Friday, Nov. 21, 2008

Southlake Artist Adds Official Poster of Famed Westminster Dog Show to Credits

By Alice Murray

Editor

Southlake artist Trish Biddle’s work is going to the dogs, and she couldn’t be more excited.

Biddle will be on hand Monday Nov. 24 when her poster for the famed 2009 Westminster Dog Show is unveiled at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York City. Biddle was commissioned to do the art in March.

The poster depicts the seven groups of dogs, and highlights last year’s Best of Show winner "Uno," a beagle.

"I had to change his head to be looking at the viewer and made sure to capture his personality. He is a famous dog now," Biddle said.

Biddle also had to include the Saks Fifth Avenue storefront and the Empire State Building, which lights up purple and gold during Westminster week, she said.

But Biddle is not finished with the project quite yet. The dog show, in February at Madison Square Garden, will feature Biddle painting live.

Biddle said details of her live painting are still to be worked out, but it could include painting the 2009 winner.

The painting will be auctioned at Doyle’s in New York City with the proceeds benefiting the Angel on a Leash program. This program uses therapy dogs to help sick children and wounded soldiers at hospitals in the Manhattan area.

This is not the first time Biddle was chosen to produce the signature poster for a major sporting event.

Last year, Biddle produced the 2008 poster for the Kentucky Derby.

"It is a great honor to be asked to participate even once at events of this magnitude at the national and international level," Biddle said. "It is a dream to do two of them back-to-back."