March 2, 2008

"Walter, the Drunken Dachshund"

Oil on archival, museum quality 1/8" Ampersand Gessobord panel - 5"x 7"

Last week I painted a Great Dane named Mr. Big. This is his adopted brother Walter. As with most Dachshunds I’ve met, Walter is a most inquisitive hound. Sweet, good natured, curious to a fault and always hungry, he tends to get into trouble. A case in point: I was invited to a dinner party to celebrate my birthday by Mr. Big and Walter’s owners. My friend is a first rate photographer and we ventured upstairs to view his latest work. We men took our beers with us and the girls left behind two half full chocolate martinis on the table. We were gone perhaps 20 minutes and returned to find a very drunk dachshund. He had managed to climb up onto the table and had drunk every last drop of both martinis. Though there was not enough chocolate in the drinks to worry about, he had consumed enough alcohol to be staggering around. We called the 24-hour clinic and were told he’d just have to sleep it off, as the alcohol was already absorbed. We, too, had absorbed a lot of alcohol so it seemed only fitting to dress him up for St. Patrick’s Day. I guess you had to be there. You will be happy to know that other than a bad hangover the next day, he is fine. Do I think he learned his lesson about not getting into things? Not a chance.

6 comments:

Diane said...

He looks as though he really enjoyed his beverages!

Jacqui Faye said...

this painting is wonderful. my dachsie hershey would appreciate it immensely. your work is wonderful, so real and i love the humerous aspects. I look forward to the next one.

Mark Adams said...

Jacqui,

Thanks, I’m glad you like the painting. I’ve always had a soft spot for Dachshunds. My sister-in-law has a long haired cutie named Coco Chanel and you’ve seen Walter. The closest I got in the low-slung dog department was a Welsh corgi named Pippin. BTW, I love the red shoe paintings – very sexy. Your portrait of Benini was very well handled. I like your use of black and red and the asymmetric composition. Very nicely done!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, Mark, you do have the most unique experiences of any artist I know! I am so very happy that you share not only your fantastic paintings, but also the experiences behind then. There are many aspects of this painting that I like, so I will just mention a few. First, you have perfectly captured the silkiness of the fur, especially on the face. The eye is just that beautiful amber that dogs have, and lastly, we can see how those short little legs just don't bend very much!

How did your trip to see "uncle Bob" go? Thinking about him...

Diana Moses Botkin said...

What an entertaining story and wonderful painting that came out of it! I can't help but wonder where Mr. Big was, though. But then, I guess dogs aren't their brother's keepers.

Mark Adams said...

Thanks, Diana.
Gregarious canine that he is, Big was upstairs with us, with full knowledge of his brother’s propensity for mischief.