Renowned artist william wegman creates designer dog beds

You may be familiar with artist William Wegman’s work, which was made famous by his photographs featuring his own Weimaraners dressed up in clothes and playfully posed. Now the artistic genius has teamed up with Crypton fabrics to bring pet parents a whole new line of whimsical merchandise just for our beloved fur babies.

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The newest additions to his pet brand are called Throvers. They are dog blankets featuring simple line drawings of the artist’s own pooches. Plus, the stain, odor and moisture resistant fabric by the Crypton company makes cleaning these snuggle blankets a breeze.

Getting the artist to agree to join the Crypton line took some persuading on Randy Rubin’s (founder and CEO of the fabric giant) part. She knew Wegman was the man for the job, so she presented her idea to Wegman’s wife, Christine Burgin. Burgin handles all the artist’s affairs.

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Burgin was reluctant to try fabrics again since it didn’t work out well in the past. But when she accidentally spilled a cup of coffee in the midst of the business call, it was Rubin’s cue to really sell the benefits of the Crypton fabric. The business meeting took place and within five minutes Crypton fabrics and Wegman were a about to embark on a new adventure together.

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This led to the creation of pillows, tote bags and even butterfly chairs. But this latest collection is the first time the artist’s creativity has entered into the pet arena. The happy designs are featured on beds made just for dogs (or cats) and reversible throws.

The beds come in a simple flat cushion-style or the Bumper Bed with high contrast walls and a snuggle cushion that can be changed from an “angelic” design to a “devilish” dog according to what your pooch is feeling that day. In addition, all beds and throws come in muted tones and colors to accent any decor.

These dog products are not only practical, but they can be viewed as a work-of-art, rather than just another eye sore pet product.

Although, Wegman really gained notoriety when he began using his beloved dogs in his photos, he graduated in 1965 from the Massachusetts College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting. Then went on to receive his Master of Fine Arts degree in painting in 1967 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. From there his work was featured in many art museums and galleries around the world.

Wegman started his dog-centric photos with his first Weimaraner named Man Ray. His pooch’s deadpan expressions were a hit with buyers, but unfortunately, in 1982 Man Ray died. After his death, this renowned dog was named “Man of the Year” by Village Voice magazine.

However, the demise of Man Ray did not stop Wegman’s dog photos. By 1986 he had gotten a new pup Fay Ray who was also embarking on photographic fame, along with her soon-to-follow pups. And the rest, as they say, is history…

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