Artist Paints A Brighter Side To Dog Pound

By Kendra Bobowick

Goldie is an escape artist, said Robert Lee Harris, III. Laughing, he walked behind the dog pound to a spot in the shade where his pet pit bull was waiting. As Mr Harris reached down to pet Goldie, he admitted that both he and his pet had become familiar with the pound. He also got to know Animal Control Officer Carolee Mason from the three times she had caught the dog recently.

“She was passionate about the dogs,” Mr Harris said. As a way of saying thanks, he tried to match her passion with some of his own. On June 7 he dressed up one exterior, cinderblock wall at the pound with a mural filled with images of a variety dogs and cats. After Ms Mason had returned Goldie to Mr Harris, he said, “I thought, ‘I could do something for you.’ And that’s how we came to the mural.”

The project went quickly as he held the air-brush nozzle in his hand and stepped gently around a collections of multicolored bottles of paint. Taking a break to rest at a picnic bench outside the pound, he looked at the work he had done and said, “I’ll be finished today, maybe a few more hours.”

The air-brushed painting — his gift — that now covers a length of more than ten feet of formerly empty wall space and reaching several feet high is filled with meaning.

Mr Harris, a full-time artist explained, “The concept? The mural is a reflection of people of all shapes and sizes and colors, but it’s just people,” Mr Harris said. “On the wall here are different breeds.” Believing in the importance of “loving our differences,” Mr Harris noted that all the dogs and cats were different.

Another meaning is spelled out in the artwork that involves a background of sky, billowing clouds, and silhouetted birds. He said, “The cats will have a yellow sunset and blend into the blue.”  Smiling, Mr Harris revealed the message behind his mural.

“All dogs go to heaven,” he said. Before they get there, however, dogs including one black lab-mix and another yellow husky/lab mix are among those waiting for adoption.

“We’ve got some good dogs here,” Ms Mason said. Talking about the black lab, she said, “He would be great for older kids.” The husky-mix likes to play. She said, “He’ll drop the ball and wait for you to throw it.” Another dog, an English setter, is “not too happy” at the pound.

Contact the pound at 426-6900, or visit canineadvocates.org.

 

The Artist

Working in the trade in various mediums for roughly 12 years, Mr Harris has experience with air-brushing different surfaces. As he leaned close to the wall at the pound with his nose only inches off his work, Mr Harris admits that he often steps back from such large murals and sees the whole piece for the first time. He enjoys the work, and finds that explaining himself is best done with images.

“I can show you better than explain,” he said. Rather than saying anything, he would rather make contributions, like the mural at the pound, he sad.

Mr Harris has signed up for an internship with Channel 21, where he will produce a showcase for artisans. He can be contacted at artisi35@hotmail.com.