   I had to keep telling Sufraj to make Obama darker.   When I photograph Sufraj for this project, I always show him the photo for his approval.   Often he shakes his head upon seeing his image and says "So dark".   

 
Here we have a Folk Art Obama by Sufraj with a silver aura around our Enlightened President.  

When asked what he thought about painting Obama,  Sufraj Khajka said that it was' ekdam mito', meaning that it was a very pleasing experience. He claims that he has never made such a 'personal' painting before. He also stated that he has never done a painting of such a powerful person as Obama.

 
Here Sufraj poses with a photo of his 3 Folk Art Obamas in the Santa Monica Museum of Art shop.   He is very proud of his involvement with this project.    Sufraj chose to become a signboard painter.   It is more normal for the profession to be passed down as a family business.   I believe that he is my finest calligrapher at present.

 
Here is an example of his fine calligraphy.   Siggy the boxer by Sufraj.  

Sufraj also uses a lot of detail in his borders, where the red fades to pink at the top of the frame, and he likes to use a drop shadow for his lettering.  

The Folk Art Obamas are available exclusively at the Santa Monica Museum of Art for $300.   Each is approximately one foot square, painted with synthetic enamel on metal.   Click here for more information about the Santa Monica Museum of Art.

The Folk Art Obamas show the depth of the artists' talent.   They can and will paint any commission.   The only limitation is your imagination.   I have commissioned portraits of humans, houses, cars and pets -- even a movie poster on canvas for the re-released classic 'An American Hippie in Israel'.

This Fair Trade Art project is meant to help the endangered Nepali signboard artists to continue their profession in this digital age.  

For more information, please contact me at [email protected] or to see more of the Nepal Art Dog project, go to NepalDog.com.

 

Artists' Studios in Nepal

 

Above is Amar Shrestha's studio in Kathmandu, Nepal.   These are works in progress of Flick the Golden Retreiver, Moose the Rottweiller, Dexter the Coton de Tulear, Chester the Basset Hound, and Veera the Boston Terrier.

Flick and Dexter have been sold, but the others are available.   Amar's studio is on the second floor, he works in natural light, sitting on the floor.  That's a silk screening apparatus on the right bottom, where they make business cards the old fashioned way, on hand made Lokti paper.   Lokti paper, a specialty of Nepal, is also made the old fashioned way.

 
This studio is NK's and is located in Beni, a small but thriving town in the Myagdi province in Nepal.   The town supports at least 3 signboard painters.    Above is Jack the French Bulldog (looking like a pig dog), Gigi the puppy, Yoko the French Bulldog, and the last is another of Jack the French Bulldog.   The first two are still available.   NK finished the pieces with a dark blue background in the finished pieces.

 
Dilip Niroj at work on his Folk Art Obama commission in November of 2008.   The finished portrait was spectacular and sold immediately.

 
Here is Hari Prasad's work drying in the sun.    Many of these have been sold, the four portraits of the Great Dane's are in my personal collection, but the Collie and the Westie are available.

Hari's studio is in Kathmandu.

 
This is Lal Karki's Studio in Pokhara, a lakeside resort town in Nepal.   I liked this photo so much that it is the cover of my book 'Danger Dogs from Nepal Volume 2'.   I really like Lal's work, but his pieces have never sold, so the Dalmation, Fox-like Dog and the Spitz are all still available.

 
You can see how close Megh Raj works to the street in this one!   Megh Raj works in Kathmandu, and recently he redid his studio completely, so it was very spiffy the last time I saw it this past November.

 
Prem's studio in Pokhara no longer exists.   This studio was torn down and is now a bank.   The portrait of the Rhodesian Ridgeback, the Bearnese Mountain Dog and the Dalmation were all snapped up, but the Nepali dog, the Boxer and the Saint Bernard are still available.   I love the cow's hoof just outside the door.

 
Ram Mohan Patel's studio is a room off his house where he lives with his wife, two beautiful daughters and a son.

 
Sufraj Khadka cleans his brushes by painting anti-smoking graffiti on his walls.

 
This is the studio of Yuba Raj Adhikari of Pokhara.   These paintings are all portraits of rescue dogs.   I think all of the yellow dogs are still available, if they haven't sold yet at the Ghetto Gloss Gallery in Hollywood.   This group is a little larger than the standard size for these signboards at 12" by 15".   

 
Shree in his studio/home with a portrait of FloJo the Italian Greyhound on a couch.   Shree lives and works in this one room with his wife and 2 children.   The art on his walls always includes at least one Danger Dog.   The first time I met him, he had a painting of a 'beware of dog' sign on his wall.

The Nepal Art Dog project promotes the endangered art of Nepali signboards.   Signboards are painted on recycled metal, using synthetic enamel and are meant to hang outdoors.   Over 1400 portraits have been commissioned to date, giving these artists real work.   I have worked with over 58 artists.

On my last trip to Nepal, the Danger Dog commissions were the only art these artists were still hand painting -- all their other work was digital or printed on flex.   These artists can and will paint anything.  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.

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.  

Please contact me at [email protected] with any questions.

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

More information is available at NepalDog.com.