Dave Alsobrooks

Golden Rule

Dave is a freelance designer and fine artist in Banner Elk, NC, who uses various techniques including painted wooden reliefs, mixed media, photography, and digital art. He’s no stranger to public animal art, having done a dog sculpture for DOGNY, put on by the AKC. He loves animals—he and his wife have four rescue dogs and they recently founded a non-profit entity supporting disaster response for animals and their caregivers. Dave says the “Golden Rule” is displayed daily by the unconditional love our pets give us. You can reach him at info@davealsobrooks.com

Sponsored by Edwina and Olivia Morykwas

Artists of the Gateway Studios at the Enrichment Center

“Star-Bright” the Cat of Peace

A collaborative piece by artists at the Enrichment Center, Star-Bright is abased on a design by Studio member Trip Collins. Expressing themselves through art changes these artists’ lives, teaching them to communicate in ways they never before imagined. Their artwork also allows them an avenue into the community, not as “artists with disabilities,” but as creative, talented people. Their work is shown in many exhibitions, and is on display and for sale at the Gateway Gallery. http://www.enrichmentcenter.org

Sponsored by The Enrichment Center

Arts Based Elementary School
36 Animal-Loving 4th Graders

With a Wolf, Wolf Here….

This dog in military helmet and camouflage—complete with dog tags!—is a collaborative effort. Based on an idea by student Garrett LeFevre, “this dog, like the Humane Society, is protecting animals from the bad guys.” The title came from student Sylvi Griffin, who first thought of the beat, and then Old MacDonald’s farm, and then – a wolf, wolf here. Teacher: Brian Perry; Art Coordinator, Mary Siebert.
www.wsabes.org

Sponsored by Dr. Jeff L. Rickabaugh

Arts Based Elementary School
36 Animal Loving 4th Graders

Moe Dogliani

Another collaborative effort by the 4th graders at the Arts Based Elementary School in Winston-Salem. Based on an idea by student Caoilanne Keegan, this doggie really depicts Winston-Salem as the City of the Arts with his paint brush, beret, and artistic symbols. His name is a play on the Italian painter and sculptor Modigliani. Teacher: Brian Perry; Art Coordinator, Mary Siebert.
www.wsabes.org

Sponsored by Goler Community Development Corporation

Jennifer Baker

I Wanna Be a Star
Fairy Dog Mother

Jennifer is a full-time mom with two-year-old twin boys, Jack and Logan, and a 14-year old son, Andrew. She shares her home as well with Sabbath, her cat; a number of cats she’s supposedly pet-sitting long-term, but who are looking more and more like hers every day; and some fish (that must keep the cats interested!). Being a mom and starting up a new custom stained glass business, Bleeding Art Stained Glass, keep her busy. Jennifer was researching cats in astronomy, and came up with the idea of a Star Cat, but re-worked the idea as a Star Dog. Fairy Dog Mother is a play on the words Fairy God Mother, and is inspired by Jennifer’s love of fairies.
www.bleedingartstainedglass.com

I Wanna Be a Star Sponsored by Carolina Veterinary Specialists
Fairy Dog Mother Sponsored by Mildred Paden

J. Todd Belcher

The Moravian Starry Night Dog

A full-time artist who paints portraits of cats, dogs, and the people who love them, Todd is a former art teacher in public schools and community colleges. Todd was already an established artist when he found his true passion afterpainting a portrait of Jimmy, his beloved pet, for the Jimmydog Design Group logo. His pet portraits have been featured in national publications, as well as in many Southeastern galleries and exhibitions. He lives in Walkertown with his wife Stephanie (who’s the artist-liaison for Art Unleashed!) and their two dogs, Freddie and Joey. http://www.jimmydog.com

Sponsored by The Winston Cup Museum

Susan M. Bush: Creating A Scene

A Friend for All Seasons

Susan is an animal-loving artist who lives in Winston-Salem with her husband Mike, daughter Kaylie Jean, and four rescue animals—dog Jazzy, and cats Oreo, Rosie and Nala. Susan’s artwork includes everything from painted murals, calligraphy, pen-and-ink and logo design, and her favorite medium is acrylic paint. Born in New York, she moved to North Carolina in 2000. Her dog’s title comes from her belief that animals should be loved and cared for through all seasons, which includes protecting them from winter’s cold and summer’s heat. Her animals, she says, are indeed friends for all seasons.

