20 Years of Painting Dogs

20 years is a long time...

Did you know we didn't have digital cameras back then? We had to shoot negative film and cross our fingers that the image would turn out. The color - OMG - may luck prevail. And, dates were not automatically put on your file as they are today in the computer age. So when you go back and look at color prints - you find yourself asking, "when in the h@#! did I take that shot?????

My 20 Year Retrospective is underway and will be on our site soon - as a work in progress....

Burns Holiday Art for Sweeden!

The editor for Hundis, a dog rescue association in Sweden is using this image:

12 Dog Days of Christmas

I am sure we are all familiar with the twelve days of Christmas, but now there are 12 DOG days. We've had a little fun here at Burns Studio coming up with 12 ways for you to save, give and enjoy this holiday season - Burns style.

So, for the next 12 days starting today, Monday the 29th of November through December 14th* we are doing daily specials. You can see them all here in one convenient place, but you can only take advantage of each day's special for just 24 hours and then off they go.

Now sit back and sort through all the specials, find the one that's right for you - and - well, Happy Holidays to You from all of at Burns Studio!!!

Burns Version of Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Why should we get discounts and savings for just a couple of days? We extend ours for nearly two months leading up to the Holidays!! Check it out - and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Rufus ABC's

I am sure that by now, if you know me, you know Rufus - that handsome lil’ character shown above and also the inspiration for my painting and philanthropic career. Well now he is at the center [literally] of a new program I am announcing today. My sweet Rufus' image, that I painted as an original, will be printed on a blank canvas, and then I will paint on/around (in art vocabulary that’s called embellish) the rest of the canvas in a theme related to each specific letter of the alphabet. Get it? Rufus' ABC's!



This concept is a first for me! So, let me expand on the process... it is part limited edition and part original. The edition part of these pieces makes them more economical yet the original part allows you the opportunity to have a large (30 x 30) Burns piece on your wall that you can actually see all the brushstrokes and vividness associated with my hand-painted, signature style!

You can see black and white and a few color sketches of all the pieces here, now. Next you’ll see the rest of the color sketches going up as I complete them. And, finally we will post all the paintings as they are finished.

Please take a minute to check them out. I hope you enjoy the images, the titles - alliterations - and the images of my boy Rufus. I think they would make a great birthday, anniversary, mother's or father's day gift or be the perfect image for a baby or kid's room - pick "your" letter before it's gone!

Best,
Ron
Rufus' Dad

New Contest!

Now THIS is exciting! To generate excitement about Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, which is the entire month of October, I am hosting a contest called "Reading Rufus Rhymes to Rover." This contest basically asks you to record yourself reading a lullaby from Rufus Rhymes to your adopted dog and record it. Then, post it to You Tube and let me know! The winning video will be determined by a panel of dog lovers. But the best part is the prize... a COMMISSIONED PET PORTRAIT of your shelter dog! Can you believe it? I will actually paint your dog! That's a prize worth about $30,000!

For more info go here: http://ronburns.com/contest/

And good luck all!

On Montel Across America Today!

I was so excited to be interviewed by Montel Williams today on his national radio show Montel Across America! Although we talked about Sirius, the only known canine casualty of 9/11, I loved that Montel wanted the interview to be on the upbeat side by talking about how the print of my painting of Sirius raises money to help train dogs to be just like Sirius. I want everyone to remember what a true American hero this dog was! To hear the interview go here... http://airamerica.com/content/montel-ron-burns.

Here's a picture of me, the Sirius painting and Emma.


Let's all take a moment to reflect and remember this day and all it means to the people of the great city of New York and our great country...

Vick - Just Quick

I have so many things I want to talk about, but so little time! Who says being an artist is easy?!?!

The first thing on my mind is something that's been all over the news today - Michael Vick. I asked my Facebook friends what they thought, and got a lot of different responses, like...

• I don't believe for a minute that he is sorry for what he has done, I think he is sorry he got caught.
• I will protest the NFL if that man ever plays football again. My son is a huge football fan and thinks they are all heroes and he is NO HERO!!
• Frankly, he did the cause against dogfighting an awful lot of good. Counties across the country who used to look the other way actively began going after dogfighters, and dogfighting busts were way up in the year that followed his arrest.
• My thoughts about Michael Vick being released are not printable, or suitable for minors.
• I am wasting absolutely no effort on this scumbag, he deserves no thought or time from anyone.

I knew asking my friends (who are some of the biggest, best animal welfare advocates in the country) about Vick would probably not solicit the most optimistic opinions, but I tend to agree with my friend Diane who said, "keeping him in prison doesn't fix the problem of dog fighting... "

Personally, when I first heard about Vick's arrest and the charges, I was horrified. Directly after I heard, I called my friends at The Humane Society of the United States and we developed a program to help, called Prize, Not Fighter.



