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A Painting Of My Golden Retriever That Went Viral And Changed My Life Forever
The "Mona Lisa" of Dog paintings.
I am a Pittsburgh artist and I never expected a small painting that I created in 2012 called "A Golden Retriever at the Museum" depicting my golden retriever Lucas looking at a big tennis ball would quite literally change my life forever and become possibly the most shared image of a painting on the internet.
I'm a full-time artist based in Pittsburgh Pa., can’t deny that now. It all started in 2012, when I was working on a group of paintings I call my “Museum Series”. The paintings were aimed at taking a step inside the minds of art museum visitors. The point was to explore what goes through someone’s mind when they view a piece of art. I depict the subjects from behind while they look at a painting. I want the viewer of the paintings to create the emotion of the unseen face of the people. It’s all about juxtaposition and story telling.
More info: tommosserdesign.cm
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Lucas was my constant companion at my studio since the age of 8 weeks old
On a cold and dark December afternoon in 2012, I needed a break from a project and wanted to try something new. I looked across my studio to my two-year-old golden retriever. It was kind of a depressing day. I was working on a boring commission of a car. I looked at Lucas, who was sleeping on the floor belly-up at the time. Hilarious. I started to think of what type of painting would a dog be enthralled with at an art museum.
A painting of a stick?…a squirrel?…a frisbee? …a dog biscuit?
The “Mona Lisa” of dog paintings: “A Golden Retriever the Museum.” It’s perhaps the most shared image of a painting on the internet ever
Then it came to me.
Tennis balls.
I knew he had a good idea. I quickly grabbed my camera and tripod. I set the self-timer on it and positioned Lucas in the now-famous seated pose using dog treats. I wanted to only see the tip of Lucas’ nose and nailed the perfect reference photo on the second try and was off and running. I had just one 1/2in. thick 30in x 40in canvas at his studio and began sketching it immediately. I quickly began painting on it and essentially completed the piece in a week. It went viral later that March of 2013 after a New York art gallery posted it on its website and after visitors who viewed it at my booth at the New York Art Expo the same week did the same.
And my life changed.
For weeks my phone inbox and social media pages blew up with messages. I remember getting a text from my cousin Scott in Los Angeles. He said, ‘Dude. Your painting is all over Facebook!’…and the texts from other friends from all over the country kept coming!
The image of the painting was everywhere. Local TV stations and newspapers did stories on my viral painting and constant companion and muse Lucas.
“A Golden Retriever at the Museum” on display at the AKC Museum of the Dog in New York City in 2020
The prints were super high quality but pricey at $495. I thought we would sell five prints a year. But the canine world had taken notice. The 100-piece run sold out in 5 weeks. I and my publisher at the time donated a whopping $10,000 to the Pittsburgh Human Rescue! ($100 per print) (https://humaneanimalrescue.org/). I was stunned…I was making money but it was so much fun too.
The painting caught the attention of the tennis world too. The USTA’s NetPlay Magazine put the painting on its cover in 2014. It’s the only time a non-human has appeared on the cover. USTA Middle States awarded me the 2016 Tennis Industry Initiative Award.
The art world noticed too. “A Golden Retriever at the Museum” was displayed at New York’s AKC Museum of the Dog in February of 2020 for a show. (https://museumofthedog.org/)
Creating an 11ft x 18ft painting with a basketball with Lucas napping nearby
Creating art with a football with Lucas back in 2020
All the while I was constantly honoring requests for print donations to various fundraising events. At the height of covid in the summer of 2020 he saw media images of people in cars lining up for hours to get food from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, I decided I had to do something.
I donated two artist-proof prints for a cyber auction on his facebook page. The two top bids raised $8,100 for the food bank. I stopped counting the funds raised in 2020 but we are well over $40,000 raised so far. I love donating prints to fund-raisers.
Over the years I created multiple follow-up paintings and print-runs to the series now expanding to other breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, German shepherds, and golden doodles. Depictions celebrating French bulldogs, cocker spaniels, and Boston Terriers are nearly completed.
