Kerikeri artist’s doggieology a hit
If Kerikeri artist Angela Croft ever claimed to create her images in 3D, she would not be talking about three dimensions, but doggie digital doodles.
She calls it doggieology, and her depictions of canines of all shapes and sizes have grown to the extent that they now take up most of her time, and she is selling internationally from her website.
Her limited-edition prints are marketed via social media, while the Bay of Islands Trading Company in Russell displays her work in store. That’s in addition to the traditional pencil drawings she creates on commission.
Angela, a qualified high school art teacher, whose first degree was a BA in
Illustration, began drawing “doggieology” style just after she had completed a diploma in dog grooming.
“I was house-sitting in the UK, and as a small way of thanking each host I would do a free pencil drawing of one of their pets and would leave it behind when I moved on to the next house-sit,” she said.
“That helped meget more house-sits, and I ended up sitting consecutively for nearly a year.”
Doggieology began as something of an experiment, but she soon realised she had found a way of representing different kennel club breeds that was unique and contemporary, yet still gave her the opportunity to express her love of all things canine.
She works in collaboration with artist Lester Hall, who has helped her artistically and in terms of production and presentation to a business standard. The end result can be one-off portraits or limitededition prints. She has learned to create from what the owners tell her about the dog, and will look at several photos to get the feel, the personality, of the canine she is drawing.
Angela came to New Zealand from the UKin 2003 and lived in various places before “accidentally” moving north to Kerikeri, where she has upskilled her digital drawing talents via a business mentor who is an expert in digital art.
Where will it lead? She is not sure, but her artwork is gaining traction both here and overseas. What appeals to her is that the process is “carbonsensitive” because there is no air or vehicle freight required, no footprint destructive to the environment. And from doggieology could grow bovineinity, given that she recently drew a digital cow. And cats might be amewsing. Indeed, the whole animal kingdom beckons, and new words could enter the lexicon.