Dogtown Artworks Turns Four-Legged Friends and Nature Into Works of Art

Back in 2004, Cindy Pringle was on a mission to make something special for her husband Kirby’s birthday. Little did she know the quirky card she created would unleash a 20-year creative collaboration and countless chuckles, known as Dogtown Artworks.

“I like to make homemade birthday cards for my husband,” Cindy says. “I had taken a funny picture of Kirby standing in a bathrobe out in the woods smoking a cigar, and I thought I’d do a little twist on it.”

The gifted photographer, past winner of the prestigious Ernst Haas Award, took a photo of their pet boxer Bobo wearing the same bathrobe. She then blended the images together, replacing Kirby’s head with Bobo’s head, to hilarious effect.

“People really thought it was funny, and I look better with a dog head than a human head, so we just kept it up,” Kirby jokes.

Thus, Dogtown Artworks was born, where dogs are people, too.

A New Breed of Artwork

Since then, the Pringles have mastered an intricate process that requires fur, finesse, Photoshop and more than a few Milk-Bones. First, they photograph themselves in a variety of everyday scenarios. Next, Cindy and Kirby pose their pets in a similar fashion so that the dogs’ heads and paws can be blended into the original shot.

“Dogs are kind of like kids,” says Kirby, an award-winning journalist and photographer. “They’re only good for 10 or 15 minutes, so they get a lot of treats during their photo sessions. It’s quite a bit of work to get the right angle and lighting. The completed photos can take up to two weeks to do.”

Creating a seamless effect takes more than placing the right wig or hat on their patient pups – all of which are rescues.

“Dogs have emotions, too, so you want to get the right look to fit the photograph,” Cindy says. “We make use of their personalities. For example, Barney is a worrier, so we make the most of his natural expressions.”

Over the years, their boxer, Buster, emerged as the supermodel in the Pringle pack.

“Buster was absolutely amazing. He would hold a prop in his mouth and just pose,” says Cindy, giggling as she recalls a pair of red wax lips that gave her dog a goofy grin.

In 2006, the husband-and-wife team published their first “dog-people” book, Happy Tails: Earl and Pearl on the Farm. The charming ABC book stars the Pringles’ boxers, Buster and Barney, as Earl and Pearl Barker.

Today, the Pringles’ dog-people can be found on greeting cards, the occasional billboard and in four books, most recently Happy Tails: We Can’t Elope. The furry faces of Earl and Pearl Barker never fail to amuse.

“Our pictures are whimsical and reflect our sense of humor,” says Kirby, who left his job as a feature writer for The News-Gazette in Champaign in 2008 so the couple could become full-time artists.

In 2010, the Pringles moved to Tuscola, and in 2014, they made the downtown Vault Art Gallery home base for Dogtown Artworks.

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The Art of Conservation

Before settling in Tuscola, the nature-loving couple savored the country life in rural Champaign County. After reconstructing a half-acre of prairie, their interest in the monarch butterfly took flight.

“It was amazing the amount of wildlife that little parcel attracted,” Kirby says. “At the height of monarch migration, we would get hundreds of monarchs in our trees. When we noticed the butterfly population begin to plummet in the early 2000s, we decided to use our photos and film to teach people about monarchs and the prairie.”

Their growing interest in the monarch inspired their 2012 book The Butterfly That Would Not Fly.

“We wanted to teach children and adults about monarchs, so wecame up with this funny story about how Pearl Barker finds a monarch butterfly that can’t fly because it’s afraid of heights,” Cindy says.

In 2013, the Pringles released their first documentary, Plight of the Monarch, which highlights the loss of milkweed. They have since made five conservation-themed films. They also travel throughout the Midwest to discuss the importance of prairie plants to the entire food chain.

“The number of insects continues to go down,” Kirby says. “As a result, all grassland and prairie birds are declining because there’s not any prairie left. One-third of all plants we eat have to be insect-pollinated. Without insects, it would be a very different world.”

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Pollinators, Pups & Partners for Life

Whether protecting the prairie or creating a whimsical world of dog-people, the Pringles’ love for laughter, nature and each other shines through.

“We hit it off from the beginning because we both have goofy senses of humor, and we both love animals and nature,” Kirby says.

While their art continues to evolve – birds are a favorite subject these days – man’s best friend remains a muse for the Pringles. Their next book will feature the Barkers using various modes of transportation.

“I think what makes dogs so inspiring is that they’re such great companions,” Kirby says. “It means a lot to come home and have somebody greet you with all this unconditional love.”