Wagtime Anniversary and Digital Art - It's a Dog's World

I had the good fortune of meeting Lisa Schrieber two years ago and have displayed my digital art at Wagtime Too on Capitol Hill since then. There are close to 100 pet portraits in the storefront. It all starts with a completed digital painting of someone's favorite pet, then collecting all the materials to prepare them for the art "gallery." The portraits are printed using my desktop printer on 8 1/2x 11 photo paper, and mounted on foam board using a spray glue - outside of course. Then an industrial strength Velcro is applied to the back and corners of the foam board. Because the heat and cold can play havoc on any artwork, industrial strength is required. Some of the furry faces have begun to fade a bit without protective glass. My digital pieces at home have stood up well out of the sunlight. But because these are digital paintings, they can be easily replaced - just print up another one. This all started at the same time of the year we attend the Dog Show at the Oatlands Plantation in Middleburg, Virginia. In fact, we went yesterday to see the Borzoi in particular. So you could say everything goes to the dogs in October, but for the best of reasons. 

Middleburg Dog Show

I need to get my dog fix at least once year - especially to see the Borzois. We had a beautiful Russian Wolfhound in Milwaukee, and I love to see them and talk to some of the owners at a dog show. We went to several dog shows in the Milwaukee area to get an idea what kind of dog we might be interested in. I knew right away when we saw the Borzois - beautiful and not a peep out of them. As we headed out for the hour drive, the biggest surprise was seeing a bald eagle right by the Pentagon along the George Washington Parkway on our way to the Middleburg Dog Show at the Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Virginia. I'm glad I brought my winter coat! It was very windy, but the sun was brilliant, making for a great ride along the side streets with the autumn backdrop. We were there just in time to catch the Borzoi judging and wandered about to see some of the other sights, dogs, and owners. People really love their animals and there is something there for everyone. But once we saw the wolfhounds, I wasn't really interested in anything else. One of these days we need to come back and see the actual plantation house that sits up the way from the entrance. We did miss our friends who came with us last year. Maybe next time.