Thursday, May 3, 2012

Bad Dog, No Bone

Architectural Detail Dog I, copr.Wm Cook, 1989

"So, Mr. Caruthers, how would you like to decorate your home?"  " Well I think I would like the meanest, nastiest dogs of hell beneath the pilasters, kind of as a welcome sign for all my creditors and all the creeps that come to my door.  And my welcome mat should say, 'Go Away'."  I mean what was this guy thinking?   It must have been in vogue to try and repel visitors back in the gay nineties.  This and another dog sculpture pointing the other way flanked the front door of a well to do city townhouse in downtown Baltimore.

I liked old bowser nonetheless kind of like a kid likes guts.  Something visceral about him.  I never got the flowery tail though--but thought it would make a killer logo so I drew a box around it--which itself became part of the drawing.  Don't try this at home. 

I love you all.

Architectural Detail Dog II, copr.Wm Cook, 1989



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8 comments:

Linda Roth said...

You're a sweet guy Bill.I love you too. It's good to see you back and energetic. It's also good to see there was a beautiful reason for all that cross hatching madness. I mean forever washing hands and checking the locks is understandable, cross hatching is another thing--could attract the nuthatch. Do you like birds Bill, or just dogs?

Gatepost productions said...

Dogonnit?

Nice ones, Bill, lovely detail. Are they pen & ink reduced, or pencil? I suspect the former

Looking around the blogosphere for good architectural artists is like waiting for a London bus ... there are none and then three come along at once. Made my day.
Cheers!

William Cook said...

Hi Linda--You nailed it. Madness. Sometimes I loose it and just cross hatch the hell out of a perfectly good sheet of paper. Other times I command the hatching. Then sometimes it commands me. Not a dull day here in the asylum. And speaking of hatching, yes I've drawn birds in a pinch, but my mom was a true birder, and I have all her books. I do like dogs--from a distance.

Thank you, John. They're ink, and specifically fine roller ball pens. I like to just let them rip in a sort of rapid, autographic mode. The trouble with this way of working is stopping before the art becomes an utter mudpie.

SamArtDog said...

Well, we like dogs, up close and personal. Yours make Cerberus a sweet dream. And, as near as I can tell, art always wants to tangle with a mudpie.

hw (hallie) farber said...

I remember these dogs; they chased my car through Baltimore.

Great drawing; nice hand. I'm glad you're back to blogging.

RH Carpenter said...

These must be my neighbors' dogs - cannot go out in the yard at all without being bombarded with bark bark barks that never end - I'm sure if they could get past the 2 fences and get at me, they would. Of course, I'd have a hammer in my hand, just in case! ha ha I admire the work in these and am glad to see you back after a time away - now I'll have something wonderful to catch up on to see what you've been doing in these recent posts!

William Cook said...

Sam. Oooo. Creberus. Had to look him up. Good one. I don't know but a three headed dog gives me the creeps. Of course Fido and Spot here are twice as strong because they are two different animals after all. As for mudpies, 'tooo shay' as they say in Baltimore. 'Mudpies is all the fun'.

Hi Hallie. I am so happy to hear from you. You sure they were dogs chasing your car through Baltimore? Could have been cockroaches. Caught one between a lampost and a fireplug once. Thanks for dropping in.

Hi Rhonda. Don't get me started on the neighbor's dog--a cross between chihuahua and poodle. White with funny haircut. Comes tearing across the yard, teeth bared, every time he sees me. Last time I swore I was going to loose a chunk of my leg. I don't want to hurt the little dear, but I did miss a couple field goal attempts. I love drawing like this--a lightening fast style. It's so wonderful to hear from you.

Robin said...

Your detailed drawings are amazing to me, probably because they are the opposite of how I paint! I actually find your abstract "entertainment" (previous post) quite entertaining... takes me on a creative journey into my imagination. Sometimes taking a break is the best way to continue creating new work.