I agreed to use my artwork on a t-shirt to support actions to stop dog-fighting. To see our efforts and/or show your support, visit http://www.ronburns.com/philanthropy/prizenotfighter/index.html. What those dogs went through is absolutely revolting, and it's our job as animal-lovers to stop it.

For me, I take the latest Vick news as an excuse to refocus, regenerate, and look towards the future. I have never been so steadfast in my goal that every dog and cat finds what they deserve - a loving furever home.

I promise my next entry will be MUCH more upbeat... it'll be about my new book, Rufus Rhymes and even a sneak peak!

Dogs of Valor Awards - Win a Limited Edition

I was so happy when The Humane Society of the United States asked me to be a judge for their 2nd Annual Dogs of Valor Awards. I don't think I'm allowed to say who received my votes, because all are winners in my book. All the dogs up for the award are absolutely amazing and deserve awesome amounts of recognition.

If you'd like to have a say, visit http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/dog_of_valor/second_annual/peoples_hero_award.html and cast your vote. Plus, one lucky voter will receive my limited edition of Sirius, the dog of valor who lost his life on 9/11.

InsPAWration - The Funny Things Animals Do

As you probably know by now, I'm hard at work on my new book. My first book The Dogs of Ron Burns took a serious tone as it highlighted working dogs, like those that do search and rescue. This book, titled Rufus Rhymes, will be much lighter as the book's imagery is inspired by the playful and everyday humorous anecdotes everyone with animals in their home sees on a daily basis.

Here are a few of my favorite animal related funnies...

From The Onion: Dog Experiences Best Day of His Life for 400th Consecutive Day
"SANTEE, CA—Family dog Loki experienced the best day of his life for the 400th straight day Monday, the black Labrador retriever reported. "I got to go outside! I got to sniff the bush!" Loki said, wagging excitedly. "I saw a squirrel and I barked at it and it ran up the tree! Then I came back inside, and the smoky-smelling tall man let me have a little piece of bacon and then I drank from the toilet!" Loki will experience the best day of his life once again tomorrow, when he digs a hole, chews on a slipper, and almost catches his tail"
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/32953

From an E-mail a Collector Sent: The Diaries

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary....

8 AM - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 AM - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 AM - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 AM - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5 PM - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
10 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a cat's diary....

Day 983 of my captivity - My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfect clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Damn them!

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now....

Photo Album of Me Painting Murals

As I said in an earlier post, I spent some time about a month ago painting murals at The Humane Society of Silicon Valley. Finally, I've gotten around to posting pictures of the event to my Facebook page. Here is a public link to see them, http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10958&id=1663877814&l=1c5163ecb5. Otherwise, if you'd like to become my friend and fan on Facebook, you can keep updated that way as well!

HSSV

My mural in the socialization room of The Humane Society of Silicon Valley

After this past week, I’m so glad that I finally have the opportunity to sit down and update everyone. It was non-stop painting, fund raising, and go, go, going, so writing to the world via my blog seems almost like a vacation!

For three days at the end of February, I traveled to the Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV) to paint in their new Animal Community Center, which is the FIRST “green” shelter in America. After years of fund raising, planning, and building, the facility is almost complete. Even through the construction I could see what an AMAZING place it’s going to be for animals and their people. Beyond a place where people can adopt animals, it also has an animal-friendly café, dog park, veterinary clinic, and doggy daycare, among other things.

The rooms that the dogs stay in while up for adoption are bright, spacious, and best of all cage less! Adding to the brightness, I painted a portrait in each of the eight rooms, which surround a common area called the “socialization room.” I also painted a mural in this room as well – one of my favorites, a dog on a bright green couch!

Check out my pictures and I’ll post more on the rest of my weekend later this week!

Painting a Basset Hound in one of the rooms where dogs stay until they find their furever home.

Three paintings in three of the rooms at the HSSV

25 Things about My Dogs

The newest thing on Facebook is to write 25 things about yourself, but I'm really not that interesting, so I had "my girls" (AKA my dogs Emma and Logan) tell you 25 things about themselves. Trust me, it is WAY more interesting than I could ever be. To check them out, visit my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ron-Burns/50976005714. And, let me know about the funny things your dog does!

Slum DOG Millionaire

Buff and I love going to the movies. This past weekend, we went out and saw Slumdog Millionaire. It's Buff's pick for best movie of the year. I thought it was really great too. Of course having the word dog in the title automatically makes my ears perk! The rags to riches story reminded me a lot of so many dogs in shelters across the country. They go from wandering the streets, to being rich in love when they find their furever homes. Great movie and I definitely give it two paws up!