Creation of Collaboration – Hands of Dog and Pig

Charlotte is an almost 4 year potbelly pig. When she was almost 1, (I’ve had her since she was a tiny baby), she was stung by a wasp 3 times on her left eyelid while enjoying her time in her muddy wallow. It caused her eyelid to permanently droop, & while she can still see, she is slightly visually impaired in that eye.
But that doesn’t stop her from doing fun piggy enrichment activities…like painting!! I began painting with Charlotte as a creative outlet for her in November, 2021.
Pigs thrive on enrichment, & activities to keep them from becoming bored are highly encouraged. Pigs are incredibly smart, having the emotional intelligence of a 3yr old child, so they thrive physically, mentally, & emotionally when their brains are stimulated & they have something to do.
Charlotte’s intro to painting.. Laying some poster board down & putting a few different sized canvases on top, I dabbled some paint & sprinkled some Cheerios & granola around, in hopes it would encourage her to paint. Charlotte took right to it, investigating this new activity, sniffing, walking in it, then eventually rolling around. She really put her whole body into it, & that has become her signature style & move; the full body roll! The results were both surprising & amazing!! Animal abstract art, that is absolutely unique & wonderful. The world was just coming out of the COVID lockdowns & returning to normal, & I wanted to do something different, that would make people smile, that would allow people to see the intellect, & talent!, of these wonderful, sentient creatures: pigs. So I entered her art into our local & big county fair, as well as two other local fairs. She was entered into the fine arts/mixed media division – mixed media, due to the Cheerios & granola that are included in her artworks. AND CHARLOTTE WON. First place in the first fair, first place in the second, high awards & ribbons in the third!!! She was then featured on the front page of a local newspaper, where a major television news station got wind of it, & interviewed her. CBS Sacramento did a televised story on her & her award winning art, & that story went all over the WORLD. Charlotte has since sold artwork across the US, throughout Canada, & even in Europe, with Germany, Holland, & England being a few of the countries! But with her art platform, it was a main purpose of ours to give back, to do fundraisers, to do charity events, etc. After the devastating fires in Lahaina, Maui, HI, Charlotte raised money through her art for not only the Maui Humane Society, but also for the Maui Pig Sanctuary, raising almost $1,000! To be included as a guest artist in this fundraiser, The Tripawds Dog Art Auction, is one of her biggest achievements & honors of her career, & we are so thrilled to be a part. We thank you all so much, & we hope you enjoy her art as much as she enjoyed making it!