Moosh as Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker)

Animoosh (Moosh) was my first dog as an adult, I rescued her from the San Diego animal shelter in the mid 2000s. We saved each other, truly. She was kind, intelligent, thoughtful, very amenable to hanging out with loud artists and musicians, especially if she could share some stolen beer or BBQ. She was quite the thief, but she deserved everything she managed to take, after all it was left unattended if she took it.

This painting was my very first painting where I anthropomorphized a dog as a real person. It was done in acrylics and when I was finished I decided I’d seek out some medium that layered more smoothly, leading me to find and fall in love with gouache. This painting was done shortly after Moosh left this world, and here is depicted as Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker), an Australian Aboriginal rights activist, poet, veteran, environmentalist and educator. My native roots are very important to me, so I decided I’d research until I found someone that reminded me of Moosh from her canine homeland origins, bringing me to Oodgeroo Noonuccal. Her many accompaniments and efforts are too vast and powerful to list here, so I’ll link below her Wikipedia page so you can read up on her if you are so inclined. We miss our Mooshie. Please allow me to paint the pet that mattered to you in your life, I’ll put the same love and energy into your painting as I put into my commemoration of Moosh.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oodgeroo_Noonuccal

Anthony Pego

@booscience