Mozart Dane
Painting with his paws
By Abigail Hartung |
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Mozart is definitely a rare breed. This five-year-old Harlequin Great Dane has made quite the career for himself rendering fine-art paintings, brushing each impressionistic stroke with his broad Danish paws. He makes occasional appearances at the Gallery Hop in the Short North, and his artwork has been displayed at Three Dog Bakery and Mac Worthington Gallery, as well as many community art shows.
Mozart's life did not begin so auspiciously, however. Born in a puppy mill, he was then purchased from the Ohio Amish Dog Auction, but his original owners shortly dropped him off at the county pound. Harlequin Haven Great Dane Rescue stepped in and gave Mozart a permanent home.
This noble dog made it his mission to educate the public about the abuse and neglect of dogs in puppy mills, and to advocate for all pets to be spayed and neutered. The sale of his paintings at exhibitions and through the Rescue's website helps raise much needed funds to support the homeless dogs at the Rescue. Mozart has also donated paintings to auctions for several other charity groups.
In 2005, volunteers at the Rescue helped 50 of the dogs create paint paw prints on paper for a fundraiser sale. Most of the dogs did not enjoy dipping their paws in paint, but for Mozart this was a pivotal moment: he discovered he had both a knack and a passion for art. From his first paintings, which were minimalist paw-print arrangements on paper, his work has developed over the past few years into complex color patterns on canvas. Mozart now has his own studio room to work in, with a luxurious setup. Volunteers at the Rescue assist Mozart in setting up his paints. He selects the colors for each piece from his boxes of non-toxic acrylic paints, and the volunteers pour the paint onto paper plates and set out the canvas. The studio must be totally quiet for Mozart to concentrate on his work. He lounges on a futon mattress while painting by dipping his paws into the pigments and placing them on the canvas.
While Mozart's artistic process might seem like a recipe for a huge mess, he is surprisingly neat about his craft. Kathy, a volunteer at the Rescue, said that he typically wipes some of the paint off onto his futon after finishing a piece and is then happy to romp outdoors where the water-based paint comes off easily in the grass.
One of Mozart's paintings
Photos courtesy of: Harlequin Haven Great Dane Rescue
Though dogs are typically thought to be color blind, Kathy thinks this may not be the case with Mozart.
"He goes through spurts of being fond of certain colors. Lately it's been creams, yellows, purples, and reds," she said. "Mo definitely seems to tell the difference between colors - he knows if you try to switch the colors while he's painting."
The Harlequin Haven Great Dane Rescue has many dogs, including Danes, other purebreds, and mixes, which are available for adoption to qualifying homes, but Mozart is not one of them. His early years left him quite traumatized by the time he reached the caring hands of the Rescue. He had many issues in the beginning, and thus was chosen to be a permanent resident of the Rescue's Dog Sanctuary at the home of director Dale Bath. Even now, Mozart occasionally has a panic attack while out in public. Though his emotional scars are healing, the volunteers bring along a stretcher to events just in case he needs to be carried.
Despite his anxiety, Mozart enjoys playing with other dogs and mingling with humans. As the spokes-dog for the Rescue, he often does public painting demonstrations and appears at art shows.
The summer months have been quite busy for Mozart, exhibiting at juried art shows throughout the state and attending Gallery Hop. He does not currently have any Columbus events scheduled, but will likely return to Gallery Hop sometime this fall.
Many dogs with backgrounds similar to Mozart's do not have the good fortune of finding a permanent, loving home. Mozart encourages anyone ready to add a canine companion to his or her life to adopt a homeless dog from a shelter or rescue organization, rather than purchasing a puppy from a pet store or irreputable breeder.
If you're looking for a truly remarkable piece of artwork, please visit Mozart's web page. He'll be wagging his tail in excitement, knowing that his work continues to help his friends at the Rescue.
Mozart Dane
Harlequin Haven Great Dane Rescue
11567 State Route 774
Bethel, Ohio
(937) 379-2231
www.hhdane.com/mozart
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Originally Published: September 1, 2009
