Dog E Paddle Series of 6.
Paddling in the crystal clear white sand lagoon in French Polynesia would be the obvious concept for a body of work created on a small motu (small island) in Tahiti. But for me, it works much more directly as an analogy of the various visual formulations that have articulated the fundamental feeling of being alive that my work has been built on since it’s very beginning.
As I have watched Jenny (my wife) swim from motu to motu in our lagoon (as all of the poses in each of the Dogg E Paddles are based on) I have realized that I have, as well, been swimming from one stylistic direction to another in order to maintain the growth of the work so that it feels alive. The swimming from style to style to keep it growing is so vitally important since the visual subject matter inspired by my dear friend Charles Schulz has and will remain as the same visual camouflage for the messages and post cards from my life.
The outer edges of all of the Dogg E Paddles were cut and designed to imitate a post card sent from one place to another. The image within these postcards edges all back dropped with the island silhouette of Bora Bora, is the result of the combination of all of the various styles that I have been swimming to and from. Here they are collected into one very small space to produce yet another new stylistic direction.
The title Dogg E Paddle was produced in the same William Burrough “Third Mind, Cut-Up” semiotic style as the titles have been from the start. “Dogg “ refers to the music, mostly by Snoop Dogg, played in the Bungalow studio during the production of the work and of course Sparky’s (Schulz’) Dog Character “Snoopy”. The “E” refers to Everhart. Along with the word “Paddle” to create a “third mind” that sounds like doggie paddle swimming from style to style.
– Tom Everhart
