Ron Burns - America's Favorite Animal Artist

Landy makes it to the "big time"...

2011-05-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Imagine our surprise when Buff and I were watching the American Idol finale and we saw this during the trailer of the new movie "Crazy Stupid Love" starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Kevin Bacon, Julianne Moore and a number of other big names. I guess my Landy made it to the "big time"!

Wall-E and I team up to help pups find their furever homes...

2011-05-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

I'd like to share a little, but somewhat lengthy, story with you.

In March of 2011, I was approached by Amanda Kloski vet-tech and foster parent to Wall-E, the now-famous pup who survived euthanasia twice. She wanted to know if I would paint a portrait of him to help raise funds to build a new shelter that they are in desperate need of - part of the reason he was scheduled for euthanasia. After hearing the entire story, I thought, how could I say no? I was humbled by their request.

It was also odd that just several days earlier I had read Wall-E's story, and like most stories involving our four-legged friends, it moved me in a profound way. If you are unfamiliar with Wall E-'s miraculous "tail" of survival, please see his story located here or his appearance on ABC's Good Morning America located here.

I am sharing all of this with you because my portrait of Wall-E is now complete. I set aside close to three weeks of studio time to work exclusively on this piece and I am extremely proud of the finished work. I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it was to keep this project under wraps for nearly two months and I am very excited to now share the piece with you.

In capturing Wall-E's personality I decided to portray him in his forever home, relaxing on his favorite chair with a pillow that conveys his big heart and love for life. Next to him is a bouquet, again representing a "beautiful life", with a shamrock arranged above his head to symbolize his good luck as well as the real shamrock-like image on his behind (see his appearance on Good Morning America to see what I mean!).

I am also happy to report that as of late last week, Wall-E has officially found his "furever home." I truly believe my portrait is a perfect example of life imitating my art - a reality that I've spent my career as an artist to try and make happen for as many animals as possible. However, we still have a lot of work left to do - there are many more Wall-E's still out there. Hopefully, through his story, my art and your support - we can help even more pups and kittens find their furever homes as well.

Ultimately, I believe Wall-E is still with us for a certain purpose, and that purpose is threefold - that through his "tail" of miraculous survival, he is here to help his fellow four-legged friends, to remind us all of the importance of animal adoption and to stress the necessity of local spay and neuter programs. If through my art, I am able to help deliver Wall-E's message and speak on behalf of those that cannot, then I have done my job as an artist and an advocate for all animals.

~Your friend through art and for the animals,

Ron Burns

p.s. Please remember to use the Like and Tweet buttons on this page located here and help us spread the word about Wall-E's miraculous "tail" of survival.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT WALL-E'S AND HIS FOUR LEGGED FRIENDS

Judging the Arizona High School Art Competition...

2011-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

I recently had the esteemed privilege and honor of being 1 of 4 judges for Rep. David Schweikert's 2011 Congressional High School Art Competition for district 5 in the state of Arizona!

The purpose of the competition is to showcase the talent of the state's high school artists. An event will be held this Saturday, April 30th to announce the winning piece which will be displayed at the United States Capital campus along with other winning pieces from around the country for one year. Full details on the event may be found below...

When: Saturday, April 30th at 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Where: Arizona Historical Society Museum in Papago Park
(1300 N. College Ave Tempe, 85281)

See the piece below which I was "pawticularly" drawn to because it reminded me of Roy Speaks!

Elizabeth Taylor Remembered

2011-03-23T12:13:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that I say good-bye to Elizabeth Taylor. She had a big heart and I feel honored to have worked with her – I will always remember her for that gift. As with many of my works, I try and do something good with them for charity. And, so was the case with the commission I did for her of her beloved canine companion, “Sugar”. Upon completing the painting, Elizabeth and I agreed to create a series of limited editions and have her and I sign them, donating a percentage of sales to Whispering Hope Ranch, an organization for special needs kids and animals. This camp is a wonderful place where kids and animals share in a healing and loving experience. May Elizabeth and Sugar be together again – our thoughts are with both of you.

Valentine's Day Special

2011-01-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day - It's not to late to make it a Red-Hot Burns day! We think we are creative and we will do whatever we can to make it special for you and your sweetheart!! Check it out and see if you have any other ideas for us to help?

...20 Year Retrospective Continued...

2011-01-25T12:12:00.001-08:00

Over the next year I plan on blogging images and tid-bits not included on our website about the past 20 year retrospective. Like this shot - a little longer than 20 years ago - of Buff and me at prom our junior year in high school. When you got a good thing - hold on to it!

20 Years of Painting Dogs

2011-01-21T09:34:00.001-08:00

20 years is a long time...

