Tillie, a Jack Russell terrier and abstract expressionist, is an unusual artist who enjoys chasing squirrels outdoors in Brooklyn, where she lives with her “assistant,” Bowman Hastie.

Tillie with one of her paintings“So, this is a paw print,” Hastie said, explaining one of Tillie’s paintings that was hanging on a museum wall. “In this corner, where it’s really filled in, that’s really from all from individual claw strokes where she’s just sort of doing the digging motion. These tooth marks are the most kind of dramatic marks that she makes. It does convey that kind of energy, aggression.”

As with most abstract art, there’s a lot of explaining to do. I think the meaning comes from the viewer, you know, more than the intent of the artist,” Hastie said.

Tillie suddenly entered the gallery, but wasn’t answering questions about what she hoped to achieve in these paintings or what her motivation might have been. It’s difficult to tell what’s on the mind of this artist as she furiously creates, gnawing and chewing, biting and scratching, along with a lot of barking: Perhaps she’s thinking of a mailman’s leg, or maybe the couch?

Tillie has 17 solo exhibits under her collar, including shows in Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, and most recently in Bermuda, where she painted in the rose garden of the Premier’s house, no less, before bemused and befuddled audiences.

Everybody wanted to know how Tillie got started in the art game. “I was sitting on my couch writing on a tablet resting on my lap and Tillie climbed up and started writing on this page that I was writing on, and I had this idea to use carbon paper to record her marks; don’t ask me why,” Hastie said. Tillie attacks the canvas with sound and fury for about 15 minutes until voila! Art!

Despite no formal training, except some paper training as a pup, Tillie’s work is often compared to her human counterparts, some of whose works are in our most revered museums and sell for millions of dollars. Tillie in the meantime, has sold more than 100 of her paintings — fetching up to $2,200 each!

You can read more about Tillie and see more of her work on her website, TillamookCheddar.com.

Source: CBS News

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