Painter flies high with pooch portrait

The Dallas Morning News | April 26, 2003 | Larry Powell

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Painter flies high with pooch portrait 04/26/2003

By LARRY POWELL / The Dallas Morning News

Good morning, art lovers. Let's discuss painting a flying dog, Barney, the White House Scottie.

The artist is Michael McWillie, 52, Dallas native and former Hollywood movie art director, now brushing whimsy onto canvas at his studio in Parker.

So, how does a guy get to paint the First Scottie? He asks.

Shortly after the elongated 2000 election, the celebrated painter of Dalmatians, bulldogs and Scotties saw a report in The Dallas Morning News that the president-elect had been given a Scottie. Michael says, "I thought 'That's interesting. Here I am, the world's most renown Scottish terrier painter.'...I have a specific style of flying Scottish terriers. I tell people that and there's usually a long pause – they don't know whether I'm kidding."

Later, Michael was discussing Scotties with Brenda Mauldin whose Details by Brenda organizes marketing and administrative projects. She sent a McWillie art packet to first lady Laura Bush.

On Sept. 10, 2001, the first lady's staff commissioned a Barney portrait and Michael asked for a Barney picture. The staff, he says, "overnighted a photo of Barney in front of the White House ... I opened the package, looked at the photo and about 20 seconds later my assistant came in and asked, 'Have you heard the news?' " The night of Sept. 11, in a climate of sorrow, he began the painting.

When he later took it to Randy Murphy at Mainframe Art Service, the framer, with caution, said something like "You've got a giant Scottish terrier flying over the White House terrorizing them!"

Intent on redoing the painting, Michael returned to his studio just as White House staffers called asking for it. "It turns out [Mrs. Bush] loved the painting ... but there was a moment where my life was passing before my eyes."

In March 2002, he and wife, Katina, went to the White House to see the painting.

"I worked in Hollywood," he says. "I was used to going to studios, working with stars. ... I thought I was used to celebrities, but it was really something meeting the first lady."

As they waited in her office, Michael says, "All of a sudden around the corner runs Barney. I'm just about to meet the first lady and here comes this Scottie. ... He let me pet him and hold him. ... But he was like all Scotties – always on a mission. ... It's probably easier to run the country than it is to run a Scottish terrier – they're like little donkeys sometimes."

The McWillie House also has a Scottie, Mackintosh, 2, "a beast – about the only thing he doesn't do is fly and smoke cigars," Michael says. He also has Dalmatian model Winston, 14; miniature schnauzer Risky ("between 15 and 30") and rescued dog Katie ("part blue-heeler and part wolf, I think").

From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Michael will be at the opening of his monthlong show, "Defying Gravity," at Betty Anne Smith Galleries, 1415 Slocum St. #103, Dallas. Some of the work, he says, "is almost abstract – you almost have to find the Scottish terrier."

And, he says, McWillie is "not a marketing name. It's like a weird Scottish Southern name – like Willie Nelson and a Scotsman."

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For Barney lovers.

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Would you ping the Barney lovers?

Thanks, I thought they might enjoy this. Wish I could post the picture, it's adorable, but I don't know how.

[mystery-ak]

No pics?

[LibKill]

Barney needs more exercise, while I think he's a splendid example of his breed, he's lazy.

It's called running, Barney. Give it a try.

Racing Dachshund. (Will open in window.)

[jellybean]

If you give me the address, I'll post the pic.

[lsee]

Michaelmcwillie.com

[buffyt]

I thought this was going to be a story about the man on the news the other day who takes his pooch in a pouch with him when he sky dives. That pooch seems to love it, like having his head hanging out the car window, only BIG TIME wind in his face this way. I know one of my cats wants me to hold him 24 hours a day, so he would jump with me, but I am too chicken!

[buffyt]

EXCELLENT!

[LisaAnne]

Barney needs more exercise

hee hee hee... everytime I see that dog he is being carried.

[mystery-ak]

That's it!....Im sorry, but I could have painted that...

[buffyt]

        

At first I thought this didn't look like art worthy of the White House walls, but then one of my favorite

artists was Marc Chagall.  He painted a lot of floating figures, and used a similar shade of blue as in the

third painting on the right.  He used floating figures to represent happiness. 

[buffyt]

 

Marc Chagall.  Russian master painter of old.  Fiances Tour Eiffel Tower.  The Wedding.  Notice the shade of blue

and the floating figures, representing happiness.  He was very happy at that point in his life. I think he influenced Barney's portrait painter. 

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Thanks.

I went to the website, however, and it just has the article ... no pic.

The picture was in the paper (very small and not in color).

It showed Barney flying way above the White House. Even if I knew anything and could scan it, it wouldn't look like much. It might be available on the White House website.

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You may be right!

I love the pics you posted; I love colorful, happy paintings.

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http://www.tfaoi.com/am/5am/5am86.jpg

that's the website for another of his Scottie paintings.

[buffyt]

It is at http://www.michaelmcwillie.com/

Just surf around and you will see it. Click on paintings and it is on far right. Then click on the painting for a larger version of it to appear.

[buffyt]

If you go to http://www.michaelmcwillie.com/
and click on paintings you will see many of his works across the bottom of the page. Click on any for larger version to appear.

[altura]

Oh, good work!

Thanks.

It does look simplistic at first, but it is Very Barney!

I like it.

[buffyt]

More Marc Chagall, I sure see his influence in Barney's portrait painter.

[flying Elvis]

What is it about wind in the face and dogs. Whenever I took my dachshund Clyde on a road trip, he'd stick his snout up the AC vent the entire trip if no open window was available.