Sponsored by The Jimmydog Design Group

Dempsy Calhoun

Training for Hard Times by Drawing upon Reserves

Dempsy Calhoun has been a practicing sculptor, designer and metalsmith for more than 30 years. He holds Bachelor of Fine Arts and Masters degrees in Sculpture and Design, respectively. His studio, home gallery & sculpture gardens, known as Metalmorph, are located on 15 acres near Mocksville. Dempsy's sculpture is held in private, corporate and public collections throughout the world.  " Sum of the Parts," completed in 1998, is at the North America Entrance to the  North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro. About himself, he says: “Got a dog. Lots of outdoor fauna. … Metals are fun to use; I’m especially fond of rust, its inherent ephemeral qualities and irrepressible morphology. Mixed materials are also fair game if the idea swoops down on me. I never know.…”

Sponsored by Anonymous, In Honor of Homeless Cats Everywhere

Vincent Cannino

See Spot Read

A Brooklyn-born father of 5, Vincent is an aspiring children’s book illustrator, and creator of “Lois and Clark” for the Winston-Salem Children’s Museum and “Herr Kater’s Klub” for the Old Salem Children’s Museum. He won a Gold Addy as illustrator for the Old Salem Moravian Cookies collectable tins and was the set designer for “Beauty and the Beast” children’s opera for NCSA’s Giannini Society. His family adopted two FHS animals—their cat, Thomas, and dog, Bingo.

Sponsored by Adrienne A. Livengood-Baker

Monica Cecil

Twin City Champion
Gerri Leigh’s Bam Bam Betty Goes to Town
Dogwood
Catwalk

Monica Cecil’s love of art has led her across the globe—from North Carolina to New York, London, Paris and Milan to Hong Kong and Bombay—and through a 20+ year fashion career. A native of Midway with a degree in fashion illustration, Monica returned to her roots eight years ago and now has an independent art business that includes commissioned portraits and paintings, as well as fashion accessories for the home. She shares her home with her two pugs, Rosie and Jack. Somehow, she’s finding time to do four forms, two dogs and two cats, for Art Unleashed!

Twin City Champion Sponsored by The Womble Caryle Bulldogs
Gerri Leigh’s Bam Bam Betty Goes to Town Sponsored by Gerry Leigh Pratt
Dogwood Sponsored by First Horizon Financial Services
Catwalk Sponsored by Carolina Veterinary Specialists

Susie Christiansen

Captivating Katerina - Artiste de Cirque

A “recovering attorney” (still practicing part-time), Susie is a full-time artist as finances permit. She works in mixed media in two primary formats: three-dimensional, primarily cat forms embellished with beads, yarn, rhinestones, metallics; and graphic design plus mixed media behind glass. She is mourning the recent loss of her two cats, Zollie and Sassafras, and is consoled by Olaf, a female yellow lab mix.

Sponsored by The Zevely House

Jan Detter

Femme Fatale

Jan is a full-time artist who works with found materials in a variety of media, mostly mosaic and textiles. She is artist-in-residence at Wake Forest Divinity School, past Executive Director of Piedmont Craftsmen, and the founder of “Birdfest” for Habitat for Humanity. She came up with her design when an artist friend called her and offered her 1,500 wooden mice! Jan and her daughter Zoë live with their pug named Duke who, Jan reports, “rules the roost.”

Sponsored by The Chapman Company

Carol Eickmeyer

Artie the Cat with a Checkered Past
Belle the Mississippi Watch Dog

Carol is an artist, educator and active community advocate. She received a BA in Art and Theology from Hanover College and an MA in Educational Administration and Business Management from Ball State University. She works in paint—on floors, furniture and walls—and in mosaic. She designs and paints murals for private commissions, and works with numerous groups on community art projects. She designed the colorful logo for Art Unleashed! and created Artie and Belle as the prototypes for the event. Artie was designed with the Humane Society’s colors in mind and with a drawer full of checkers on hand; Belle was created against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina's impact on the gulf coast.  Carol felt that the area needs a savvy watch dog.

Sponsored by The Forsyth Humane Society

Aaron Friende

Sunset Doggie/Moonlight Doggie

Aaron is an artist who specializes in digital art and animation who studied at the School of Communication Arts in Raleigh. He loves working with warm colors—hence the warm glow on the sunset side of his dog. The inspirations for his piece were Snoopy from Peanuts and a real dog, Lucky, he had as a teenager. Aaron lives in Winston-Salem with his wife, Christine, and sons Adrian and Chris. www.creativehotbox.com

Sponsored by Shawn Angell, Jean Eastwood, Julie Palm, Karen Chandler, Susan Ziglar, Diane Campbell, Wendy Scott

Karen Newman Fridy

Little Cat, Big Dreams

Karen is a commercial interior designer with a “parallel life” as an artist creating fiber art, painted murals, and handcrafted ornaments. She lives with her husband Jim, two sons John and Will, and Max, their adopted Lab-Border Collie mix. For her piece, she imagined what a cat might dream about becoming, and felt that this theme also depicts downtown Winston-Salem—where it’s been, where it is, and where it’s going.

