Pet Monologues

This post celebrates World Animal Day and Bless the Animals. Follow the links to learn more about PM’s initiative which started on October 4.

A new category: critter labels.
A leading market-research company, ACNielsen, has decided to define a wine category by its label design. A “critter label” is any label that features an animal, from a hippo to a frog to a penguin. They say 438 viable table-wine brands have been introduced in the past three years, and 18 percent— nearly one in five— feature an animal on the label. “Combined with existing critter labels,” the firm said in a summation of its research on this matter, “sales of critter-branded wine have reached more than $600 million.”

Finishing touches on billboard

Yellow Tail has recently launched one of its largest ad campaigns in the brand’s history, created by Cramer-Krasselt (New York). Featuring a tag line that reads “Tails, you win,” the ads include a variety of three-dimensional billboards and interactive print advertisements, including massive replicas of the famous 1930s Kit-Cat Clocks, glowing fireflies and temporary tattoos. The campaign also includes TV ads and event sponsorships and runs through December 2007.

Creative background: the distributor
WILLIAM J. DEUTSCH was apprehensive when he first agreed to import an unknown Australian wine called Yellow Tail into the United States in 2001. Its handsome black-and-yellow label featured what looked like a kangaroo, and he felt that animals had no place on wine labels. But he liked the wine. “So,” he said recently, “I agreed to take 25,000 cases.”

His son Peter disagreed about the animal. “That label is fabulous,” he told his dad. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Friday early evening and waiting for a ride to a restaurant. I find myself visiting a site I have not been back to for a bit of time. This site has proven to be a source of inspiration. I have permission to browse and this feels like I am peeking in someone’s attic as these archive posts—in blog years—are “older” like April 2004.

Yes, yet another great visual! This one reminds me of outsider art, a genre collected 15 years ago. I’ll ping the author of this post, a writer/poet, and maybe we will find out who the artist is. Maybe more.

Inspiration: Watermark (I can’t quite figure out the exact link so we go to home page.)

We are also going to send this to Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday.

This is such a nice piece of art it could also be sent to Announcing new carnival. Caw to art! #1 will hopefully go up Wednesday, November 7.

Do people choose dogs or dogs people?

This post celebrates World Animal Day and Bless the Animals. Follow the links to learn more about PM’s initiative which started on October 4.

Here is a Chicago artist who does animal portraits and murals.

Portrait: Cat#29

Mural: Zebras

Animal art: fine art portraits in acrylic latex. Each piece is a “close-up” likeness focusing on distinct markings or characteristics unique to the subject; freckles, fur patterns, scars, eye color, etc. Matthew likes to say that “these are portraits of your animal the way you see them first thing in the morning as you open your eyes.” Also, murals featuring superb trompe l’oeil with a specialization in figurative work as well as landscapes, whimsy and fantasy.

Source: Matthew Owens © Copyright 2007 by Matthew Owens

This post was placed in response to the World Animal Day 2008 initiative. All images can be seen at Bless Animals.

My friend Lisa came over just before my Friday “Kool Stools” event to do a quaisi-quality control once-over. If you remember, these are the new stools I am creating, they are really “kool.” She found very few “fixes” but I was totally taken back when she noticed dog hairs in the finished products. Had already done tags to include the disclaimer “streaks, globs and other imperfectioins are intentional.” So, while we got most of the Roxy hairs out, I decided to revise my tags to say, “streaks, globs, dog hairs and other . . .”

Roxy Hart as Director, Quality Assurance

Then took it another step and “issued” the attached press (see below) release. Had this with a photo of Roxy with her new title on the table with other collateral. The event was fine . . . learned a lot but don’ t think this audience is my best target—more work to do. People took info and might order later. Read the rest of this entry »

Animal art has been on our brain for several weeks when we got sidetracked with World Animal Day. Then last week we visited “Watermark” and found, yes “Cats in art” which inspired this post. We will title this “Cats in art” also so it will be easy to find. A good place to start is Egypt.

A wall painting fragment in the tomb of Amenemheb at Thebes in Egypt depicts the deceased nobleman standing in his boat and driving the birds from a papyrus swamp with a stick. Just in front of him his hunting cat has caught two birds in its front and hind claws and is holding the wings of a third bird in its teeth. [c. 1450 B.C., wall painting fragment, Thebes]

The cat was sacred to the Egyptian goddess Bast. Cemeteries containing the bodies of mummified sacred cats have been discovered with bronze statues of cats. We were, and are, simply divine. [c. 600 B.C., bronze, Egypt]

Cats are known to have been a part of Egyptian households by 1600 B.C. although they were not deified until much later. This touching portrayal of a mama cat with her kitten provides a glimpse of domestic life in the good old days when cats were everyday objects of worship. [c. 600 B.C., bronze, Egypt]

Source: netserve.com
Inspiration: Watermark

I would just like to share my upcoming on-line painting exhibit featuring some animal and nature paintings. I have a whimsical, fun style you may enjoy. The exhibit’s virtual opening is on Saturday, September 13. There will also be original line drawings for sale of dog art (my specialty) and a link to my etsy shop that carries my book, For The Love of Dog. Please stop by on Saturday at ronniannhall.com

Community Under the Sea, acrylic on canvas, 11×14 framed

Lucy, acrylic on masonite board, 12×14

Thanks! Ronni Ann Hall, Designing Fairy

Bless the animals.

World Animal Day occurs annually on 4 October. Animal welfare groups, sanctuaries, and individuals throughout the world hold special events to heighten public awareness of animal issues and to encourage people to think about how we as humans relate to animals.

World Animal Day Mission Statement

* To celebrate animal life in all its forms
* To celebrate humankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom
* To acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives from being our companions, supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives
* To acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives

“In this photo the Rev. Ron Spahn blesses an equine member of the 10:15am service at Christ Church Grosse Pointe. It was like Noah’s Ark without all the rain.” Photo: Brendan Ross/brossphoto.com

Designer: “Puppy” by Eero Aarnio

History

World Animal Day was conceived at an ecologist’s convention in Florence, Italy in 1931 as a way of highlighting the plight of endangered species. October 4th was chosen as World Animal Day because it is also the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a Catholic Church holiday which is often celebrated with an annual “blessing of the pets”.

Since then, it has grown to encompass all kinds of animal life and has been widely celebrated around the world. It is intended as a day of celebration for anyone in the world who cares about animals. It is not restricted to any one nationality, creed, religion, political belief or ideology. Read the rest of this entry »

Strutt was born in England but spent a great deal of his life in Australia. He is known for his work as an illustrator and later for his commissioned works. One of his most famous pieces is titled Black Thursday, February 6th which depicted men and animals running from the bush fire that swept across Victoria, Australia.

William Strutt ‘Cultivating an Acquaintance’ 1889 Painting, Oil on Canvas

William Strutt ‘A Warm Response’ 1889 Painting, Oil on Canvas

In the two above paintings, Strutt’s dog is a Jack Russell Terrier. Fitting with a JRT’s instincts to harass or harm small animals, this dog attempts to mess with a crawfish…and the crawfish sets him straight!! ouch!! Read the rest of this entry »