dear ada

sonia rollo.

Aren't these prints by sonia rollo delightful? Ah, etching and dogs combined together, a favorite art medium meets a favorite subject, so I'm bound to start out happy. But of course it's the way the animals are rendered and brought to life with such empathy and insight that's the real story here. Beautifully composed, colored and drawn, they convey the spirit and character of their subjects with such sensitivity. Which just makes me happy.

lauren nassef.

I had to share this lovely drawing by lauren nassef. I'm loving the composition as well as the terrific line work. She's so beautifully captured the way a dog sleeps too, fully there, wherever they lay down, with deep abandon. Such a nice drawing!

dogs in birds.

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This is a strange and kind of wonderful video from the band vitalic using dogs in motion, in air, to accompany their song. Dogs are so great. Slow mo, funny, falling, leaping. I don't care how I see them, they always make me smile.

denise simon.

Have you seen these lovely paintings of dogs by denise simon over at the wonderful shiny squirrel. I love their simplicity and straightforward dogness. And they also come as a set of cards below, so we doesn't have to stop at adopting just one. So sweet and fabulous!

rupert garcia.

Dogs in art make me happy. Like these wonderful paintings by rupert garcia. Bright, simple, colorful, a bit niave. And of dogs. Happy am I.

john giese.

Mm, what a nice painting of a dog by john giese. I love the composition and the color palette, subdued and surprising. And the skilled use of materials. I find this to be a strong and memorable painting which is also quite haunting for some reason. I'm not sure why, which is just fine by me.

orange dog.

This is what I encountered yesterday on N. Mississippi. Honestly. It blew my mind. The dog seemed fine with it, almost proud. I don't exactly know how I feel about it. Shocked by the oddness of it, a little worried for the dogs welfare, a bit thrilled by the boldness of it (assuming that the dog hasn't been harmed by the dye). I guess I'm kind of at sixes and sevens here.

william wegman.

I'm not always the biggest fan of william wegman's work, but I really love this polaroid of his. I love the colors, the shrill pink and yellow juxtaposed against the beautiful grey coat of the dog. This image is a bit surreal, and a little bit scary too. I like it a lot.

lisa larson.

These dog figures from lisa larson make me smile. Reminiscent of staffordshire dog figures, these are a little more modern, a little less glitzy. I love the buttery glaze and the strange expressions on their faces.

h.n.y.

Here's to a new, fresh year full of amazing art, beautiful design, occasional stories about very spoiled dogs, glorious gardens, health, happiness and peace. Not necessarily in that order, but most certainly, all of the above. Thanks to everyone who visited dear ada over the last year! And thanks for all the lovely comments, words of encouragement, smart ideas and terrific connections! Your presence has brought me so much happiness and inspiration. I hope to see you again soon as the adventure continues! Happy wishes to all!