I often question myself about the motivation of my work. This is, somehow, something that had chosen me. The fact, that today, I’m doing dog sculptures isn’t something that I have deliberately decided, but a sequence of circumstances that evolved and showed me a path I have never dreamed of.
Dogs had been an active part of my life since I was 9 years old. I’ve been a breeder, exhibitor, a groomer, and I was owned by dogs for longer than I can remember, in fact there was NOTHING in my life before that, so, they are quite a quintessential part of my existence.
I recall a little anecdote, back from my childhood, that relates to ART and DOGS. I was 9, and I was off to vacation with my grandparents, they often took me away with them, and I loved it. My grandfather has always had an interest on collectibles, and old stuff, and we would often enter antique stores, or other art places. I used to hang around as the adults talked about some serious stuff. I remember one day we entered to this store, there were a lot of marine items, it was in a coastal city, and there was an item that wasn’t marine relate, it had a DOG on it. It was an old bronze with a bearded dog with a pipe. I now know that it was a scottie. I loved it, and I wanted it. I begged to my granddad to buy it for me, he laughed, meaning: what will you do with that old stuff. Of course this bronze relief was part of something larger, and it was really expensive. I certainly wouldn’t be able to use it as a toy, and my mother wouldn’t hang it on my bedroom. So we moved on, and walked away from that shop. As you can see, some time had gone by but that piece remains in my mind. In fact I remember the whole scene and conversation when my grand father held my hand and took me off the store saying, come, I will get you some ice cream. Some days went by after that and one evening we visited a handcrafts fair in a park. We walked through all the stands and I remember my grandma buying some nonsense stuff for the bathrooms in the apartment. I was starting to bore a bit as nothing caught my attention until I saw a stand with ceramic animals. I looked over the table, and some terrier figures stood out of the crowd. I spotted two simile airedale terrier figures and yelled: I WANT THEM. I had some money that my mother had given me for entertainment and I used it on these two figurines. I also bought something else for my mom, but I can’t even remember what it was. Those two ceramic dogs were the first of a large collection of dog items that grew over the years in my childhood. I became interested in those summer handcraft fairs just to spot other dog items. I had collected many breeds over the years, some nicer than others. In some you could see some quality. I tried by all means to avoid those made in china objects. I wanted something UNIQUE, that wasn’t easy to find. That was made by someone who I may get the chance to speak too. Yes, that was one of my interests in my childhood. Needless to say I hadn’t many friends who followed me on my haunting, but I enjoyed it. Of course most of the stuff I could afford was cheap, as I was just a child, but still I wanted it unique and with the time some of those pieces became meaningful to me. But still, those two first Airedale-like dogs were my favorites.
Today I’m on the other end of the line. I have stopped collecting because one of my life choices made me be kind of a nomad, and that doesn’t leave place for large amount of things to fit in my suitcases. So now I create the art. I DO have some meaningful pieces, and I wish I will soon start to collect again. But now I know exactly WHY and WHAT I want.
Without going into strange details of my life I previously mentioned that I’ve been a nomad. That means I left all to travel the world. Yes, that what many young people do nowadays. Nothing to discuss about in this post but I will say that such adventure required the most unthinkable and hard decision I ever had to make, I couldn’t always had my dogs with me, everywhere. So for one and a half year I was DOG-LESS. I still look back and wonder HOW ON EARTH DID I MANAGE. Still a mystery, but I survived, perhaps it helped that along the road I decided to stop and express my feelings with ART, so after several months of going around I made a stop and started t create dog sculptures. Perhaps with the hope of a miracle would happen overnight and like in Pinocchio the fairy would give my sculptures life. But that didn’t happen, so I eventually brought my very own dogs to me. They were living in Finland and I was, somewhat close, in Denmark.
During the 18 months I had been missing my dogs a lot of thoughts and feelings took over me. Suddenly the sculptures I did were more and more alive, all the focus was in getting them right, as lively as possible. I sculpted many copies of my own dogs, you may have one of them at home. Eventually, the commissions that came in started to increase more and more in the form of PORTRAITS. It seems that the magic was starting to happen overnight, and those little clay dogs were filled with life.
It was when I started creating MORE AND MORE dog artworks for other people about their dogs. I created meaningful items for a lot of people but I needed something FOR ME, something for my heart and my soul. So the first custom acquisition came to me from ITALY.
It was a wonderful embroidery piece of art made by Clo ( Pinta Otis Fanny ) .
This amazing portrait is the first commissioned doggie item I had in a loooong time. The head portrayed is my Zissis. My lovely sleeping beauty, THE QUEEN. The portrait found a place right over my bed, it also fits Zissis personality and she is always on my bed.
When I received this work I was astonished.
I, for the first time felt what I presume others feel when they get their commissioned dogs from me. Having had that experience, the whole thing: missing my dogs, feeling lonely, sad, and at times hopeless, and then having this piece just made for me of MY VERY OWN ZISSIS, the whole experience made my work even more intense. As I found some relief in having my Zissis I imagine how others would feel. I knew first hand what I was doing in all aspects. I was not just doing a dog figurine. Every portrait had to have a soul, every portrait was of a real dog, of an actual soul. Whether it is still or not within us, a soul leaves a trace, and that is what the ART captures.
My job today consists mainly in capturing those souls in my clay. It just happened, I only offer my hands.
If you enjoy my artwork and would love to see how it is being made, JOIN my Facebook group, I often share videos of me in action, sometimes I would even go live!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DogSculpturesbyAppleRain/
If you would like to commission a sculpture portrait of your very own dog, get in touch with me! I’ll be happy to assist you applerainart@gmail.com
Have a wonderful weekend!
Barbara
That little bronze bearded dog.
