OT: Norche, The Painting Scottish Terrier....
Slimpickins
Artistic terrier paws way to fame
By JIM LAWLEY
The Associated Press
2/24/01 12:18 PM
The Decatur Daily
DECATUR,Ala. (AP) -- Pause and contemplate the work of Decatur artist
Norche. Never heard of her?
She's pawing her way to fame, one canvas at a time.
This artist doesn't use brushes when she paints. Instead, she uses her feet.
Norche, you see, is a 12-year-old Scottish terrier. She dips her paws into
watercolors and creates artwork on posterboard.
And she has a great time doing it, says her owner, Bettina Rister, 27, of
Decatur.
Perhaps Norche's inspiration comes from the dog treats that Ms. Rister holds
in front of her. Or maybe it's her master's voice that entices her to walk
over the posterboard.
Regardless of her motivation, the canine's works are considered good enough
that Ms. Rister has sold four of them since the pooch turned into a
four-footed Van Gogh.
They also were good enough to spark the interest of producers of Animal
Planet channel's "Breed All About It." A crew spent a couple days last week
filming a story about Norche (pronounced Nor-shee).
Animal Planet is one of five Discovery Communications Inc. channels that
include Discovery Channel and Travel Channel.
Late Feb. 15, Norche was pooped after shooting several scenes, including
some of one of her painting sessions. That's when producer Todd Skougor and
videographer Fred Garcia called it a wrap.
"We'd hate to be responsible for giving an elderly dog a heart attack,"
Skougor said. "That wouldn't be a good for our image.
"Everybody has dogs that hunt or jump in the water and catch fish, but there
are not many dogs out there that do this," he said of Norche's painting
talent.
Skougor said the show's research staff learned about Norche through Ms.
Rister's Web page about her dog and her organization, Scottish Terrier
Rescue of North Alabama.
Skougor, who contracts filming for the show through his company, Rocket
Pictures of Littleton, Colo., said he's done hundreds of profiles on dogs
during the five years the show has been on the air.
In its 26 annual episodes, "Breed All About It" highlights different dogs in
short segments during the 30-minute show. Norche probably won't be seen on
the show until late summer or early fall, he said.
Ms. Rister got the idea to let Norche cut loose artistically when she found
out about an all-breed dog rescue organization that sold paintings made by
dogs as a moneymaking effort.
"Norche's impressions are a little different than just definite paw prints,
because her breed causes her to have more fuzzy feet," Ms. Rister said. "So
you've got these wisps and strings in her paintings. Most of the time she
uses her feet; sometimes she'll get in there and roll around in it."
Norche's studio is a dog grooming shop behind the home of Ms. Rister's
mother. She spreads out clear plastic tarp on the floor, squirts globs of
paint round the edges of posterboard, and lets Norche do her thing.
"It's good that the tub that we wash dogs in is nearby," Ms. Rister said.
"It's almost like washing out a paintbrush when she's through."
Norche's paintings, which Ms. Rister calls Paw-tistic Impressions, cost
between $25 and $80 each. Proceeds benefit Scottish Terrier Rescue of North
Alabama, which Ms. Rister operates with help from fellow dog lovers.
The organization matches potential owners of the breed with abandoned dogs.
Scottish terriers are stubborn dogs that may need extra discipline and
training, she said. Ms. Rister rescues and finds new homes for about three
dogs a year.
She's caring for and trying to find a home for a 14-year-old Scottish
terrier, named McKenna, whose owner died a few months ago.
On the Net:
www.home.hiwaay.net/~bar /pawtistic.html.
debby
shown in museums sometimes. I can't remember its name right off the cuff right
now. Debby S.<sarg...@infi.net>