Dogs I met this summer

 I just returned from two weeks in Los Angeles.  Lots of beauty to photograph.  Lots of cute dogs, especially at Bark n' Bitches, an amazing pet boutique that  rescues dogs from shelters and finds them homes.  Which means that lots of dogs are running around the store.  They greet you and sit on your lap and give you a little kiss.  Great place for some pet portraits. You can read more about them at http://barknbitches.com/.

Here's a dog I saw hanging out at a Venice Beach bistro.

I saw these dogs recently at a park in Chicago.

YAY FOR DOGS!!!!!!

AND CATS TOO!!!!

Here's Gonzalo who so kindly shared his house with me on my trip to California.

At the beach with my new app

Got a new app for my iphone and I am beyond thrilled.  Had a blast this weekend photographing at some of Chicago's beaches.  School is out!!!  Look forward to a summer filled with art making.

Squirrely

I've just discovered likeabirdblog and have decided to participate in May Photo-a-Day or in my case Mid-May Photo-a-Day. Check out this link for info:

http://likeabirdblog.com/2012/04/may-photo-a-day/

Here's my first - May 12 - surroundings - a squirrel on my balcony screen door.  He just wants to say hello and get a peanut.

Here's the daily challenge list:

Buddhas birthday

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/05/vesak-how-buddhas-birthda_n_1478896.html

See a fantastic slide show on people celebrating Buddha's birthday around the world when you go to the link above.

Here are some of my collages featuring Buddhas with cats and dogs. I like the idea of animals and Buddhas together.   It's comforting.  I like to think that "over the rainbow bridge" there are tons of Buddhas sitting around with the beloved animals we've lost.  Sounds like nirvana to me. 




  

 

Animal Takeover

ANIMAL TAKEOVER!!!!  I love it!  Seen in the Wynwood Arts District.

Here's a link where you can find out about the street artist behind the art. 
http://culturedesigners.com/2011/10/05/street-artist-profile-animal-takeover/

"His Tumblr page  explains the basis for his universe. A place where animals look down on our pathetic human lives as they plot the reclaiming of what is rightfully theirs.

They do not destroy anything – unlike us. They just want their shit back. They really want the humans to chill the hell out. In large cities they would actually like to hang in their bars."

I like this guy.

Cat street art in Florida

The Wynwood Walls

Here's info re the art work above, seen in The Wynwood Arts District, aka Wynwood, the hub of the Miami's emerging Arts community. It is located just of downtown Miami.  Wynwood is home to over 50 Art Galleries, numerous art venues such as the Bakehouse Art Complex and world-famous Margulies and Rubell Family collections, as well as over 100 local artists. 

The Wynwood Walls Fifteen influential artists from Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States have been invited to create outdoor murals on the warehouse walls of Miami’s Wynwood Art District. 


This is an amazing place, like an art heaven.  You can walk for blocks and blocks surrounded by larger than life wall murals.    

http://wynwoodartdistrict.com/

Florida Animals Scene

I just took a fantastic trip to Southern Florida where I met lots of pets and saw lots of animals, both real and imagined - meaning I saw some great animal art which I'll be sharing with you. I'm going to do a travelogue featuring animals seen on my vacation while throwing in info on kool places I went and people I met.

For starters, a crow woke me up every morning. He was right there on the balcony. Tbere are lots of crows in South Florida and they are really noisy. "Their voice is not the melodic trill of most songbirds but variations of a coarse, loud cawwww. Crows have an extensive repertoire and can communicate a surprising number of messages to fellow crows including alarm, feeding, rally, comeback and fight calls. They also have a series of courtship calls. The crow is probably the most intelligent bird on this continent." (http://www.crowbusters.com/facts.htm)

The weather was perfect every single day. So were the palm trees and the pie.