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Art a la Canine (A Dialog in Pictures)


When I wrote about my Maltese Lucy loving our “master bath,” it occurred to me that I could do addition posts about our house and the stories particular rooms tell about my partner Sara and me.  These, as well, I thought, could feature photos of Lucy and her canine, big brother Ralph—share the parallel experiences they have of those same spaces.

So, here we go—a post about my studio–images from Lucy’s perspective.

"I supervise most studio activities--"

When I bought our house 5 years ago, the second floor had a separate entrance and horrid brown carpet—an expanse of fuzzy floor the color of puppy poop and almost as smelly.  Lucy wasn’t around for that part of the story, so she can’t be blamed.  (These days, she saves her poop for the rugs Sara brought home from Afghanistan.)

"Mommy claims the carpet was much worse than this photo shows."

(Okay, maybe there wasn’t actually an odor, but it was nasty, with a color diarrhea-like enough, that only excrement images communicate the putrid awfulness.)

Before Sara or I were willing to live upstairs or even walk up there in our bare feet, it was clear the existing flooring had to go.  But when we removed the carpet, we discovered the most amazing wide plank pine floors beneath the sea of ugliness.  They were themselves in semi-desperate condition and uneven as sailors’ teeth, but it seemed to us, a thorough hand sanding and waxing would bring them back to decency and then some.

"She says the floors looked like this before sanding."

"Mommy removing carpet strips--"

Now those floors look like this:

"This is a massive improvement, according to Mommy."

"'Primitive means they still have a story to tell.'"

As an artist, I need studio space, and this main room on the second floor works as well as any:

"Mommy says the black and white linoleum protects the floor, like a rug."

Four tables we had hand-made for our patio in Haiti serve as my primary work surface, their rugged construction solid enough to endure the literal pounding they sometimes take:

"'Dirt from Haiti remains on the surface--impossible to get clean.'"

Two seating areas serve as writing nooks:

"Mommy blogs from the chair in front. I like to sit with her."

If you liked photos of my Maltese Lucy mastering our “master bath,” you might enjoy a few of her ruling the roost from my studio, as well:

"My perch--"

Lucy does paint brush patrol:

"Make sure you clean that brush!"

When not bossing Mommy around, Lucy lounges in the sunshine:

"It's a lot of work, but somebody's got to do it."

With Lucy’s assistance, I recently repurposed a chair otherwise destined for the dump:

"Don't you love Mommy's chair?"

"Mommy's always quoting that 'I-had-a-dream' guy."

(That would be Martin Luther King, Lucy.)

Stay tuned for more spaces “a la canine.”

In the meantime, Lucy wants to know what places pets patrol in your home.  Feel free to bark at her (or me) in the comments below.

31 thoughts on “Art a la Canine (A Dialog in Pictures)”

  1. Dear Lucy, I think you should surreptitiously move your perch away from those rolls of ribbon in case the tail gets it next!
    Kathy she is so gorgeous and her wee face is so human like it’s uncanny (uncainy?). If I knew how to I’d put a photo in here of my daughter curled up in the dogs bed-not sure what that says about either of them!! Lovely , lovely photos, feel I’m there 🙂

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    • Penny–email me a photo, if you have one. I would love to see your baby! Aren’t our doggies daughters darling? I’m tickled that you think Lucy is cute–she’s dear, dear! I’ll be moving that perch asap!

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  4. Dear Lucy, I will try to get my doggy pictures in order so that you can make virtual friends with my friends.

    Kathy, in some of these pictures Lucy looks like a stuffed animal. it’s hilarious. I absolutely love and envy your studio and writing space. The floor looks gorgeous.

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    • We’re so glad you like our space, Lisa. Lucy would love to “meet” the pets in your life. She’s a funny little dog, who does, indeed, have a stuffed animal cuteness. Happy Wednesday, my friend————

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  10. Pingback: got me blogging all crazy in love « The Ramblings

    • Thanks so much! I think she’s pretty cute, myself, but then I may be a bit biased! Yes, the chair is a combination of paint and decoupage. I’m glad you like it. The beads at the top are made from a polymer-based clay that I baked in the oven. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. It was great having you. Lucy and I both hope you’ll come back!

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  12. What a cute, colourful space you got there Mommy! It’s right up my alley, esp the Haitian tables. And that floor looks great too. So do the writing nooks….gotta love the greenness and eclecticism!
    I think pins are an adorable way to keep the hair out of Lucy’s eyes 🙂
    Very inspiring post, it makes me want to work on my creative space…

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  13. Lucy, your mommy’s space is an artist’s heaven haven 😉

    I think you guys did well in substituting natural light absence with bright pieces everywhere. So happy to stumble upon this blog.

    Lucy is such as star! 🙂

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    • We’re so glad you enjoyed our post! It’s a great, creative space. And Lucy loves that you think she’s special! She’s a cutie, for sure. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. I hope you’ll come back! It was great having you!

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  14. What a great post, Kathy! Sorry to have missed it the first time around.
    I’m such a sucker for photos of other people’s studios. Marty doesn’t really have a creative space to call his own, so colour me a teensy bit envious of your amazing workspace! 🙂

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