PUBLICATION CENTER

In addition to the golf-course graphics printed on Photo Tex PSA Fabric, Norman Gilbert’s decorated Buddy Dog features a golf-bag tag attached to a collar, eyes made out of ball markers, and portions of a golf grip on the nose. The images on the dog’s body are mostly fairway grass mixed with grass from the green and the dog’s head is wrapped with images from a sand trap.

Art is going to the dogs in Memphis this summer. Photographer Norman Gilbert used golf-course-themed prints on Photo Tex PSA Fabric to decorate this 44-in. statue of Buddy, a three-legged Black Labrador that was rescued during Hurricane Katrina. Entitled Dog Leg, Gilbert’s dog statue is one of 75 artistically enhanced dogs created for the Dog Daze in Memphis event commemorating the 75th anniversary of The Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County, TN.

“The sponsor of my Buddy Dog is a golfer, so I chose a golf theme,” explains Gilbert. “My dog has been already been displayed at multiple locations around Memphis, including the golf course where the sponsor is a member and where I captured all of the images.”

The images were printed in on a 44-in. roll of Photo Tex PSA on an Epson Stylus Pro 9600 using the ImagePrint RIP. Gilbert then cut the images into shapes that matched the contours of the dog.

Photo Tex PSA fabric is designed primarily for use on walls and other non-porous, flat surfaces, so it isn’t as pliable as the ultra-thin adhesive vinyl used to wrap cars, buses, and other objects with complex contours. But the repositionable adhesive on Photo Tex makes it much easier for novices to work with.

The spots on the body graphics were created by cutting out overhead shots of the bottom of the cup in the green.

“The adhesive was tacky enough to pull off for repositioning and stay put when it was in final position,” Gilbert reports. “It took a couple of tries in some parts, so there wouldn’t be extra seam lines or too much overlapping of the pieces.”

When the wrap was complete, the dog was sprayed with an automotive clearcoat so it could live outdoors in all types of weather without deteriorating.

After all of the Buddy Dogs are displayed at sites throughout the Memphis and Shelby County, they will be auctioned off at a fundraising gala for The Humane Society August 22. Gilbert is the official photographer for events promoting the Dog Daze in Memphis project and will be shooting images of all the dogs for a book about the project.

The base of the sculpture is wrapped in images taken from the cart path, which is made from small pebbles. The “socks” on the dog’s front legs are images of tree bark. And one of the dog’s paws sports a golf glove. The large leaf on the base and on the dog’s chest is the logo of the golf club at which Gilbert shot the images.

The Humane Society’s Buddy Dogs have been a big hit with animal lovers of all ages, including Gilbert’s two sons shown here.

Editor’s Note: Earlier this month, Norman Gilbert told LexJet account specialist Sean McGettigan about some articles he has written to help educate brides about how to choose a wedding photographer. Check out the post Why Hiring Uncle Joe to Photograph Your Wedding Isn’t Worth the Savings on Studio LexJet.