Mad Dog and Alley Cats
Amelia Island is no stranger to dogs and cats. There are dogs in all shapes and sized cruising the beaches and cats smiling at you from a neighbor's fence. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of dogs and cats that need a home. Blue Door Artists Suzanne Batchelor and Georganna Mullis are going to help that cause during the opening of their new exhibit, Mad Dogs and Alley Cats, when each sale of their whimsical dog and cat painting will generate a $10 donation to Nassau Humane Society to help with its mission of finding homes for lost or abandoned animals.
Mad Dogs and Alley Cats will premiere during the Second Saturday Artrageous Artwalk May 8 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. and continue until July 10 at the Blue Door Artist Gallery, 205 1/2 Centre St., Fernandina Beach.
The exhibit features a collection of original paintings of dogs and cats by Suzanne Batchelor and Georganna Mullis, who have each painted a series of (25) 8 by 8 inch paintings on 1 1/2 inch canvases. Mullis painted cats using acrylic, oil and other rich multi-media applications and Batchelor painted dogs using oil on canvas and recently started creating acrylic pigment ink creations on canvas.
Mullis painted cats using acrylic, oil and other rich multi-media applications and Batchelor followed her lead and painted dogs using oil on canvas and recently started creating acrylic pigment ink creations on canvas. They point out, "The dogs are not actually mad and the cats don't actually live in an alley, but we picked the name because of the fun we are having."
Batchelor is an emerging artist, having been with the Blue Door Artists for two years. She finds great joy in painting dogs, "especially when I see the smile on people's faces when I finish."
Batchelor never thought she'd be drawn to painting dogs - but after becoming the proud owner of Seamus, a soft-coated wheaten terrier, she was completely smitten and found her niche.
As Batchelor started her mad Dog series she met Dr. Kim Carter of Nassau Veterinary Hospital through friends on Facebook. She was introduced to Novia - Carter's "Katrina rescue dog" whose name is Spanish for "girlfriend" - and couldn't believe her eyes. Novia was so strikingly beautiful, with such kind eyes, she had to paint her. Since then, Batchelor and Carter have teamed up to offer pet portrait commissions through the hospital, located at 851015 US 17 North in Yulee, with $10 of each sale going to Nassau Humane Society.
Ad Carter recalls, Batchelor "had posted a picture of a dog that she had painted and it so captured the essence of this dog...I knew that she had to paint my dog."
Carter found Novia while volunteering in a triage area for abandoned animals at Parker Coliseum in Louisiana following hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The dog had spent 10 days alone in the scorching sun atop the tin roof of a two story home whose owner was forced to leave her behind when he was rescued. Surrounded by floodwater, the dog trusted that someone would help her, said Carter.
"When she was rescued she had third degree sunburns over 80 percent of her body, the pads of her feet had been blistered off, she was dehydrated and in mild shock. She was 30 pounds underweight. I fell in love...and brought her home," said Carter. "When Suzanne agreed to paint her for me I was so grateful. i hope that her picture inspires the lover you have for your own animal, or recalls an experience with an animal that changed your life. Suzanne captures just the 'look' that makes them come alive from the picture."
Batchelor's medium of choice is oil, and while she has produced traditional realistic dog paintings, she has also been experimenting with pigment ink paintings- digital art - a very colorful and unique portrait option for buyers. To do this, she works from original photographs and transforms them into a one-of-a-kind colorful digital image that she then prints a s a giclee on canvas that is 1 1/2 inches thick so there is no need for further framing. The paintings are then sealed and sometimes embellished with acrylic or oil and ready to hung.
"I want to give my customers different visual options based on their budget's price points. Some people like traditional realism and others love the fun nature of my colorful work. I can paint your dog on a small canvas that is small enough for your office or big enough to hang over your fireplace. Regardless of the size and medium we use, we have fun during the process and you will be delighted!" says Batchelor
Fellow artist Mullis calls Amelia Island her home, having lived here for 40 years. She says we all have our favorite place and reason for being on Amelia Island, and hers are simple enough - the painting vistas never let her down.
Her paintings come from all the influences in her life, both visual and spiritual. No matter when or where she looks, or what the weather brings, there is always inspiration to be found. She is fascinated with color and movement, which is ever-changing, depending on the time of day or the season of the year. The stately palm trees say so simply "Island Living," as does the vast expanse of marsh grasses or the shifting sands of beach dunes. In the right sunlight, color changes from dull grays and greens to vibrant reds, yellow and oranges with purple, violet and blue shadows.
Mullis says her "Cat Project" is a departure from her usual landscapes and palm trees, but adds, "This has been pure fun. I've done fat cats, fun cats, sleepy cats, stray cats, family and friend cats and, of course, my cat 'Sir Thomas Paul' - the cat of ALL cats." Every one of my paintings is the sum of all I've seen and felt as I live my life and I paint in many different mediums: oil, acrylic, collage, watercolor, and I am currently experimenting with fused glass. I believe art should be enjoyed by the viewer and the artist.
Batchelor and Mullis both have studios located within The Blue Door Artists, a gallery of nine working artist studios located at 205 1/2 Centre Street, downtown Fernandina Beach. Regular hours are Monday-Saturday, 11 AM to 5 PM.
View the art at www.maddogsandalleycats.com. Visit the artists' websites at www. ameliaislandartist.com and www.georgannamullis.com. Both artists accept commissions from their studios at the Blue Door.
For information call 491-5554. To view the paintings at Dr. Kim Carter's practice, drop by, call 225-2050, or e-mail drkimvet@aol.com.
