Inside Look: Uniform Pets - Firefighter Aussie Australian Shepherd
For this post I’m sharing about the inspiration behind the Firefighter Aussie Australian Shepherd.
I wasn’t one of those kids who said he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. I think I always knew on some level that I wanted to be an artist. But coming from a long line of family in public service (police mostly), I understood the importance and sacrifice associated with this position. Firefighters are called to be courageous, self sacrificing servants for the safety and good of the public. I will never know such a burden or call myself, but I readily acknowledge that they are to be thanked and praised for their selfless, and often dangerous work.
A quick catch up if you’re just joining in: for the next several posts, I’m going to be giving you an inside look into my new series “Uniform Pets”. I’ll be sharing the insights and inspiration behind each piece. You can see my previous post for my inspiration on the Police German Shepherd and the Girl Scout - Chihuahua.
The series as a whole came about as I was thinking about how we identify and categorize, specifically, dress code pertaining to jobs/organizations, as well as breeds of pets. We know a police officer in a crowd of people because we’ve identified their uniform. We’ve come to expect a certain dress code associated with our doctor’s visits. If he or she were dressed in a tie dyed t-shirt and shorts, we would question their abilities and professionalism. Yet, this same doctor might be dressed that way on their “off hours”. We don’t have the same feelings towards a Chihuahua and a Pit bull. One has become an icon of the Hollywood elite and the other has been mired in PR issues with news reports spreading incidents of their aggressiveness.
Most of the time, we don’t think about these connections. They are part of the operating system that runs below the surface. In this series, I hope to make viewers stop and think more about these connections and assumptions.
For this post I’m sharing about the inspiration behind the Firefighter Aussie Australian Shepherd.
I wasn’t one of those kids who said he wanted to be a firefighter when he grew up. I think I always knew on some level that I wanted to be an artist. But coming from a long line of family in public service (police mostly), I understood the importance and sacrifice associated with this position. Firefighters are called to be courageous, self sacrificing servants for the safety and good of the public. I will never know such a burden or call myself, but I readily acknowledge that they are to be thanked and praised for their selfless, and often dangerous work.
This piece was created to honor them and all they do. I’ve only know a few firefighters personally, and they have always been people of integrity and service. And often the sacrifice they face can be great.
In 2014, my brother lost a close friend in the line of duty. Lt. Gordon "Matt" Ambelas was killed when he became trapped while looking for victims in a high-rise fire in NY. He left behind his wife Nanette, and two young daughters.
I had the privilege of knowing Matt, through my brother. He was unassuming and in true form of a firefighter, a servant. He was an everyday man. And those like Matt, serve us everyday, risking their lives for our collective safety. They don’t run away from danger, but towards it.
In the case of September 11th 2001, the images of selfless firefighters (among others) running into the collapsing World Trade Center will forever be etched in my mind. They are true heroes.
So although this is a small offering, I hope this portrait honors all past and present firefighters.
I matched firefighter with an Australian Shepherd, or Aussie as they’re affectionately know as, because it’s been said that that breed is happiest when they have a job to do. They are wonderful family companions and a true working dog at heart.
As far as the two different color eyes (a genetic default known as Heterochromia Iridis) there are a few legends surround this, such that dogs with two different color eyes can view heaven and earth at the same time or that heterochromatic dogs are natural protectors. The truth behind why I chose to include this in my portrait is that I just thought it looked cool, and reminded me a bit of David Bowie :)
This piece was digitally painted using my iPad Pro, and app called Procreate and Photoshop on my Macbook Pro.
It's available in 3 options:
Do you know someone who would love this? Share it with them. Or better yet, why not get one as a gift to show your appreciation!
When Art Emerges
One day a few weeks ago I decided I wanted to create something new, but I wasn't sure what. I started with just throwing down some watercolors, then took an X-acto knife to make shavings from my watercolor crayons. I spread these shaving out randomly on top of the previous (dried) watercolor. Then I grabbed a spray water bottle and sprayed around on the shavings until they started to dissolve a bit. I let that dry and washed over again with some more watercolors.
At this point I still wasn't sure what this work would become. I knew I had created a base to work off, but that was all. As I sat pondering, I felt a need to express something that would speak about a current social issue. Having been on a trip to Nicaragua this May to help bring clean water to a village, I decided that was what this piece was about. I found some reference photos to use as inspiration, and set to drawing with black Take-Sumi ink using a bamboo pen. Once the ink dried, I carefully went back in adding some yellow gouache.
The result was something that spoke to a lot of people, about an important issue. "A Cup of Water for the Least of These." I recently sold the original as well as some prints. Sometimes, you just need to follow inspiration where it takes you. Sometimes I plan out what I'd like to do, but other times I like to just "play" and see what comes. There is tremendous freedom in that!
If you're interested in donating money to help provide get clean water visit here.
If you'd like to purchase a print of this or other work of mine visit my society6 shop!
Pearl of Potential
Last week, I had the privilege of visiting Pearl Paint art supply store (Canal Street, NYC). Pearl represents a certain nostalgia to me. It was the store that my high school Art teacher, Mr. Hijuelos, spoke of, with a glimmer in his eye. It was the store that I visited to purchase a lot of my art school supplies when attending The Fashion Institute of Technology and The School of Visual Arts. As I climbed the old creaky stairs visiting each floor, a rush of memories flooded back to me about those old days. They were days of eager expectation. Days of wonder and learning. Days of potential and future possibilities.
As I walked the isles, I was thinking about not just products, but tools that could be used to create. Tools that would come to life in the hands of artists. This was more than laptops and software -no cold metal and machine, this was hands on, tactile. And it was wonderful.
It was as if each item called to me. Experiment. Play. See what comes. It's the potential of what could and should be in the art of creating. I even splurged a bit and bought a few clearance item watercolors.
The longer I stayed, the more I was reminded of how much Pearl was an appropriate name. It drew me in and caused me to wonder. To think about my passion, my projects and ideas. Sure, I could probably order most of this stuff on Amazon.com, but I would be robbed of the experience of walking the isles. Interacting with the supplies. The Sights - vivid colors. The Smells. The wonderment of new tools I had never seen before.
If you're an artist, do yourself a favor soon. GO visit a local art store. Drink in the experience. Pick up brushes. Feel paper. Smell the oil pastels. You just might leave more inspired. Not to mention, you might have some new fun tools to experiment with!