Canvassing All Dog Owners

Michael Tutson, 22, painted two leashed bulldogs on a black-and-white tile floor. (WSVA/Arts Connection)

Animal portraiture is a decorating staple practically as old as decorating, from dogs sculpted on ancient Babylonian bas relief and depicted in Roman mosaics to packs of hounds and hunters captured on canvas by Victorian painters.

Today, 20 young artists are refreshing the tradition, creating canine likenesses for a gallery exhibition next month in downtown Washington. The portraits are being painted from photos submitted by owners eager to immortalize their pedigreed pooches or lovable mutts: a dog curled up in its water bowl, another lounging on a sofa, a pair of bulldogs astride a checked tile floor, a basset hound with ears akimbo.

And if your own dog -- or cat, parrot, ferret or other pet -- is worthy of an original artwork, these painters are happy to oblige.

The project is the latest in a series of shows by the ARTiculate Employment Training Program, part of the WVSA Arts Connection, a nonprofit organization formerly known as Washington Very Special Arts. Students with special needs, ages 15 to 25, are learning job, life and social skills while contributing to the show, titled "Every Dog Has Its Day: Celebrating Our Canine Companions."

"Everybody loves dogs," said gallery and design manager Samar Modonpour. "I brought together everyone who is involved -- students, teachers -- and someone suggested dogs. The kids thought it was very cool."

The paintings evoke naive or "outsider" art, because they are created by "kids who have a continuum of disabilities, verbal and non-verbal skills, who are considered developmentally disabled to gifted," said L. Lawrence Riccio, WVSA president.

"Outsider art is basically 'unschooled eye,' but because this is a learning environment, a lot of this is mediated with an instructor," he said. "Obviously we come up with a theme, because not only do we do this as a therapeutic thing . . . it's all about trying to teach kids skills and abilities that they need to survive and prosper in the community when school is over."

It's also about developing art the public will buy; the artists keep 30 percent of the sale price. Paintings up to 16 by 20 inches are $150; works measuring three feet square are $300.

"I had second thoughts when they said it was going to be a dog show," said artist Dorhan Francis, 21, who is painting two pooches lolling on a deck. He joined ARTiculate five years ago and now works at the gallery, where he does framing, sales and graphic design.

"Once I sold my first painting, I kind of got addicted to dishing out artwork," Francis said.

WVSA ARTiculate Gallery, 1100 16th St. NW. To order a portrait in time to hang in the show, which opens Nov. 16, order by Nov. 1; to receive it in time for the holidays, order by Nov. 16. Call 202-261-0204 or visithttp://wvsarts.kintera.org/dogs.