Country Dog Gentlemen meets Urban Dog Gentleman at The Oakland Museum of California

When the Arts collide.

We were thrilled when The Oakland Museum of California asked Canine Circus School to a be a part of the Roy de Forest retrospective, Of Dogs and Other People: The Art of Roy de Forest.  This exhibition is full of magical worlds swirling with fantastical scenes set in landscapes of colorful motifs and whimsical animals most of which are dogs. Lots and lots of glorious dogs. OMCA incorporated listening stations with interpretations of the work from different points of view; ranging from a horticulturist to ten year old sword swallower to a professional dog trainer.

Of course this is where our very own Francis Metcalf enters into the picture. Many may know Francis as the MasterofHounds and the Ring Leader at Canine Circus School.  But Francis is also an artist and a musician.  Francis was given a scholarship to study at The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago where he spent most of his time in the basement of The Art Museum of Chicago, sculpting and ticking endless hours away absorbed in the sound labs. In his off time he played bass in a group made up of fellow art students. Little did the fine folks at OMCA know that Francis and Roy de Forest have more than just a lifelong love of dogs in common, but also an insatiable love of art and the magical worlds where art and dogs intersect.

(pictured below lower left: Francis Metcalf in the OMCA studio, recording his POV of Roy de Forest’s painting, Country Dog Gentlemen pictured below upper right: Francis with Chomsky balancing a ball on her head and Balzac sitting pretty.) Also the Canine Circus School logos were drawn by Francis.

 

Francis with Chomsky balancing ball and Balzac sitting pretty.

Francis in OMCA studio recording POV of Roy de Forest’s, Country Dog Gentleman.

The painting below is by Roy de Forest, entitled Country Dog Gentlemen,1972. This is the the piece that Francis recorded his point of view.

We are proud to be a part of this first full career retrospective of Roy de Forest. We hope you can go and let yourself get lost in the magical world he created through his magnificent canvases. The exhibition Of Dogs and Other People: The Art of Roy de Forest is at OMCA now through August 20, 2017.

Likewise, we hope you can join us at Canine Circus School: The Art School for Dogs at some point in the near future.

 Check out our current schedule here.