Nathan Janes’s renderings of his dogs Button, left, and Zipper, right
In Part I, I introduced you to Pop ARF creator Nathan Janes. He discussed the business of Pop ARF, but in this section he gets a little more personal…in respect to how his work benefits others.
Courtney Mroch: What breeds are your dogs, Button and Zipper? How old are they?
Nathan Janes: I have two dogs Button a terrier mix and Zipper a beagle mix, which are both females.
Lets start with Button. When it comes to spoiled dogs, Button takes the cake. She loves being held, hugged, and kissed. If it were up to her, she would prefer being carried over walking. In our household, Button is the baby but always still the boss. She is a truly spoiled dog that gets her way and what she wants all the time. She loves the game of soccer and being the center of attention. She prefers sleeping next to me in bed with her head on the pillow next to mine.
Zipper is a real dog’s dog. She loves to chew bones and steal them away from other dogs. She loves to play fetch and especially loves to bark. She is always full of energy, particularly when meeting new dogs. Zipper is a bit obsessive compulsive and is infatuated with snacking on poopie in the back yard.
CM: Do they help you when you’re painting? (My dog and cats like to think laying around in the office with me is “helping.”)
NJ: My dogs help me by encouraging me to take short breaks in-between painting to stretch and to watch them chase squirrels in the backyard. They also inform me when the paper and mail have arrived. Sometimes if I work too late they will let me know by barking, indicating that it is time to stop working and time to start playing!
CM: Explain a little about the Animal Guardian Ribbon you designed with Rational Animal. How did you get involved in this?
NJ: I got involved because Susan Brandt, director of the organization knew of my work and approached me to design the pin. I think Rational Animal is an innovative organization and I was happy to help them in the great work that they do.
“The purpose of the ‘Animal Guardian Ribbon’ is to give people a symbol and conversation piece for their support of animals.” Executive Director of Rational Animal, Susan Brandt, introduced the concept in New York City in 2004.
The neon orange color was chosen because it matches the “Adopt Me” vests worn by homeless animals at public events and conveys the urgency of saving animals. Animal guardians (as opposed to owners) adopt from shelters and rescue organizations, spay and neuter their pets to reduce overpopulation and give love and care to all animals. “The orange ribbon is the only ribbon registered for animals with the United States Patent Office.”
The Animal Guardian ribbon campaign appealed to me because its messages about adoption, spaying and neutering are the same messages I attempt to convey in all of my artistic creations. When I designed the ribbon I really wanted to make it clear what the ribbon stood for even if someone had never seen it before so I added the paw print to the top. I think this really gave the Animal Guardian ribbon a unique look. In addition to the design of the ribbon I also completed a piece of artwork acknowledging the campaign.
My original artwork “Awaiting a Guardian” features a dog sporting an orange “Adopt Me” vest and an Animal Guardian ribbon attached to its collar. With one ear perked up and a look of eager anticipation, the dog has that “take me home” look that is all too familiar to animal lovers. “I donated the rights to the painting to Rational Animal to use on postcards, posters, whatever they need to further the campaign.” “If I sell the original, I will donate a portion back to the Animal Guardian ribbon campaign.”
To order your Animal Guardian Ribbon pewter pin, visit online or call Susan Brandt Executive Director of Rational Animal at 917-239-9229
CM: My favorite creation on your website has to be “Mutz: The Urban Wonderdog.” What’s yours?
NJ: Mine would be “Mutz: The Urban Underdog” as well. I love what she stands for and believe she could be more than just a hero to dogs, but also a hero to all us. With all the news these days about animal abuse, we need a symbol and character to help spread the word about the prevention of cruelty to animals and I think Mutz would make a great messenger for that cause.
CM: What sort of projects are next on your list? Got any new charities your art will help raise awareness for?
NJ: No current charities in the works just yet. I am currently creating a painting that will dig into the events of 9/11 and the original conspiracy that we were told about it. This painting will probably be dubbed “PUPaganda” and I will be known as a “CATspiracy theorist” for creating it, but I figure that’s a small price for making people think a little more. It is truly one of my most powerful and thought provoking paintings I will have created to date. I believe that “if one dog barks, the rest will listen.”
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