Did you know we didn't have digital cameras back then? We had to shoot negative film and cross our fingers that the image would turn out. The color - OMG - may luck prevail. And, dates were not automatically put on your file as they are today in the computer age. So when you go back and look at color prints - you find yourself asking, "when in the h@#! did I take that shot?????

My 20 Year Retrospective is underway and will be on our site soon - as a work in progress....

Burns Holiday Art for Sweeden!

2010-12-03T09:21:00.000-08:00

The editor for Hundis, a dog rescue association in Sweden is using this image:

Big Dog Goes to TEXAS!

2010-12-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

I just had several new pieces sent to Houston for a gallery exhibit that will run from December 8 thru January 7th - and as they say - everything is bigger in Texas. This little big guy, Ernie, is 48" x 48".

12 Dog Days of Christmas

2010-11-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

I am sure we are all familiar with the twelve days of Christmas, but now there are 12 DOG days. We've had a little fun here at Burns Studio coming up with 12 ways for you to save, give and enjoy this holiday season - Burns style.

So, for the next 12 days starting today, Monday the 29th of November through December 14th* we are doing daily specials. You can see them all here in one convenient place, but you can only take advantage of each day's special for just 24 hours and then off they go.

Now sit back and sort through all the specials, find the one that's right for you - and - well, Happy Holidays to You from all of at Burns Studio!!!

Burns Version of Black Friday and Cyber Monday

2010-11-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

Why should we get discounts and savings for just a couple of days? We extend ours for nearly two months leading up to the Holidays!! Check it out - and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Title This!

2010-11-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

Hey, I know it has been a while, so for those of you still checking in - what should I title this new dog in a truck painting?

Rufus ABC's

2010-04-21T15:18:00.000-07:00

I am sure that by now, if you know me, you know Rufus - that handsome lil’ character shown above and also the inspiration for my painting and philanthropic career. Well now he is at the center [literally] of a new program I am announcing today. My sweet Rufus' image, that I painted as an original, will be printed on a blank canvas, and then I will paint on/around (in art vocabulary that’s called embellish) the rest of the canvas in a theme related to each specific letter of the alphabet. Get it? Rufus' ABC's!

This concept is a first for me! So, let me expand on the process... it is part limited edition and part original. The edition part of these pieces makes them more economical yet the original part allows you the opportunity to have a large (30 x 30) Burns piece on your wall that you can actually see all the brushstrokes and vividness associated with my hand-painted, signature style!

You can see black and white and a few color sketches of all the pieces he re, now. Next you’ll see the rest of the color sketches going up as I complete them. And, finally we will post all the paintings as they are finished.

Please take a minute to check them out. I hope you enjoy the images, the titles - alliterations - and the images of my boy Rufus. I think they would make a great birthday, anniversary, mother's or father's day gift or be the perfect image for a baby or kid's room - pick "your" letter before it's gone!

Best,
Ron
Rufus' Dad

Kids See Color As We All Should!

2010-01-13T08:45:00.000-08:00

I want to give a shout out to the fifth grade class of Carolyn Fritz for their incredible dog paintings. Ms Fritz is an elementary school art teacher in the San Juan Unified School District which is in the Sacramento, CA area. She used my art as inspiration for her class to create these remarkable paintings. Your talent inspires me. Way to go kids!

Thank You,

Ron

Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc. Uses My Art to Create a “Life is Ruff” Theme at Atlanta DIFFA Charity Event

2009-11-12T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here is the Press Release from Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs or if you are visual like me - just watch the following video or view the photos below:

DIFFA (Design Industries Fighting Aids) held it’s annual Atlanta Dining by Design event at ADAC (Atlanta Decorative Arts Center) on October 10-12, 2009.

DIFFA is one of the country's largest supporters of direct care for people living with HIV/AIDS and preventive education for those at risk. Supporters of DIFFA come from all fields of fine design and the visual arts, including: architecture, fashion design, interior design, photography and consumer product design. DIFFA has granted over $38 million to hundreds of AIDS service organizations nationwide.

The Dining by Design in an over-the-top celebration of all things tabletop! This fundraising event brings together established talent, artists, and celebrated individuals to create three-dimensional dining installations that awe, inspire, and delight. Each dining space (either 11’x11’ or 11’x20’) has a sponsor and a design team charged with creating a dining space for 10 people that will be memorable, unique and creative.

