Maple Reach

Henry Blue: The Incomplete Oeuvre features the canine artist’s finest sculptural works accompanied by humorous critique. All profits benefit injured and disabled rescue dogs.

This 72-page book features the sculptural & performance work of the superlative canine, Henry Blue. Thirty-one color plates highlight the work while accompanying texts elucidate the finer points of the oeuvre.

All profits from the sale of the book go to One Tail at a Time PDX (otatpdx.org).

We discovered Henry Blue’s artistic spirit when he showed an outsized interest in cardboard toilet paper tubes. Preferring the “nested” variety, with multiple layers of tube, he carefully tears away the cardboard with his front teeth, layer by layer, stopping just shy of complete destruction. He takes a moment to consider each piece, instinctively knowing when it is done, and walks away.

Thanks to the photo documentation, humorous critique and opposable thumbs of artist Jamie Newton (@concretewheels), Henry Blue began sharing these artworks on Instagram under the handle @henry_blue_artist.

Newton and his wife, writer Jennifer Allen Newton, created this book to share Henry Blue’s unique artistic vision with the world and raise money to give other injured and disabled dogs a chance at the good life.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS, HUMAN AND DOG
Artist Jamie Newton is a painter, sculptor and creator of ephemeral art and art books. His paintings are available at the White Lotus Gallery in Eugene, Oregon and his ephemeral works can be viewed on his Instagram: @concretewheels and in his latest book: An Ephemeral Year. Newton is the founder of 3acreTract(s) and co-creator and designer of Trouble, a Paris-based magazine about art and culture.

Henry’s full story — as much as we know it — is captured in the posts of this blog. But here’s a quick summary…

Henry (previously known as Blue Valentine) was found as a wandering stray in SW Washington State. He’d been walking on two broken front legs. Nobody knew his story. Barely avoiding euthanasia, he was taken in by an amazing rescue organization, One Tail at a Time, in Portland, Oregon. There, through the care of many people, he was mended and fostered through several operations and attendant recoveries. Once fully healed, Henry was adopted and came to be the unbounded creative talent he is today.

Henry lives and works here at Maple Reach Farm, where he keeps the chickens in line, commands the sheep’s attention, visits with the neighbor’s horses and sporadically posts to his Instragram: Instagram @henry_blue_artist.

His artwork is currently housed in the special collections wing of the Museum of Collections of Small Things and Books and Found Objects (@MoCoSTaBaFO).