Eyes of a Blue Dog – memories and dreams in painting

Purpose of the Painting

Before making a decision to engage in any activity, ask yourself a crucial question: why?
You may not find a definite answer, but a vague desire may arise. Listen to this desire and give it a meaning. Do not seek the meaning of life; it is something ascribed by humanity. The meaning lies in what you do.

- Anatoli Gostev Jr.

If you’ve decided to paint, there is meaning in the act of painting itself. Then ask: what do I want to depict? What will the painting convey? Once again, I turn to my own subtle desires.

Intention to Begin Working

I recall the memory of Charlie, my dog. I was six years old when we got him. He grew up to be the biggest collie in town and turned out to be remarkably intelligent. Charlie lived for 15 years as a member of our family, understanding everything without words, accepting our love, and giving us his. Thirty years after his passing, I remembered him and thought he was smarter than many people speaking from podiums today. And I thought: let me paint him. A collie.

The Painting Process

I started shaping my dog. Then I remembered Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s beautiful story - "Eyes of a Blue Dog." Although it’s not about a dog, the title is beautiful. It’s a story about a man and a woman who meet in a dream, and the phrase "Eyes of a Blue Dog" serves as a key to help them find each other in reality. So... I decided to paint the dog blue, because there are already plenty of dogs in standard colors in this world.

Creating the composition, I think about where this dog will be located and what pose it will be in. Will the dog be lying down, sleeping, running, or waiting? I want the dog to be waiting for me. When I open the door to my home, it will be there in the hallway, waiting for me.

Then I think about where in the world this place would be, in which region. And I decide my dog will be waiting at the entrance of the Bay of Kotor in a town called Herceg Novi. I like the town, the country, and that place in particular. So I place the dog there. I understand how to structure the composition and direct the lines, highlighting the dog. Since people’s eyes tend to scan from left to right, the objects in the painting and the southern plant lead the viewer’s gaze to the dog. Instead of a watering can, it could be a suitcase, but a watering can better guides the eye, and you don’t water plants from a suitcase.

Behind the dog, on the right, there’s a line that stops the composition. It’s symbolically marked. In the corner, there might be a moon, and I don’t need to draw craters to depict a moon. Between the watering can and the dog, there might be another plant, possibly a cubist sunflower. I take note of beautiful accidental details and leave them. I see what has worked, what hasn’t, and I ponder what to do next to reach one goal.

The Purpose of Creating the Painting

I am creating this painting with one goal: to convey positive emotions, for the dog to be there, waiting to greet me. That’s its purpose. Such is the goal and the game.

I started working on this painting in 2017, paused, and resumed in 2021. I’m in no rush and can continue working on it for another ten years if I want. Whenever I feel it. I might finish it in two days, or it might take twenty years. Or the next hundred and fifty.

When I invest my thoughts and emotions into the painting, you can be sure they will remain embedded in the canvas. Moreover, I can interact with these emotions within the canvas. I can draw out my own emotions, reinterpret them within myself, refine them, and place them back onto the canvas. Making these emotions purer, more professional, more comprehensible. And the viewer, when seeing these clearer emotions, will feel them more purely. This is the essence of the artistic craft—to pack the right, pure emotions into this “can.” Composition, color, and thought—all these elements form part of one game. And if this combination succeeds, then the painting could become a masterpiece.

The Signature

The painting is signed on the back with the title "Eyes of a Blue Dog," the year 2017, and the signature and official stamp of the dynasty.

Auction Experiment

The painting "Eyes of a Blue Dog" is listed at auction with updated photos as it progresses, along with the following game rules:

• An auction participant can propose their own price for the painting at any stage of its creation.
• The artist sets, and may increase or decrease, the reserve price.
• The recommended price is set by the artist at 130,000 USD.

Thus, the price of the painting at auction continually rises or falls based on the artist's discretion.

Potential buyers can contact the artist and suggest their price.