Shona Neary / Sketchy Shona
I drew Tambor, the real village dog, onto a Galicia Sketchy sketch sheet, then painted him above the village entrance.
The dog was already part of the place
Tambor was a real village dog in Anceu, Galicia. I met him there while making work during the Rural Hackers residency. I did not invent the character first and then look for a place to put him. I started with the dog who was already part of everyday life in the village.
I drew Tambor onto one of my Galicia Sketchy sketch sheets, then took the image from the page to the entrance wall. In this photograph the painted dog sits above the real one, held up beneath the mural.
From a drawing to a public marker
The sketch changed scale when I painted it at the village entrance. It became part of how the place introduced itself, while still carrying the character and energy of the dog I had met there.
I like when a drawing can move between forms without losing where it came from. Here, the route ran from a living animal to a sketch sheet and then onto a wall that people pass as they enter the village.
Images from this journal record
Tambor, from village dog to wall / Tambor / village mural and real dog
Tambor, from village dog to wall / Galicia / tattoo-flash sketch sheet
Tambor, from village dog to wall / Anceu / village mural