My Friend, My Buddy, My Companion

Ah, the Papillon!

This is Banjo, my faithful companion. I wanted to create a wall art piece that I would remember for a lifetime. I feel I captured my friend quite well. Spoiled, pampered, and sitting on his pillow as if it was his eternal throne. He has been painted on a wood surface and sprayed with acrylic spray to ensure a long-lasting keepsake.

They are Butterfly dogs with long silky hair and a feathery tail that seems to float in the air falling freely on their back. They are affectionate and love to give kisses. Aside from being so cute and fluffy they are smart intelligent dogs. They are loaded with charm, intelligence and ability. They are a warm little body with a big heart. Their feisty, precocious, and excitable at times to the point of down right stubborn.

They truly are a companion dog and love to be where their master is. Banjo is quite tough for his small size. Weighs approximately 8 pounds. They love to be outdoors. Banjo loves to go boating with us. He presses himself against the wind and his fur is flying gracefully in the breeze. He loves the feeling of the wind and sometimes hangs out the window in the car for the same sensation.

He is very affectionate and gentle but vivacious, lively and charming. He can be patient and gentle as well as dignified. Their breed instinct is strong for protecting their property and can be quite talkative at times. Training is a must with this little guy, for me it’s an ongoing process.

Even though this breed is small boned and looks delicate, don’t let them fool you. They will try anything once and with energy abound are ready for whatever you want to do. He’s a great dog and truly helped me through the times when I lost my last Pap.

So this painting is my gift to Banjo in commemoration of his “LIFE” and all the wonderful years we still have ahead of us.


Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog.

Douglas Mallock

Please email me at info@riverrockcritters.com If you would like a portrait of your pet.

Pauline Libutti, Artist & Writer
http://www.RiverRockCritters.com/

Which is Your Type of Art Form

Art in Latin means "skill" or "craft" and it is generally accepted to be "the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowledge, most often using a set of skills, which from concept to creation adheres to the "creative impulse" of the maker." As centuries of art study reveal, art has taken many forms and has touched upon many disciplines. From the creation of a painting on canvas, wood, or rock or the design of a video game, art is now a much more generic term used to describe many of today’s human creations.

Whether or not you consider yourself to be an artist or have an artistic nature as people often claim, it is interesting to discover that your skills and abilities can help you develop products or processes that could be characterized as a type of art form. Have you ever taken a picture, created a film, painted an image on canvas or rock, performed in front of an audience -your mirror does not count- or even found a new way to use that old pair of jeans you have kept inside your closet? If the answer to these or similar questions is yes, then you are "officially" informed that you can consider yourself as a creator or better even an artist!

Due to the technological innovations used today, new art forms have been developed and thus new ways for artistic expression. The birthday card you decided to create from scratch for your friend, the picture frame you decided to "transform" so as to make it a bit more contemporary, the song you recorded while playing in your garage with the band, are all different types of art forms and should make you proud of yourself and your abilities. Moving from the "classic" forms of art, like painting, drawing, sculpture, music, literature, printmaking, and architecture, to the more "modern" types of art forms, like film, photography, digital art, installation art, performance art, land art, fashion, computer art, comics, and video games, the human ingenuity and creativity found new ways of expression. People are today thrilled to discover the gratification of being able to complete the art project of their choice while using a variety of available tools.

Since within each art form a wide range of genres exist, like for example painting includes still life, portrait, or landscape, a work of art can be anything, from a representational painting to the abstract wallpaper of your PC screen. Whether the art form you like belongs to the category of fine arts or applied arts, the big issue here is that you are a creator, a designer, a painter, a sculptor, a craftsman, an artisan in general. If your art will make you rich one day is a matter of talent and luck, but during your project's creation and upon its completion, you will experience a life changing realization; you will feel capable of accomplishing almost anything. After that entire amazing thing is your own creation!

Author: k.buchanan

Pauline Libutti, RiverRock Critters.com
Copyright 2008 CraftyCritters Newsletter