«Pets friendly»

Around 1762 George Stubbs painted Whistlejacket, a rearing horse shown life-size against a plain ground, with no scenery and no rider. It now hangs in the National Gallery in London. I kept wondering what happens when such a grand picture meets the animals who actually live in the house, and that question is where this piece of dog pop art begins.

The clash between the picture on the wall and the pets on the stairs is the starting point of the painting.

On the left, in a thick, textured yellow frame, hangs a picture of two horses mating on a pink ground. Around it the wall is deep blue and black, crossed by a net of raised relief lines like seams. On the right a bright blue staircase climbs out of the frame. On its steps a white dog, a ginger dog and a cat are relieving themselves, each on its own step. A few small blocks of red, blue and yellow float on the wall.

Those blocks nod to Mondrian's Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow of 1930. Since the 1970s William Wegman has photographed his Weimaraners in very human situations, and I like the same mix of tenderness and deadpan here.

Every rental listing says pets are welcome, and this is the small print nobody reads. I wanted this dog pop art funny, not cruel: the horses in the frame are culture, the animals below are the real residents. It is an original pop art painting with raised relief, and it would make sense in a host's hallway as art for short-term rentals with a sense of humour.

Oil and acrylic on canvas, 120 x 90 cm, 2024, from my collection Good luck have fun. Most of my original paintings are already in private collections, but I paint originals to order in any size. To ask about this one, message me on Instagram or by email. There is also a hand-finished lithograph of it, and orders go through Instagram or email.