PET PORTRAIT PROJECT by Mike Geno

:A call for photographs of pets to be donated and used as references for a series of portrait paintings exhibited at High Wire Gallery in Philadelphia; April 4 through 27, 2003. Exhibition hours: Thurs & Fri : 12-6, Sat & Sun : 12-5

The production of these paintings is a collaboration between the anonymous pet owner (and their model, the anonymous pet) and myself as a painter. Sharing some of the aesthetic decision-making, by collecting reference images directly from the public, offers those usually excluded from the arts scene an invitation to become both patrons and spectators.

As a contemporary representational painter, I enjoyed the opportunity to indulge in the images of these pets. The amount of fun and humor they created for me and hopefully the public and pet owners alike, out weigh the risk of entering the territory of cliché or ‘tradition’. I wanted to create a visual display of how funny pets and the pet/owner relationships can be while at the same time, embrace a genuine affection.

Relating these subjects to fine art seemed consistent with my usual practice. I am interested in what people value and also how they value art. The concept of value appears to be directly linked to attitude, how people approach something or regard its role in society. It seems to me that there is a projected value onto art objects that are rooted in tradition and high seriousness while kitsch objects are often regarded as a part of another world and in another class of value. Pets have often represented a less serious and inevitably more human extension of ourselves, while obtaining a priceless status that any work of art would envy.

The intention for the Pet Portrait Project is to create dialogue and interaction with a public that places a great deal of value on its pets, while at the same time connecting to an art community with the optimistic expectation of new possibilities to have some fun.