What do you get when you combine a love of photography and a love of dogs? Puppy Love.
The Puppy Love Juried Show returns to A Novel Experience Bookstore in Zebulon during the month of February. Puppy Love, now in its ninth year, honors the unconditional love we receive from our canine companions.
Fayette County has seven photographers exhibiting in Puppy Love. They are Tina Brown, Marquita Foster, Jim Johns, Dale Niles, Susan Perry, Donna Rosser and Herta Thomas. Additionally, Fayette resident Donna Thompson has been the show director for four years.
The Opening Reception will be Saturday, Feb. 6, 6-8 p.m. The reception is open to the public and there will be refreshments.
Puppy Love has established some fun traditions for the reception in recent years. This year it will be an “All-Star” event. Guests are encouraged to wear their favorite sports jerseys. There will be a Pup Rally with spirited introductions of canine guests from Coco’s Cupboard, our annual trivia contest and a silent auction with some fabulous items for dog lovers.
Because this night is dedicated to spotlight the foster dogs, canine attendance will be limited to those from the rescue.
There will also be a presentation of awards for the show in addition to our Juror Talk with Gary Gruby. Gruby is a self-taught photographer who has made his profession as a fine art and commercial photographer for over thirty years. He works from his studio in Atlanta.
“We are very fortunate to have Gary Gruby as our Juror this year,” said Thompson. “He is not only an incredibly talented photographer and dog lover, he also has supported Puppy Love through the years. Gruby will be sharing his thoughts about the show, the selection process and his choices for awards.”
Coco’s Cupboard is returning as Puppy Love’s featured rescue. Proceeds from this year’s show will benefit Coco’s. They are an all volunteer 501c3 non-profit. Coco’s has a rescue/foster program dedicated to helping find these wonderful dogs their forever home.
Puppy Love challenges guests to be “FAB” and bring a bag of dog food to the reception. The FAB Challenge, “Fill a Bowl”, was created to help Coco’s restock their Food Pantry.
“So many times we hear that Puppy Love is a photographer’s favorite show to participate in,” said Thompson. “That’s easy to understand because we are able to enjoy beautiful and touching photographs, feature our foster dogs and have lots of fun. We hope the public will join us for the great event.”
For more information, contact Thompson at puppylovejuriedshow@gmail.com.