Sponsored by the Forsyth Humane Society Board of Directors

Kirk Frye/Pave Creative Group

That’s My Type of Dog

The artists at Pave Creative Group got together and came up with several dog designs before finally settling on “That’s My Type of Dog”—an homage to Pave’s creative energy. Kirk Fry, a designer and illustrator, has been working as an advertising Art Director for 26 years and was assigned the honor of bringing Pave’s collaborative image to life. In his personal life, Kirk and his family have three dogs and a rabbit.

Sponsored by Pave Creative Group

Gliser Fuentes

Dalilah

Gliser Fuentes, a Cuban artist living in Winston-Salem, named her dog in memory of a friend's pet who recently died. Honoring the name Delilah (in Spanish Dalilah), she has taken the Biblical story of Samson and Delilah and written it in Spanish all over and around her dog. Black doggie bones decorate the statue, and we love the black, red, and white design - the colors of the Forsyth Humane Society!

Sponsored by Que Pasa

Glenn High School Art Department
Toni Graves and Chrisianee Berry, teachers

Companion Quilt

Over 120 students in four levels of art participated in this piece, which was inspired by teacher Toni Grave’s love of quilts, all of which were made by her grandmother. Her family loves to snuggle under the warmth of the quilts, and her grandmother lives on through the quilts she made with so much love. The students were asked to make a colorful design resembling a quilt piece, decorated with their pet’s name. The students—who also participate in other community art projects for Habitat for Humanity, Second Harvest Food Bank, and Crossing 52 Initiative, among others—loved working on this project for Art Unleashed!

Sponsored by Friends of the Jimmydog Design Group

Nathan Janes

Mutz: The Urban Underdog

Nathan Janes is a native of Port Clinton, Ohio, and a graduate of The Columbus College of Art & Design (also known as CCAD), but when it comes to painting he is self-taught. He’s inspired daily by cartoons, politics, childish thoughts, and his two doggie best friends (Button and Zipper). Nathan's paintings are a mix of Modern Art and Urban Pop Art. Using colors that seem straight out of a crayon box, his paintings are fresh, bright, and bold with a life-like feeling. His Art Unleashed! design shows a true hero who promotes the prevention of cruelty to animals, a dog who is always ready, Nathan says, to “throw you a bone.” http://www.poparf.com

Sponsored by Le Bleu Water

Peggy Karpinski

Corkie the “Winey” Dog

Peggy Karpinski is an artist and interior designer who lives in Winston-Salem with her husband Hank, daughter Jesse, son Ben, and dog Kaylie. Her design “Corkie,” a nod to the Piedmont’s growing wine industry, is covered with corks and faux corks. His purple-tinged legs look as if they’ve been stomping grapes and his nose looks as if he’s taken a sniff of a good red wine. A grape vine tail and grape vine leaf ears complete the image.

Sponsored by Camel City Cafe

Laura Lashley

Magical Mandala Dog

Laura does it all—working at SECCA on the installation crew, creating her own art, and waitressing on weekends. She loves patterns and colors, and wants to use her talent to help the Humane Society, where she adopted her cat Tanner and her Chocolate Lab Sassy. They are just two of her rescue animal companions. She also shares her life with Ruby, a Shepherd mix, Cheese, a cat with a white heart on his chest, and Sunny, a big black lab mix.

Sponsored by Ollie’s Bakery

Kay Lee/ Crazy 'Bout Critters

To All the Dogs We’ve Loved Before

Kay Lee, president of Crazy ’Bout Critters pet-sitting service, designed this piece covered with hearts, some which contain the name of dogs they have cared for, and some with the names of dogs their sponsors have loved. The hearts clearly symbolize the love between pets and humans and the relationships that the Forsyth Humane Society encourages. http://www.crazyboutcritters.com/

Sponsored by Linda Gutierrez, Sue Myers and Emma Taylor, Allen Tate Realtors

Meredith McLain— Mt. Tabor High School

Swirls

Meredith, an 11 th grader at Mt. Tabor High School, took the inspiration for her vibrantly colorful piece from the work of artist Robert DeLaunay. She says that the color palette of her cat design is very diverse, like the population of Winston-Salem, and that the plane in the cat’s tail represents the first flight at Kitty Hawk, NC. At home, she has a pet Schnauzer. Teacher: Alice Morley.

