Recently I was invited to review two books (one of which I will review on another post) on dog artists. This one today is actually a “facsimile” of the illustrator Lucy Dawson’s 1936 collectible classic sketches of various dogs of which she did portraits, entitled Dogs As I See Them. The foreword in this book is by author, Ann Patchett who paints a very nice overview of the work of Lucy Dawson.
To say I LOVE this book is an understatement! In its elegant simplicity I was taken back to a time when dogs were allowed to be simply dogs. The book consists of a range of charcoal and chalk drawings and sketches of various dogs she used to create her lovely portraits.
I noticed how different the dogs of that time looked compared to now and I was saddened to a degree to see how much we have changed them through our never-ending quest to exaggerate looks over function – which I realize isn’t relevant to the topic of the book, merely an observation of my own.
What made the book even more delightful are the notes Lucy wrote about each dog she was drawing and their time with her. She did not of course use photographs of the dogs to create the portraits as is most often done these days but rather the dogs were live models for her work.
Many of the sketches showed dogs either lying down dozing or running in canine glee. She enjoyed each dog’s unique personality and their simplicity as dogs. No dogs were wearing clothing or dressed up as human “babies” which delighted me all the more.
Ms. Dawson drew the dogs owned by the “upperclass” so many of these sketches are of smaller dogs and most of them are in repose as I stated previously. Her short notes bring the sketches to life and the telling look in each dog’s eyes lets me know Ms. Dawson captured the essence of each individual canine.
I invite you to consider obtaining a copy of this lovely, simple book, Dogs As I See Them by Lucy Dawson, to enjoy our canines of yore in all the lovely elegance of their simplicity. It is available on Amazon.com among other online and offline bookstores, published by Harper Design.
Lastly, for the book connoisseurs out there in blogdom, to lend further to a classier time in book publishing, the book has a “ribbon” attached to bookmark your visits in the book – something that delights me to this day when I receive a book in like presentation!
I am very blessed to have been given the opportunity to review this book by being gifted a copy. I firmly believe readers that my fellow dog lovers reading this will be just as blessed by your own copy.
Until next time…
Have a positively tail waggin’, NATUROPATHICALLY healthy day!
Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath as well as being certified in small animal nutrition, with years of experience in animal wellness. Dr. Kim is a published author, writer, and blogger. Subscribe to her DOGgone Newsletter for updates or to her blog via email. Copyright ©2005-2024 Aspenbloom Pet Care, Dr. Kim Bloomer, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. This article is intended to be educational. However, it is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified animal health professional. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Aspenbloom Pet Care, do not assume any legal responsibility for misuse of the products discussed in this article. The only essential oils referenced on this website are Young Living.
