Mollie March 31st, 2008 Note , Show

Puppies are Biodegradable Artist Statement
I started working on pieces for this show to help raise awareness about the horrors that go on in Puppy Mills. In the beginning I knew bad things were happening, I’d heard rumors, but I wasn’t really prepared to see for myself. The research for this show was the most gruesome and difficult thing I’ve ever done for my art. There were many times when I had to force myself to keep going, and several of the images will haunt me forever. It has made such an impression on me that I feel it is important to share my newfound knowledge through my art.

I had several concepts for the pieces in this show, many of which didn’t make it to fruition. Below are some comments about each piece.

Many of the puppy mill puppy images that I found were emaciated and pathetic. With the “Puppy Skeletons” I wanted to take that a step further. The colors, looseness of the drawing, and background were intended to create an eerie atmosphere, almost like the subjects had just been excavated. It was important to me that people see the ultimate results of puppy mills.

“St. Bernard Rescue Dog” was originally created to promote hope, but the mood in the painting suggests otherwise. It was created with the idea in mind that there is already a lot being done to help the cause, but more help is needed. There is only so much that a St. Bernard with a keg full of medical supplies can do.

This last piece was the most challenging to pull off. “Scenic Puppy Mill” depicts this Utopian place where puppies are raised and loved before being adopted out. It’s only once you notice something isn’t quite right with the image, that you really see the full picture. This piece depicts the face that puppy mills put on to the public, when in reality only horrors lie within.