Sponsored by The Zevely House

Sam McMillan

Charlie

Sam McMillan is a self-taught artist who is one of the premier folk artists in the nation, whose work has been displayed at the Smithsonian Institute. Known as “The Dot Man,” McMillan, a native of Fairmont, NC, covers objects with colorful dots and lines in a simple “primitive” style. Art Unleashed! is delighted to have him as one of our artists.

Sponsored by Prudential Carolinas Realty

Lalique Metz

High Glass Dog

Lalique is a Winston-Salem artist who designed her piece to be a visual, symbolic advocate for unprotected animals and people everywhere. Her dog is covered with pieces of glass with all the vibrant colors of the rainbow, making the point that our world should be inclusive of all kinds of people and animals.

Sponsored by Esther and Lee Preston

Beatrice Moss— Mt. Tabor High School

Vincent VanGato

Beatrice is a junior at Mount Tabor High School, and loves using all kinds of media—watercolors, colored pencil, and pen. She especially likes Impressionist painters. Her Art Unleashed! design is based on Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” because it is very well-known, and because she loves its dreaminess and color. Teacher: Alice Morley.

Sponsored by Anonymous, in Honor of Nanny Garrett

Rhonda Oglesby

SAM I AM

Rhonda has a background in computer science and math, but discovered a love of graphic design. She designs marketing materials for a real estate company, and in her limited spare time loves to work in oil pastels, relief printing, and pen and ink. She lives with her husband John and their dog Willa (named for Willa Cather), who, Rhonda says, is extremely serious. Rhonda has developed a technique called SoulPerSuit that uses art as a means for spiritual expression (www.soulpersuit.com), and she is keeping a blog during the process of painting her Art Unleashed! form (http://droolonthefrog.blogspot.com). Rhonda wanted her design to provoke smiles and giggles, and is based on such memorable illustrators as Dr. Seuss and Sandy Miller.

Sponsored by OLA Design Works, Inc.

Annie Ornelles— Mt. Tabor High School

Dots

Annie is a student at Mount Tabor High School, where she took part in an art project creating a design to submit to Art Unleashed! She based her design on pointillist artist Paul Signac, because she liked his style and colors. In addition to drawing, Annie enjoys photography. She and her family have a dog, Smoky, and a bird named Keiki. Teacher: Alice Morley.

Sponsored by The Landmark Group

Antonio Padilla, Leslie Diaz, Alba Juanico, and James Lane— Mt. Tabor High School

Diego

Three of these artists are students who study art at Mount Tabor High School, and their design was created by a former student, Antonio Padilla, who based his concept on artwork by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. They look forward to bringing their Art Unleashed! dog to life in beautiful colors. Teacher: Alice Morley.

Sponsored by Winston-Salem Jaycees

Jaeson Pitt

Roof Meow

Jaeson is a Winston-Salem artist who has designed his dog in remembrance of two of his pet dogs. He has been intrigued with public art projects similar to Art Unleashed! and wanted to take part in this one, especially because he believes that in order for downtown Winston-Salem to be truly revitalized, public art is a necessary component. He hopes that both tourists and residents who may never have visited the downtown, or considered living in the downtown, will be attracted by the colorful critters of this project.

Sponsored by The Chronicle

Terri Holtzclaw Reiser

Speak

Teresa holds a BFA in painting and printmaking and MFA in Fabric Arts and Painting from East Carolina University. She lives in Maiden, NC, with her daughter and, as she puts it, “three (OLD) horses, five cats, one neurotic Viszla (I realize that is redundant) six guinea hens and five chickens.” She’s rescued and taken in animals since she was a child, and remembers particularly the black horse of her teenage years: “I still talk to him and sometimes ride him in my dreams.” For her piece, she designed a cartoon dog, depicting how a dog would “SPEAK” if he could.

Sponsored by Hanes Mall

Jane Ransom-Morris

Royal Delft Cat

Jane Ransom-Morris is a fulltime realist artist who paints places and things that have special meaning to her. She has worked in several mediums but finds oils most satisfying. She developed her style through practice and studying artists whose work she admires. Jane lives in Pinnacle with her supportive husband, Kirby, and her cat, Sidney. She is hoping to break into galleries soon. http://www.ransomedart.com

Sponsored by Mewie Morykwas and her Monsters

Amanda Rogers— Mt. Tabor High School

Roy

Amanda is a senior at Mount Tabor High School, where she is enrolled in Art II. She based her design on Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s piece “In the Car,” because she loves the bold lines and strong, solid colors. Amanda and her family have two pets—a cat named Buttons, who was adopted from the Humane Society, and Depp, a basset hound puppy. Teacher: Alice Morley.

