Sleeping Dogs Studio

…and you thought it ended with the recipes! 

Actually, I have a plan for this first week of spring.  And today’s is based upon a game my husband and I play based upon Andy Rooney’s “60 Minutes” comments.

If you’ve ever seen it, you’ll easily recognize his opening comment:  “Have you ever wondered…”?  And then Andy proceeds to tell us all about something that in fact, we HAVE wondered about, but never gave voice to.

Thus, I challenge each of you again today – put in a comment that mentions what it is YOU wonder about.  Let’s see what we all have in common!

Here’s mine:  “Have you ever wondered why dog’s feet smell like Frito Chips?”

…despite some parts of the country getting snow today (!), it really is SPRING!  We even have some crocus coming up in our yard to prove it…

And I’m realizing two things:

1) I have spring fever!  I want to try something new, something different, something FUN!  (I’m a rebel that way…)

2) I want to share that something with you!  Would you believe that on average more than 150 unique individuals read this blog each week?!  And yet, I know so little about each of you! 

If I had to guess, however, I’m betting that your spring is as busy as ours.   I’m betting that you also have those hectic days when you’re just home from work, the kids are ready to leave for soccer, the dogs want out, the doorbell’s ringing…

…and you still need to make something quick and easy for dinner!  So I’m suggesting a give-away that goes both ways today…what if each of us added our favorite super-fast, well-loved recipe in the comments below?

Thus, my give-away to ALL of you today is a compilation of the recipes I receive.  You have until this coming Friday at 5 p.m. to enter your recipes…and I will then follow-up by sending everyone who added a comment a typed and printed copy – with my own favorite recipe added in, of course!

Next week, we’ll go back to our normal give-away schedule – but THIS week?  This week, EVERYONE’S a winner! 

It’s time for our weekly installment regarding Studio Animals – and this week’s feature shows off a lovely and very different trio! 

They come from Fiat Lux Foto, a photography business in Bloomington, IN.  Kathryn Paul, one of the owners, was generous enough to answer reader questions, and provide photos of her lovely partners. 

Q:    How many animals do you have (studio and otherwise)? 

A:   “A dog, a cat, and half a horse.” 

Lovely Beau - see the tail wagging?!

Q:   What type of animals do you have? 

A:   ”Beau is a Samoyan Husky/Lab mix, Bubba a feline stray of unknown heritage, and Velvet is an Arab/Standardbred (I really don’t “own” her but am like her aunt).” 

Bubba's beautiful eyes...

Q:  Do your animals play an active role in your business?   

A:  “Beau would never wait to be given a “role” - he just assumes it.  If there is any one thing he does of use, it is keeping my feet warm.  Bubba, unfortunately is banned from the house because of allergies.  His only “role” is to to play hide and seek when chased by Beau thereby giving Beau badly needed exercise.  The horse – well, the horse helps me relax!” 

Q:  Are there ways in which they inspire your work, or assist you in other ways?  

A:  “I can’t stop taking photos of Beau.  Few of my customers are covered with such thick, soft fur and I love the way it looks.  Also he comes when he is called (something I haven’t experienced in a dog in a very long time) so he has a lot of freedom and I can take him in the woods when I am photographing for my own pleasure.  He is a great companion.  

My horses have always been great ‘props’ and I had at least one that you could put anyone on – it really relaxes people to be with animals.”  

One of Kathryn's portraits

Q:  Are there any other things you’d like to mention about the animals? 

A:  “I do a lot of location portrait work.  With both people and animals, especially dogs, you have to take your time.  And there is a saying about training horses that applies.  It says,  “If you act like you have 5 minutes, it will take all day.  If you act like you have all day, it will take 5 minutes”.  

 

With the sled dogs in the photo above, I could see they were pretty wound up, almost like two year olds.  So I told the owners that we had plenty of time, to just let them just use up some energy and then they would calm down and we could start.  And that is exactly what happened.  We just kept a rhythm of taking the pictures and then letting them run around awhile and then start again.  I think it also calmed down the owners and we got lots and lots of great shots.” 

A special thanks to Kathryn Paul of Fiat Lux Foto for providing these great shots, and more insight into how animals have a place in every part of our world!  You can see more of Kathryn’s lovely work at www.fiatluxfoto.com. 

…Patty! Patty, if you could pls. contact me at carolyn@sleepingdogsstudio.net, I will be happy to send your spring card set to you ASAP!  Congratulations!

