Picasso Pets

Posted By Mandy Lamb Meredith, Design Director on June 16th, 2009

There’s an old saying that art directors use when it comes to photoshoots- “never work with children or animals.” Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with quite a few species of animals, including elephants, birds, dogs, and even a llama named Major Tom (yes, the David Bowie reference is intended). I usually come to a shoot with a pre-conceived notion of what exactly the shot will look like, which is used as a starting out point. Through collaboration with the photographer, the trainer, and the animal, the final shot has always been a combination of my initial thoughts coupled with the animal’s whim.

That was my experience until I met Rusty, a yellow lab who spends his time with his owner Karen Cunningham serving as an animal-assisted therapy team for Hand-In-Paw. Here at Scout we have been designing all of the promotional materials for Hand-In-Paw’s Picasso Pets, and little did Rusty know that his mug was destined to appear all over Birmingham. He did exactly as he was told, patiently, and thoughtfully, all for little more than a few milkbones for pay. Within twenty minutes he had looked straight into the camera with his nose and paws bright blue, giving the photographer the exact endearing, loving-life look I envisioned.

Picasso Pets is a unique event that benefits Hand-In-Paw, a local animal-assisted therapy organization. Hand-In-Paw’s certified therapy teams visit local hospitals, nursing homes, and schools where they do everything from help children with developmental disabilities learn to walk, provide a listening ear to those learning how to read, or simply provide companionship. At Picasso Pets the animals “paint” with their paws and then an accomplished artist incorporates the animal’s marks into a final painting, which is then auctioned to support the program. This auction raises a substantial portion of the yearly budget for Hand-In-Paw, so the success of the promotional items to drive potential patrons to the auction is paramount. Scout is proud to donate our services to making this year’s Picasso Pets a success. And now we know that the exception to the art director’s maxim is a dog named Rusty.