Snacking Dog #17

McCord Painting, 1990

48 x 53 in (122 x 135 cm)

ID #JTM-Z-17

A dog munches on an orange dog treat. The black dots of the dog suggest he is a dalmatian, but the mysterious hooves that are where his paws should be suggest he is something stranger. The ambiguous form of the dog suits his surreal setting: the grass is blue and the sky is purple. It is as if it is all a dream.

Whenever asked about his work, renowned folk artist Jake McCord would always insist painting was a hobby for him, a supplement to his full-time job. Indeed, for 40 years McCord worked as the groundskeeper for Thomson, Georgia, where he soon became a local celebrity thanks to his hard-work and bright, "jolly" paintings. These paintings were showcased on his porch, where McCord said they kept him company. McCord was insistent that each piece be displayed on his porch until "it was ready to go," and only then could it be sold. Common subject matter for McCord's humorous paintings were dogs, cats, and portraits of women with prominent hairdos. These figures would be painted on large plywood boards, oftentimes with a nail hole on the top of the board from where McCord would hang his pieces. McCord passed away in 2011, and his work has since been featured at the House of Blues in Florida, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center in Virginia, as well as in many private collections.

Artist: Jake McCord

Year: 1990

JTM-#17-FIRSTFLOORLEVEL

2500-5000 American bold colorful contemporary art dalmatian dog eating folk art Georgia paint pets pine trees size-48x53 South surreal