Four

Tough dog tales

BY Emma Guthrie, May 31, 2012

Michael Pratt is a storyteller. A pet storyteller if you will, whose life amongst the ‘counter culture’ of inner city Portland, USA, has lead him down an impressive artistic path. Inspired by the likes of Donald Roller Wilson and John Singer Sargent (amongst others), Pratt’s most recent works include his Tattoo’d Dogs series, where painted mutts tell tales through body art.

Born and raised in Roswell, New Mexico (that’s right, the Roswell), Pratt now resides with his wife in Portland, Oregon with “two rescue cats that have control issues”. Their beloved toy poodle Kirby (AKA Benito Poodlini) passed away recently, but the “big and stocky with an attitude” pet was definitely the kind you could imagine gracing Pratt’s canvasses.

Tattooing is common practice in Portland, and whilst sitting at a café one day, Pratt couldn’t help but notice 50 or so tattooed men and women across the street, as well as a striking French Bulldog. Inspiration hit, and thus the images of dogs with tattoos were born, depicting an “almost iconic image of Portland”. Says Pratt, “Tattooing, at its best, is a narrative of a person’s experiences and preferences. They tell the story of an individual. We tell our pet’s stories all the time. We see the characteristics that strike us (as) cute, funny, mean, ironic… to combine the two seemed only a logical extension of the thought. Let the animals tell their own stories through their tattoos.”

Each dog has a name and a story to tell (like Lucy, who ‘had that street dog flair about her’ and ‘had been around the block a few times’) and some even have a sci-fi bent to them, although this is not necessarily a nod to the mysterious Roswell/UFO brewhaha.

A typical piece begins with the animal itself. Pratt will photograph a dog that catches his eye, draw it onto a panel, then paint with acrylic, channeling his own self, from his sense of irony to his humour, into the piece. He says, “The whole character of the portrait and the choice of the tattoos develop as the painting develops. The whole thing comes to life as the image develops. The story becomes apparent through my involvement with the painting.”

The reaction from the public has been an eye opener for Pratt, who has enjoyed observing their interest in the convergence of cultures — passionate or not. “It has raised my awareness of how people relate to their pets, and to art that suggests they see them in a different light” he observes.

For now Pratt will continue to work on the Tattoo’d Dogs series, as well as other related projects; continuing to enhance and develop the works to new and different levels. We look forward to seeing what’s next.

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Artwork by Michael Pratt
To see more of Michael Pratt’s work, visit his site

Tags Art, Culture, Michael Pratt, Painting, Portland, Tattoos