Sponsored by Anonymous, In Honor of Wake Forest University Athletic Teams

Laurie Russell

Love, Love, Love

Laurie is a self-taught painter who has an intuitive feel for animals and has become a well-known animal artist in Winston-Salem, where she’s lived since 1984. She is a member of the Seed Collective, and her work is exhibited in numerous galleries and is in many private collections. http://www.ruff-art.com

Sponsored by the Winston-Salem Journal

Tyler Scott— Mt. Tabor High School

Seadog

Tyler is an 11 th-grader at Mt. Tabor High School who has loved art since he was a child. He based his doggie design on artist Lyonel Feininger’s painting of Sailing Boats, because he liked the geometric shapes and soft colors. His favorite techniques are watercolor and colored pencils, and he is delighted to be part of Art Unleashed! Teacher: Alice Morley.

Sponsored by Oldtown Veterinary Hospital

Jay Spieler

Dogs Have Personal Lights Too

Jay is a ten-year-old artist whose favorite activities are riding his unicycle and playing football (not at the same time, he wisely notes). The oldest of four children, Jay has two brothers and a sister, as well as two dogs. His design, executed with the supervision of his mother, shows a dog with suns on it, partly because, Jays says that Winston-Salem is a sunny place, but also because it represents what the Forsyth Humane Society understands—that every dog has its own personal light. We think Jay’s personal light shines, too!

Sponsored by Sun Trust Bank

Scott Sturdy

I Know My Dog is Waiting for Me in Heaven

Scott has made his living in Winston-Salem as a freelance illustrator for over 15 years, and considers himself as much a dog person as he does an art person. He and his wife (co-sponsor Patty Sturdy) consider their dogs their children, and accordingly, says Scott, “love ’em and spoil ’em.” He’s particularly excited about this project, since it combines both his loves, dogs and art. He tried to come up with a design that related to the Forsyth Humane Society, and hopes that other “dog people” will connect with it. The piece is dedicated to their late dog MAX, “the best dog in the world.”

Sponsored by Patti Sturdy & Sarah Olson, Coldwell Banker Triad, Realtors

Dino Tzouroutis

“Sit UBU, Sit. Good dog.”

Dino and loyal sheltie, “Zorro” came to Woodbine by way of Florida by way of South Africa. Dino is an “Art Director Rock Star” without the ego. He got his first ad gig two days out of college. Landed at TBWA Hunt Lascaris, the South African outpost of one of the world’s most recognized agencies. There, he earned valuable experience working with clients like Levi’s, Adidas, Virgin Cola, Volkswagen, and McDonald’s and started his ridiculously large collection of international awards. But wanderlust caught up with Dino and he landed in Florida at FKQ Advertising, where he left his indelible fingerprints on work for Wonderbra, Melitta Coffee, the Tampa Bay Lightening and Dollar Rent a Car. His work has been recognized by the One Show, the Clios and in festivals in Cannes, London and New York. His work for Art Unleashed! depicts a dog’s alter-ego and his private “bad dog” thoughts. See more at www.woodbine.com.

Sponsored by The Woodbine Agency

Joe Vrsecky

Good Ju-Ju

From the Cow Parade in New York to the Swans in Lakeland, Florida, Joey’s seen them all, so he was inspired to enter the competition for Art Unleashed! He’s a senior at Reynolds High School and is planning to continue his art work in college. His design was inspired by his love of music and his desire to contribute to Winston-Salem’s reputation as City of the Arts. Joey has three parrots—Dudley, Scooter and Charlie—“all amazingly smart.”

Sponsored by Foothills Brewing

Susan Weiss

Dog Paddle

A self-taught artist, Susan and her husband owned a dog boarding kennel until five years ago. She has trained, groomed and shown dogs. Susan now paints animal-themed furniture, and usually works with acrylics and favors bright colors. A cat that spent hours trying to catch the fish in her salt water aquarium inspired her to imagine a dog doing the same. Susan and her husband have owned and loved many cats, dogs, horses and even a goat, and are now owned by two adopted dogs, a toy poodle and a poodle Yorkie mix.

Sponsored by Steve and Alice Whitcomb

Mary Ann Zotto

Bird Dog in Hiding

Mary Ann has a BS in Drawing and Painting from North Texas State University, an MA in Painting and Weaving from Eastern Michigan University, and a MFA in papermaking from East Carolina University. Her work can be seen in film and video (it made its Hollywood film debut on the sets of Parenthood and House of Cards ) and is collected internationally. She’s taught at numerous universities and art schools, and she currently has a painting studio in the Winston-Salem Arts District.

Sponsored by Walter Robbs Callahan and Pierce Architects, PA