Dogs Playing Traditional Irish Music

Can dogs play traditional Irish music? It doesn’t seem possible, and yet… There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

You wouldn’t deny our canine friends the pleasures of a good céilí, now, would you?

This rollicking session is of course an homage to the classic dog paintings of Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (some handle, eh?.)  Perhaps the most famous of these is “A Friend In Need,” better known generically as Dogs Playing Poker, although that card game is the subject in fully nine of the sixteen pictures in the series.  Beer, tunes and dogs—it seemed like a perfect fit to me.  I took some additional inspiration from my friends Dan and Gail Neely, two fabulous players and members of the renowned Washington Square Harp and Shamrock Orchestra.  Dan posed for one of the dogs, although I don’t think he was aware of it.  Can you guess which pooch is Dr. Neely?

Go here to buy a print of these wacky folk music lovin’ dogs.

Speaking of dogs, if you have a four-legged friend at home (the number of legs isn’t important, actually, your friend might have fins or wings—no judgments here) think about the lasting satisfaction of honoring your pet with a portrait rendered in oils on canvas.  A portrait of the critter, not you.  Now that you’ve thought about it, it sounds pretty good, eh?  Having a permanent tribute to your furry buddy’s unique personality hanging on the wall beats the heck out of that spotty snapshot taped to the fridge, doesn’t it?  I’ve done several of these over the years, and it is always fun.  The word on the street is that your dog (or cat, or fish, or wombat) is universally recognized as the most charming example of animal life on the planet.  It would be the culmination of my artistic career to immortalize your devoted companion.  Have a look at some portraits I’ve done in the past, and contact me for the very affordable price list, and we can get started.