Monthly Archives: October 2006

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Cowbelly Pet Photography - Paddywack Benefit Photography Show

October 25, 2006 – 5:36 am

This is what Cowbelly is busy with this week: a benefit photography project I have been working on for the past 3 years. I am really excited it is finally happening! I am doubly excited that one of my photos currently has a $150 bid on it- woohoo!

A link to more information:

http://www.paddywack.net/news.htm

And our press release:

Month-Long Pet Photography show, and Howl-O-Ween party
to benefit Best Friends Animal Society.

Date: October 2nd 2006-October 27th, 2006
Location: Paddywack in Mill Creek, Washington

Seattle-Based Cowbelly Pet Photography and Paddywack, a pet supply store in Mill Creek, are teaming up to hold a month-long fundraiser to benefit Best Friends Animal Society. Photographer Jamie Pflughoeft will have framed photography prints of formerly homeless animals on display at Paddywack beginning October 10th. The photography will be up for silent auction throughout the month until the culmination of the event at a large Howl-O-Ween benefit party on Friday October 27th, hosted by Paddywack in Mill Creek Town Center.

What is Best Friends Animal Society?

Best Friends Animal Society reaches across the nation helping humane groups, individuals and communities to set up spay / neuter, shelter, foster and adoption programs in their own neighborhoods. At the heart of the non-profit organization is the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary for domestic animals located in Kanab, Utah. On any given day, up to 1500 animals that were once abused, abandoned and homeless can be found at the sanctuary. Best Friends gives these pets the hope of finding a permanent home and living out their days happy, healthy and loved. Funded entirely by donations from members and supporters, Best Friends relies on the kindness of strangers to keep the sanctuary and organization functioning. More information can be found at http://www.bestfriends.org.

What is the purpose of the art show?

The purpose of the art show is two-fold: The first purpose is to raise money to donate to Best Friends. Donations help keep food in the bellies of the animals that live there, and provide veterinary care, blankets, towels and other supplies.

The second purpose of the art show is to educate the public about the importance of adopting pets from shelters and rescue societies. So many loving animals are needlessly euthanized each year in the United States; Cowbelly Pet Photography and Paddywack would like to play a role in helping to reduce that number.

How do Cowbelly Pet Photography and Paddywack propose to do this?

Photographer Jamie Pflughoeft started the Best Friends Photography Project back in the fall of 2003 by selecting 20 rescued pets to photograph for the show. Jamie is donating her time, services, and a percentage of proceeds from the sale of framed photographs to Best Friends Animal Society. Art show attendees will have the opportunity to: bid on framed black and white and color photographic prints, purchase unframed (matted) low-cost prints of the same exhibit photographs, sponsor an animal at Best Friends, or donate money into a “Help Best Friends Animal Society feed the animals” collection jar.

Paddywack is designating October as “Best Friends Month” and a portion of all sales during the month of October will be donated to Best Friends Animal Society. In addition, a Howl-O-Ween benefit party will be sponsored by Paddywack and Cowbelly Pet Photography on October 27th, with a percentage of proceeds benefiting Best Friends.

The Howl-O-Ween party will include live music, pizza from Boston Pizza, dessert, hot apple cider, beer provided by Flying Dog Brewery, a costume contest with celebrity judges including John Fisher from 103.7 The Mountain, prize packages, a ‘Trick-then-Treat’ station, individual photography sessions provided by Cowbelly Pet Photography of dogs in costume, and an announcement of the winners of the silent auction for the framed photographs.

What is the photography in the art show of?

20 local once-homeless dogs, cats and other domestics, were hand-selected and photographed for the show over the last three years by Jamie Pflughoeft of Cowbelly Pet Photography. All animals once came from animal shelters, rescue societies, abuse situations or were rescued off the street, and all now have permanent loving homes. The owners received free photo sessions and agreed to have their pet’s images included in the show. The pets received treats, fun and lots of love. Each pet featured in the show will “tell their tail” in a written story on display near their photograph, which will then accompany the framed photograph when purchased.

For more information or to find out how to get involved in the show contact:

Cowbelly Pet Photography
24 Roy St #466
Seattle, WA 98109
206.335.8096
E-mail: info@cowbelly.com
Web: http://www.cowbelly.com

If you are free then come join the fun with us on Friday!

By doggirlseattle | Posted in Behind-the-Scenes, Personal Projects | Tagged | Comments (0)

Yay It’s Sunday!

October 22, 2006 – 7:51 pm

Yesterday was a very long, 12-hour workday. Not that 12 hours is unusual for Cowbelly, in fact, it’s pretty common, but yesterday was filled with back-to-back physical activities- photo shoots, canvas stretching, bank run, 2 art drop offs at clients, picking up the dog, etc, etc. It didn’t end until after midnight. When I woke up I felt like I had been run over by a truck. A big one.

BUT, everything went off without a hitch and I couldn’t be more thrilled about how things went! Ella the portuguese water dog’s Decopaw shoot went great, and talk about a sweet girl. Man is she sweet.

