Art&Culture, Community
CROWDED HOUNDS
Holly Frean, hundreds of dogs, and the artist’s talent to make them sing.
s READ MORE
CLOSE
CLOSE
CROWDED HOUNDS
When British visual artist Holly Frean builds her ark, you can bet we’ll be there. The guestlist is our kind of crowd: blue bears, cute pandas, cultured pigs, self-assured gorillas—a real who’s who of the animal kingdom—and, of course, dogs. Our heaven sent, dearly beloved, desperately devoted goofballs reveal themselves as Frean’s favourite subjects. In 2018, the artist held her first solo exhibition, Holly’s Ark, featuring her now trademark ink-on-paper animals. Crowded into the frame, rows upon rows of curious beasts peer out at the viewer, beseeching us to throw a treat their way (or at least that’s what it looks like).“Dogs have taken over my studio this past couple of years,” says Frean. It’s a happy consequence of various exhibitions in which the artist has been invited to show. Each dog jockeying for prime position has worked hard to get there. “It’s more of a challenge to find multiple different ways to communicate ‘dog’ by swapping medium or brushes or palettes. The best bit is the edit phase, where I arrange the best studies into a grid comprising 50 or 100 dogs until I have a ‘Yes!’ moment. This is when I sense that all the dogs in the picture work together, everything is in balance, the dogs are all talking to one another, all the characters are weighted correctly, colours and tones serve a purpose and the whole thing sings.” A crowd of adorable dogs talking to each other? Where do we sign?
—
Holly Frean’s latest print, Dog Rainbow No.3, is raising funds from the NHS Together Charities and the RSPCA. Available to purchase from The Holly Frean Shop
—
Upcoming shows
Green&Stone Gallery, London, November 2021
Goodwood Kennels, West Sussex, May 2022
The Dog Show with Sally Muir and Jo Osbourne, Brighton, May 2022
—
All artwork courtesy of Holly Frean
hollyfrean.com
@hollyfrean
DOG-FRIENDLY: TAKE THE LEAD
We are thrilled to introduce Dog-Friendly, a collection of city guides for dog-loving people, created together with our long-time contributor, photographer Winnie Au, and fellow enthusiasts, indie publisher Hoxton Mini Press. Available for purchase here.
August 25, 2021
PACK OF DOGS
Have you ever imagined Amy Winehouse or Nick Cave as a Chihuahua, Neil Young as a Vizsla, or PJ Harvey as an Afghan hound? That’s exactly what San Francisco-based artist Michael Gillette has done through his unique illustration project, blending beloved, iconic music legends, both past and present, with their dog counterparts. Pack of Dogs, our first foray into book publishing, is a celebration of pup and pop culture for music and dog lovers alike.
August 25, 2020
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Spanish photographer Sara Monsalve strives to ‘capture your memories’—to immortalise the beauty, innocence and wisdom of our pets.
November 8, 2023
BETWEEN THE LINES
French artist Jochen Gerner distils the magic and energy of dogs using disarmingly simple techniques, relying on felt pens and school notebooks.
November 3, 2023
JUMP FOR JOY
Photographer Rebecca Rinaldi knows that to capture a dog’s true essence, play is the key ingredient.
July 13, 2023
PLAY DATE
An antidote to mass-produced dog accessories, MiaCara’s range of carefully crafted toys are designed to surprise, endure and delight.
July 12, 2023
REALLY GOOD DOGS
Photographer Randal Ford’s fierce clarity draws dogs’ personality to the fore to reveal each animal’s “true essence”.
June 8, 2023
JET SET PET
Moving your buddy from A to be B becomes an exercise in style, comfort and convenience with Cloud7’s Travel Collection.
June 2, 2023
NATURAL INSTINCT
In his series ‘Kinetic’, San Diego-based photographer James Lee celebrates dogs at full speed.
May 7, 2023
POODLE ELITE
Jouk Oosterhof photographs Amsterdam’s beloved family members (with a dash of lifestyle accessory).
May 3, 2023
TEAM EFFORT
What started as a fundraising effort to save photographer Kristoffer Paulsen’s beloved dog Josie, morphed into Melbourne’s most in-demand pet portraits.
March 31, 2023
KINGDOM OF HOUNDS
For decades, legendary Irish documentary photographer Tony O’Shea has captured the country’s annual drag hunt, and a country’s rich history along with it.
March 24, 2023
Loading more posts...