About the Artist, Tara McGovern

I don't know how to express it. I'm completely in love with dogs. Always have been.

I have an affinity for a certain painting style - 15th century Flemish - which I have admired for decades. I've used it to paint portraits of people, including self-portraits. It only made sense, then, that at some point in my life, I would combine the style I love so much with the subject matter I love so much, then expand it in my own way. The elements in my paintings are more modern and the color schemes more vibrant than the Flemish style. I want each painting to be juicy, with detail, volume, depth, and personality.

The marriage of this subject and style creates a whimsy all its own. I don't paint to be whimsical - it's a by-product of the motif. To me, every dog, not just those I paint, has a story and a unique personality. Each dog has so much to say, and there's a never ending supply of dogs I want to paint. I want to paint multiple versions of each breed, but there are 162 breeds, and that's a lot of dogs! Whether funny, subdued, cranky, aggressive, shy, affectionate, or otherwise, I love them all, even feel their emotions - empathize with them. I feel connected to all animals, but especially dogs. I hold dogs in equal regard to humans in terms of how I relate to them. The paintings reflect this sentiment, as each exudes a sense of virtuousness.

My intention is not to anthropomorphize dogs. My intention is to get people to identify dogs as conscious, sensitive, emotional, caring, sentient creatures. If people, especially but not exclusively children, experience this deeper sense of the dogs, they may transfer this experience to their everyday encounters and relationships with dogs. This creates an appreciation of animals as complex and unique expressions of life, not simply toys or possessions for our entertainment. They deserve more care and consideration than we as humans tend to offer. To see the love in a dog's eyes for everything around it and for us as humans sparks a stronger sense of responsibility, much like we feel for babies.

Painting the dogs in a human context is no gimmick and no mistake. It's meant to celebrate and elevate them, to evoke a deeper sense of being in both dogs and humans. This motif accentuates their dogness while leaving just enough mystery to stir the imagination.