All of you will want to stop by again tomorrow, as we will be profiling more studio animals – yes, this time it’s plural!  You will meet a cat, a dog, and a horse that all contribute to the success of this local studio…see you tomorrow! 

Thanks for following up on our Facebook page entry and asking for more detail regarding our new stores.  There’s no doubt that it has been an exciting time for Sleeping Dogs Studio!  We’ve had the extremely good fortune to have formed new relationships with a number of great stores across the country, and I’m pleased to confirm that our cadre of stores has grown by five over the last month.  That means that our long-distance readers (we have them from more than 30 states, and even 2 foreign countries!) might even be able to find an outlet closer to home!

Dancing Colours, Carbondale, CO:

We have actually added two stores in Colorado, one of which is Dancing Colours.  The owner, Cathren Britt is an example of the fun, creative and lively spirit that we so like to see in the stores in which we show our work.

You can tell just from the photo above on her web site how colorful and dynamic her shop and studio is!  You can see more at www.dancingcoloursstudio.com, including how to sign up for great workshops where customers can learn to make their own works of art…

Artisan Gallery, Northampton, MA

Moving to the other side of the country (!), we are pleased to let you know that the Artisan Gallery, run by Patty Arbour, is now showcasing our frames and earring holders.  Patty’s gallery has an amazing mix of fine arts and crafts…as you can see, there is a whimsical element to what she has compiled as well, and we’re confident that our items will fit in well with her other terrific products!

See more at www.artisangallery.com.

Columbus Visitors Center, Columbus, IN

The Columbus Area Visitors Center is located in a wonderful old home, one that was built in the early 1860′s.  In addition to the Gift Shop, which will be showcasing our boxes, you can also find displays about Columbus architecture (if you didn’t know, Columbus is a hotbed of unusual and world renowned architectural styles); and an absolutely wonderful glass chandelier from world famous glass artist Dale Chihuly. 

That alone is worth the stop!  Store Manager Susan Whittaker will be glad you stopped by…tell her we sent you! 

2910 on the Square, Canton, MD (near Baltimore):

As it turns out, except for shoveling snow, owner Stephanie Fleishman had a little bit of time on her hands in February to review new artists.  Baltimore was among those areas hit with the Blizzard of 2010 – check out these shots:

Wow.  I’m feeling really guilty for complaining about the relatively minor snowfall amounts we got in Indiana!

Naturally, this is my favorite photo for obvious reasons!    This is Winston, who seems to be bearing up under the snow better than most! 

2910 will be carrying a selection of our greeting cards, so I hope that those of you reading this who happen to live in the Baltimore area will stop by and check it out.  I’m confident that the sidewalks have improved since these photos were taken, and that Stephanie will take good care of you!  Or you can see her items online at www.2910onthesquare.com.

Brown County Craft Gallery, Nashville, IN:

It’s always seemed to me that as close as we are to this tourists’ mecca, we really should have items in a store there.  Imagine my delight when we were asked to consider being juried into this truly exceptional gallery that showcases the work of a group of amazingly talented artists.

Located on one of the “main drags” in Nashville, you can see a multitude of hand-crafted items there, from absolutely lovely pottery, to handwoven rugs and scarves, to contemporary and more traditional jewelry, to stained glass – they really have it all!

Their website (www.browncountycraftgallery.com) tells you more, including their hours; and we will be working in the store a couple of days a month in order to get to know not only our customers, but art-lovers of all varieties, so stop by if you can!

In addition to those above, we are also currently talking to stores in California; and in New York.  It’s a good time to be a sleeping dog – even if the dogs are the only ones getting sleep at the moment!

There’s something wonderful about just the idea of having a blog about bloggers, don’t you think?!?  Particularly when that blog is about bloggers who also happen to be artists!

Stephanie Levy, an American artist and illustrator who makes her home in Germany, has been bringing us weekly chronicles of these artists – I counted, and she is now up to more than seventy interviews with these creative folks!

I love this Blog!  It’s very enlightening to read the answers given to Stephanie’s probing questions about inspiration; how to break through “artist’s block”; and how to give your blog its own special “voice”.

You’ll see photos of an amazing variety of work, from collage artists to fiber artists to watercolorists; pictures of their studios, their inspirations, and their art materials.  All in all, just the kind of details that we all want to know!

And I have to say, I’ve found my favorite blogs ever through these posts.  “Simply Breakfast”, which I profiled in a blog early on was just one of them.  You too will find loads of inspiration on this terrific site.  Check it out at http://artistswhoblog.blogspot.com - it’s definitely worth bookmarking.  And be prepared – you’ll get hooked!