Dog Portraits by Jonathan Blum

Park Slope artist Jonathan Blum celebrates twenty-five years of residency in his 5th Avenue storefront space in Brooklyn; a 40-year painting retrospective; and his 60th birthday this week at Arts Gowanus.

Jonathan is best known for his realistic and fictitious — often whimsical — portrait paintings. His dog portraits, in particular, have gained attention for their unique style, sometimes depicting pooches balancing objects on their heads.

His work includes murals, Judaica, ketubot, and hand-colored silkscreen prints. He’s done this all while based in a storefront studio in Park Slope for more than two decades.

As Jonathan told Brooklyn Paper a while back , setting up shop in the storefront more than twenty years ago “was the most important decision that I ever made as an artist… I had just moved from Washington, DC to Brooklyn and I was thinking, ‘What have I done? The last thing New York needs is another artist.’ But once the storefront opened, it all changed.”

With a sign on the door reading “Open by appointment, and by luck,” the space has attracted neighbors and art lovers alike, becoming an essential stop in the creative life of the neighborhood.

Urban Dog had a chance to ask Jonathan about his work, especially… the dogs!

Ollie with his Owner's Favorite Bottle of  Scotch Whiskey, 24" x 20", 2022

URBAN DOG:  Why do you paint dog and animal portraits? When did you start?

JONATHAN: It started with a fictitious dog I started to paint in the late 1990s. Soon after, that dog became a popular subject matter for me. Then I began to paint different things on its head, like fruit, balls, stuff animals, wine bottles, etc. 

When I moved to New York City in 2000, Barnes & Noble discovered me while I was selling on Union Square and commissioned me to paint different versions of this dog for notecards. Because they were good sellers, cat paintings were commissioned too.  

From there, I started to paint realistic dogs and then the commissions started coming. Of course, it was in my signature style with different objects painted on my subject’s heads.  

Hazel Thinking About a Ball, Oil on Canvas, 2017

URBAN DOG:  Do you have a special relationship with dogs? Do you have a dog yourself?

JONATHAN: Yes, I love dogs and there really hasn’t been a time in my life when I didn’t have one. I grew up with Schnauzers. After I graduated college, my girlfriend and I broke up and I ended up inheriting our Cocker Spaniel named Eleanor. During my entire twenties, I had this dog. We lived in New Orleans, Washington DC, and NYC, and travelled everywhere together. My family currently has a Cockapoo named Lucca who loves eating toilet paper! 

Two Dogs Being Protected by Marvel Comics Characters, Oil on Wood, 2022

URBAN DOG:  Your pet portraits are pretty whimsical, what are you saying with your dog portraits? In other words… what’s going on with the dogs balancing objects on their heads!?

JONATHAN: I started painting things on people’s heads when I was selling in Jackson Square in New Orleans when a family commissioned me to paint their family portrait with their favorite fruit on their heads. I tried to talk them out of it because I wanted to be a serious artist when I was in my twenties and this felt so silly. But I begrudgingly did it and it turned out surprisingly well. After that, a friend of theirs commissioned a family portrait with their favorite foods on their heads. And that’s how this crazy idea started. I have always embraced humor in my art, so this was ultimately a natural path for me to take.  

But the idea is still so rich for me. There are countless directions each portrait can take. Sometimes, what’s on my subject’s head can be random or heartbreaking. For example, I just painted a dog with a tattered tiger stuffed animal on his head that the dog has had since he was a puppy, and he never sleeps without it. The owners have sewn it up many times throughout the years. 

Belle Thinking About a Squirrel, monoprint, 2021

URBAN DOG: What media do you use? 

JONATHAN: I use every medium: watercolors, oil, acrylic, monoprints, etc. Most of my pet portraits are oil on wood. 

URBAN DOG: Do you take commissions?  If so, what is the lead time? 

JONATHAN: I currently have a five-month waiting list. And because I can be a little choosier now, I only paint dogs (and cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, pigs, etc.) that I can meet in person. It makes the portrait significantly more powerful when I can spend some time with my subject. 

A Dog Goes to Heaven, Oil on Wood, 2008

The big birthday celebration and art exhibit starts this week.

The opening night party is Thursday, June 19 at Arts Gowanus. The exhibition then runs from June 20 through July 6. Gallery hours are 2:00 to 7:00 daily. It is located at Gowanus Wharf, 240 3rd Ave. Brooklyn, NY. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Click here for more info.

Jonathan Blum Painting a Mural at the Nu Hotel in Downtown Brooklyn

JONATHAN: I’ve never sought out press. I've been in a lot of gallery shows, but I've never had a gallery represent me. I've just been thinking about my art. I've sold in New Orleans on the streets, in Jackson Square, in Washington, DC and in Berlin and Prague. And I've always kind of just gone to the street, and I make a living—a good living this way, actually — because people generally like to buy from the artist. But after 40+ years working as a professional, I do think it’s okay to take stock and have a retrospective like this. I’m grateful to the people at Arts Gowanus for giving me this opportunity to exhibit a retrospective which represents forty years of my work.

You can learn more about Jonathan on his website, jonathanblumportraits.com.

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