If you haven’t seen these underwater photos of dogs cavorting, take a look. Seth Casteel, a photographer living in LA, shot them using an expensive waterproof case for his camera. The cost nearly wiped him out, but the photos prove the expense was worth every penny. Read the Huffington Post article here or you can go straight to Casteel’s website to see even more stunning shots.
Filed under The artistic pug
If you want a chuckle, visit Canine Chronicles to see images of dogs dressed as companions of historical figures. (The one of Steve Job’s dog alone is worth the click.) The jaunty pug, pictured above, is Charlie Chaplin’s best friend.
The website is the brainchild of three sisters, who pooled their talents to retell historical moments through the viewpoints of dogs. The end result of their collaboration will be a book featuring photos of the gussied-up dogs in period costumes along with fictional tales of their contributions. You can also read more about the project at ABC News.
Filed under Dog breeds, The artistic pug, The political pug
Since getting my iPhone, I’ve been having a blast fooling around with photography apps. Here’s a bunch, many featuring my favorite subject–Mr. You-Know-Who.
Filed under The artistic pug
Mona Lisa, The Blue Boy, Whistler’s Mother. Now Pablo can add his name to the list of those immortalized in portraiture. My mother and daughter surprised me on Christmas with the above watercolor of Pablo. My mother knows an artist who specializes in portraits and commissioned her to do one of Mr. Handsome. She sent the artist many photos of him sneaked from my blog. The woman was initially flummoxed, claiming that he looked so different in each one. Well, as followers of this blog know, there are many sides to Pablo. She settled on his dignified look, a fitting tribute to this ancient breed.
Thank you Mom and E!
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No, I haven’t become an artist overnight. It’s my new Pencil Illustration app. My NC sister introduced me to it, and I’ve been having a blast fooling around with it ever since.
We’re recovering here from severe sleep deprivation. Remember the days when a sick child kept you up nights? Well, with daughter grown, I thought those days long gone. Apparently not. Pablo somehow or other injured his paw when we were in NC. I suspect he sprained it when we stopped for a long walk on the way home. He stumbled, perhaps in a hole, but I didn’t pay attention because he seemed fine. That night, though, he was restless. The next day, he kept trying to get at his back paw, but being a chubby pug, couldn’t reach it. We checked his paw and it wasn’t swollen or cut in any way. That night–the horror, the horror. He couldn’t settle down and seemed more uncomfortable than in actual pain. He tossed and turned all night, and consequently so did we. K and I averaged 3 hours sleep each, tops. The next day he was better, and today, he’s his old self. Whew!
Filed under health, The artistic pug
Pablo certainly earned his treat today. In my other capacity–as a book reviewer of kid’s books over at The Cath in the Hat–I reviewed a wonderful interactive book for kids, The Book with a Hole. To illustrate its appeal, I corralled Pablo into demonstrating one of its spreads that asks the question: “What’s going to jump out?” Pablo did a fine job of jumping through a pretend hoop of fire, don’t you think?
Filed under The artistic pug
K and I received so many thoughtful wedding gifts that we will be writing thank-you cards into the new year. The one that especially tugged at our heartstrings has to do with–you guessed it–pugs, or more specifically, Pablo. First some background info. A while back a dear friend wrote that she was having trouble finding a wedding gift for the two of us. Her daughter (one of my bridesmaids) suggested a number of ideas, but they related to only one of us. The suggestions had to do with motorcycles (K), coffee (me), and pugs (me). I jokingly wrote back to say that the perfect gift would be coffee mugs imprinted with a pug riding a motorcycle.
The day after our wedding, K and I opened our presents and–Voila!– we unwrapped the mugs you see pictured above. I later discovered the amount of work entailed and I am even more humbled. My friend’s husband (an artist) tracked down the exact motorcycle model preferred by K via his website, added a photo of Pablo that he had photoshopped, and included an original logo he had designed for K’s bike shop. Then he had the digital image transferred to the mugs through a commercial photography site.
K and I will be drinking from these mugs for years to come (me coffee and K juice), and each time we do we’ll be thinking of our wonderful, thoughtful friends.
Filed under The artistic pug
My grandmother loved dolls, and one of her favorites was Poor, Pitiful Pearl, a sad sack urchin based on a cartoon by William Steig, one of my all-time favorite children’s book authors. Yesterday Pablo crammed himself into the small space between the bookcase and the table stand and rested his chin on a pile of magazines. His woebegone expression reminded me immediately of Grandma’s Poor, Pitiful Pearl.
Pitiful Pearl the doll
Cartoon by William Steig
Filed under pugs, The artistic pug
“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring–it was peace.”
~ Milan Kundera
Filed under The artistic pug
I’m not a big comics fan, but when one features an enormous slobbering pug then count me in. Inked by Mike Norton, Battlepug tells the story of a barbarian warrior and his loyal pug. The webcomic started in February of this year and posts once a week (on Mondays). The comics are archived if you want to get up-to-date on the storyline. FYI–The pug makes his first appearance on June 20th. See below. Pugophiles and their pugs now have a new superhero to root for–Battlepug!
Filed under pugs, The artistic pug