Here is Ella. She lives in the Mt. Baker Neighborhood.

We are going to be creating Decopaw art for Ella for her little brother’s nursery. He is set to be born any second now and I am hoping that we can at least get the creation process and art ordered from my printer within the next week. It’s tight but I know they are motivated so we can do it. Ella’s mom has the idea to do a triptych like Lily’s, on the feature page of decopaw.com.

We’d do Ella’s art on three seperate canvases, in sea blues, oranges, yellows, apple greens and pinks.

I am really excited to get started. We just need to pick the images we want to use for the art and I can get going.

Last night was Sue’s party for Greg. He is soon going in for double knee replacement surgery and she held a huge surprise ‘pre-get-well-soon’ party at their beautiful house on the water in West Seattle. Friends from all over the western states came in for the surprise. The party was truly gorgeous, the guests were happy and alight with tangible love for Greg and Sue, and the phenomenal food was catered by Mistral restaurant in Seattle http://www.mistralseattle.com/.

Chef William Beleckis and his crew worked their magic in Sue and Greg’s kitchen and pretty soon a crowd had gathered to watch them.

The flavors coming out of that kitchen were truly unique and incredible. I am not easy to please food-wise, as I have spent a lifetime dining in the greatest restaurants with my foodie dad, and every month he and I and my sister try a new place in Seattle that none of us has ever been to. I get bored easily with the same old northwest fusion cuisine and like music, feel like I have heard it all before. Mistral has been on our list for awhile and now I think we’ll have to plan a December dinner there.

So Sue invited yours-truly to photograph the party, which was a huge compliment considering I specialize in pets and don’t usually do events or parties. It turned out great, and after about 30 minutes of test shots trying to get my brand-new uber complicated bounce flash to work on their multi-leveled ceiling, I got some good shots that I think Sue will be happy with. The look of pure surprise on Greg’s face in the last shot when he saw all of his friends emerge from the shadows of their living room made the whole night, and what I was praying to capture. What a great party.





Oh, and I also dropped off and hung both Sue’s art, and Jana’s art down the street. At Jana’s I was in a ‘love brawl’ with Ivar, Morgan, Scarlet and Cubbie. I was in heaven and ended up back at Sue’s covered in white dog hair.

Sue’s canvases:

Jana’s prints:

Al in all it was an awesome day!!

Today I get to relax, and tomorrow I am taking my first day off in I don’t remember how long (months I’m sure).

Tonight I have a date and I am really looking forward to taking a bath and getting all girlie and good smelling. I spend entirely too much time dressed like I am on my way to the dog park or I just woke up, and I am really looking forward to looking and smelling like a woman again. I will be cooking for us here in my tiny kitchen and probably pick up some Buffalo Bill’s pumpkin ale (best beer ever: http://www.buffalobillsbrewery.com/beersset.htm), to go with our steak and garlic mashed potatoes. My garlic mashers have been fought over at family gatherings and no matter how hard I try and how much I make there never seem to be leftovers. I have a secret for making them that brings lots of flavor out. Mmm, getting hungry just thinking about them.

I just need to get some e-mails sent, my place and myself cleaned up and then it’s 36 hours of pure relaxation. I may even turn my phone off. ;-)

Chow till, next week!

Jamie Cowbelly

Before I forget- I got a text message this morning from my dear friend Steve in Nashville saying that he had just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail- 75 miles in 7 days. Way to go Stevie- you should be so proud!! Love ya kiddo!

By doggirlseattle | Posted in Behind-the-Scenes, decopaw dog art | Comments (0)

Oh boy oh boy

October 21, 2006 – 2:26 am

“Oh boy” could mean many things. It could mean “wow a gift? for me?”, or “somebody’s in trouble and I hope it’s not going to be me”. In Cowbelly’s case today “oh boy oh boy” means “please dear God let me get through this day”.

And also- “Oh Boy, Oh Boy, a new blog!”.

It’s a good thing I am a fast typer as I have always felt that the very last thing I would have time for is a blog.

Well, I have had enough stuff going on lately (projects, art displays, events, NEWS), that I decided, instead of repeating myself to all of my awesomely rad clients, to just post crucial, can’t-live-without, uber-exciting, stuff and news and more stuff, and the occasional genius tidbit, and self-inflated congratulations, on my very own blog.

So- Welcome!! Fergie welcomes you too. She is destroying a black gorilla that will shortly be leaving teensy bits of black fur and entrails all over my apartment.

Back to the praying to God to let the day end- Yes, it has been one of those days. Who is that great children’s storybook character? Max? The no-good-very-bad day, that has inspired many a tatoo? Yeah- like that.

The only redeeming value may come in how I see how my new Sunpak Flash and Sto-Fen Omni Bounce perform when I test them out on my pup Fergie. Pics to come as soon as I figure out how to work the thing.

So welcome to my first day as a blogger and stay tuned for my first attempts at indoor flash pet photography. :-)

Jamie Cowbelly

By doggirlseattle | Posted in Behind-the-Scenes, NEWS! | Comments (0)