Alison Friend turns dogs into wonderfully eccentric characters. Blending Old Master painting techniques with a sharp sense of humour, her oil portraits imagine a world where dogs order pizza, eat donuts and carry distinctly human personalities, while remaining unmistakably canine.
What first sparked your desire to make art, and what continues to keep you curious as an artist?
Alison Friend: "I have always loved drawing and painting. My dad was an artist. Not a professional artist, but I used to sit with him while he painted. The smell of linseed oil reminds me of his shed where he made paintings of racehorses and birds. I think I was always meant to be an artist. The constant search for new and funny characters keeps me curious. Visiting exhibitions and getting really geeky over other painters and how they paint keeps me wanting to paint more and paint better."
I hope my work brings smiles and a little brief escapism from this crazy world we live in.
You capture such distinct personalities in your dogs. How do you recognise the character of a dog you want to paint?
Alison Friend: "I have always been a dog person and have spent a lot of time with dogs, whether my own or other people's. I don’t currently share my home with a dog, but I am always relieved when I walk into a room full of people and there is a dog. Most of my portraits are from my head. I hope it doesn’t sound ridiculous, but their characters emerge on the canvas as I paint. It’s very rare I decide exactly how I want them to be before starting a piece. Maybe they are all bits of all the dogs I have known."
It might be controversial to say but I think in real life dogs should be dogs. I’m not a big fan of dressing them up or painting their nails. Some of these things I paint are just for my paintings.
Your work makes dogs feel wonderfully human, while never losing their canine nature. What fascinates you about that relationship between the two?
Alison Friend: "Thank you. I am very keen that they don’t lose their canine nature. As humans I think we are wired to humanize everything that’s not human and with our pets, we project our human emotions onto them and that’s how we make deeper connections with them. I think just painting them in a more human pose or holding something special makes them relatable. I hope that’s how they imagine their dogs or cats to be and I love that people join me in my world where dogs sit and eat a plate of donuts or call for a pizza while they are out. It might be controversial to say but I think in real life dogs should be dogs. I’m not a big fan of dressing them up or painting their nails. Some of these things I paint are just for my paintings."
Your paintings are often playful and humorous, but there is also a lot of tenderness in them. Where does that emotional quality come from?
Alison Friend: "Humour plays a massive part in my paintings. Often the joke or funny title comes first. It’s important to me that my paintings make people smile above anything else. The eyes really bring the emotion. I do think all my characters feel quite vulnerable. Maybe I’m subconsciously trying to convey how much the animals in our lives need us. They need us to care for them. They rely on us for everything."
I do think all my characters feel quite vulnerable.
Your characters feel as though they have lives beyond the frame. Do you imagine their stories and personalities before you start painting, or do they emerge as you work?
Alison Friend: "I’m glad you said that. I try to paint just enough to get the viewer wondering about the characters' bigger story. I love the idea of getting the viewer involved in this way. Their individual personalities absolutely emerge as I paint. It might be just a misplaced brushstroke that gives their mouth a certain look or wonky eyebrow. Eyebrows are very important in my paintings."
Your work has reached audiences around the world. Has that international response changed the way you think about your work?
Alison Friend: "I feel so lucky that people from all over the world connect with my work. What more can an artist ask for? I think it says a lot about how we adore the animals in our lives no matter where we are in the world and there is something about the animal-human relationship people connect with."
After so many years of creating, what do you hope your art gives to the world?
Alison Friend: "I hope my work brings smiles and a little brief escapism from this crazy world we live in."