This year in Atlanta, the sponsor Insidesign (www.myinsidesign.com)chose Kandrac & Kole Interior Designs, Inc. to transform their 11’x11’ empty space into a dining extravaganza. In 2 weeks time, this dynamic duo created a space that became one of the highlights of the event. According to co-owner Kelly Kole, “The inspiration for our invent started with a recent piece of art, named “Life is Ruff”, by Arizona artist Ron Burns. With the economy in a state of flux, the recent historic floods in Atlanta, and the challenge of the AIDS virus worldwide, we felt this theme was appropriate. Our interpretation however, was a positive one – filled with glitz, glamour and whimsy as we combined Ron’s art with artistic finishes, silk, velvet and bedazzled Milkbone dog bones!” The perimeters were established using (8) 8’, solid core doors that were faux finished a metallic purple, supporting panels of luxurious crème silk and wide plank hardwood floors. The space was then filled with six pieces of art from the Ron Burns Studio, velvet and silk cushions, red roses wrapped in pearl dog collars and lit by a black and white Italian crystal chandelier. Quite a transformation for a worthy cause!

Thanks to Two Plates Full

2009-11-12T07:38:00.000-08:00

A very big "Thanks" to Terri and the wonderful staff at Two Plates Full for a great booksigning and for using our Furever Homes Raffle Program. I stayed an extra hour signing books with a percentage going to help r.e.s.c.u.e.. Over $1000.00 was raised to help find furever homes.

One lucky winner received their choice of any Burns limited edition valued at $2000. And three runner's up won a $100 gift certificate.

Ron and Terri

Links:
Two Plates Full
r.e.s.c.u.e.
Rufus Rhymes Book
FureverHomes Program

Joke of the day.

2009-11-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

A guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: “Talking Dog For Sale” He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever sitting there.

“You talk?” he asks.

“Yep,” the Lab replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says “So, what’s your story?”

The Lab looks up and says, “Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping.”

“I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running. But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals.” ”I got married, had a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.”

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog.

“Ten dollars,” the guy says.

“Ten dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?”

“Because he’s a liar. He never did any of that shit.”

Halloween is TOMORROW!

2009-10-30T07:00:00.001-07:00

Halloween is tomorrow and as one last post to get you in a celebratory mood, here are three final dogs in costume to brighten your day and get you ready for the weekend!

Let me know which costume was your favorite. Plus, feel free to share any of your own pictures with me!

It's Almost Halloween!

2009-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Howloween is almost here, which means this week, you'll get two posts with adorable dogs in costume!!

There's no theme this week... just fun!

Hot Dog!

2009-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

This week's Howloween pics are a series of dogs dressed up as foods. I have it on good authority no dogs were injured in the creation of these pictures. They all got out of their costumes and went to bed safe and sound.

It's a Fish! It's a Turkey! It's a Lion! No... It's a DOG!

2009-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd start out Monday with another helping of Howloween Fun! This is sort of a dogs being other animals editions. Check out this second batch of dog costumes. What's YOUR favorite so far?

Halloween Inspired

2009-10-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

Although I've never dressed up my dogs or cats in costumes, these adorable pics are starting to make me think I should! I have a cluster of cute pics I received in an e-mail over the weekend, so I'll spread them out over the weeks leading up to Halloween. Enjoy!

New Contest!

2009-09-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Now THIS is exciting! To generate excitement about Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, which is the entire month of October, I am hosting a contest called "Reading Rufus Rhymes to Rover." This contest basically asks you to record yourself reading a lullaby from Rufus Rhymes to your adopted dog and record it. Then, post it to You Tube and let me know! The winning video will be determined by a panel of dog lovers. But the best part is the prize... a COMMISSIONED PET PORTRAIT of your shelter dog! Can you believe it? I will actually paint your dog! That's a prize worth about $30,000!

For more info go here: http://ronburns.com/contest/

And good luck all!

Another Morning Smile Post

2009-09-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Saw this just the other day and wanted to share.

Check out these black bears having the time of their lives on an Alaskan swing set! Dangerous, but adorable.

Put a Smile on Your Face This Monday Morning!

2009-09-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

I can't find where this originally came from, or I'd post a source. It just made me chuckle this morning, so I thought I'd share with everyone.

A while back an old, tired-looking dog wandered into the yard. I could tell from his collar (though no tags) and well-fed belly and the fact he was clean that he had a home. He followed me into the house, down the hall, and fell asleep on the couch.

My dogs didn't seem to mind and he seemed like a good dog and I was Ok with him, so I let him nap. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, resumed his position on the couch, and slept for an hour.

This continued for several weeks. Curious, I pinned a note to his collar that I wrote: "Every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap. I don't mind but want to be sure it's ok with you."

The next day he arrived with a different note pinned to his collar:
"He lives in a home with ten children -- he's trying to catch up on his sleep. May I come with him tomorrow?"