My muse, companion and snuggle dog Lucas back in 2018
I custom embellish every print of my “Museum Series”. Lucas looks like he is ready for a fetch back in 2021 with me at the studio in Pittsburgh
My connections with the golden retriever world continue to grow. In December of 2022, I was invited to create a piece honoring another iconic golden retriever named Spencer by his owner Rich Powers. Spencer is the iconic golden retriever made famous by the 2018 viral video of him proudly holding a Boston Strong flag during a wildly windy and rainy Boston Marathon. On February 4th in 2023 I spoke at the unveiling event at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. The 5ft tall painting is entitled “Celebrating Spencer.”
I traveled to Atlanta this past February to be the key note speaker at the annual conference for the Happy Tails Pet Therapy organization. I also visited a hospital with a group of therapy dogs. (I also donated fund-raising prints).
March 16, 2022
I’ve never seen such a magical snowfall as that one. Lucas was suffering so but he was happy at this moment. He loved snow. Lucas passed away in my arms a few hours later near this spot at our home in Pittsburgh.
“A Golden Retriever at the Museum” on the cover of the United States Tennis Association’s NetPLAY Magazine in 2014
Fast forward nearly 12 years since its creation and the image of Lucas staring at a painting of a tennis ball is still all over cyberspace. A July 3rd post of this year by the Facebook page called “EYE” generated 50,000 likes and 8,300 shares as of this writing.
(https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=867823105377736&set=a.453290433497674)
Starting on July 18th, a 18” x 24” print of it appeared for 5 days behind host Tony Kornheiser on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption show. It’s the third time Tony has displayed it on the iconic show. Says Tom, “Each time Tony displays on the show my inbox blows up with photos of tv screens from around the country with the print of Lucas displayed behind Tony. It’s just so cool.” (See an episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYyOo_x-OVo&t=815s)
The PTI show, posts like the “EYE” and apparently algorithms on Instagram have kept Lucas’ painting and its follow-ups in the public’s eye. Just in the past 10 days I sold prints to dog-loving clients from countries such as Poland, Scotland, Italy, Canada, New Zealand, England, South Africa and the Philippines.
And the print sales keep booming. But the real key to the sales is the personal touch that I provide. I always asks for photographs of my customer’s dogs. I love to see the faces of the dogs that the prints will celebrate. I like to hear their stories. This is personal. Many of the of emails tell emotional stories about dogs recently passed. Because of this I love to offer to custom paint on the dog collars on the prints to honor the customer’s pups for no charge. By doing so the dog depicted in the print is transformed. It is now THEIR dog. Quite often it honors a dog that has passed away.
A print of “A golden Retriever at the Museum” on display on ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption show in July of 2024
My new muse is named Franco. Franco will be the subject of an upcoming painting called “A Cream Golden Retriever at the Museum”
A painting called “A Woman at the Museum”
Now I have a new muse. My eighth-month old golden retriever named Franco will be the subject of an upcoming “Cream Golden Retriever at the Museum” soon. There is a lot of deja’ vu at the studio these days with Franco. Lucas would have loved him.
I’m surrounded by Lucas every day with prints that are always present on the walls and tables of his studio. As artists we are always looking for themes that resonate with us but also with the public. We want to create an emotional connection somehow and this simple painting has really done that. What is so gratifying is that the series and painting that started it all was inspired by my Lucas who I loved so much. And it’s still just so much fun literally every day.
Me with my muse Lucas and a painting “A Golden Retriever at the Museum”
I work at my studio in Pittsburgh custom embellishing prints for my customers
Kissing the subject of my painting called “Celebrating Spencer” at its unveiling in Boston on Jan. 4th in 2023
Photographing a painting from my “Museum Series” with my assistant Lucas
A typical message that I receive about “A Golden Retriever at the Museum”
A proud Lucas watching a local tv news story in Pittsburgh about “A Golden Retriever at the Museum” back in 2013
I was the keynote speaker at the “Happy Tails Pet Therapy” conference in Atlanta in February of 2024
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What do you think ?
Kathy Salmanson 4 months ago
This brought tears to my eyes. My rescue Siberian Husky, Remington, wouldn't know what to do with a ball or bring back anything you throw. He doesn't even play with his toys. He just moves them around from room to room. What DOES get his attention is people food, especially watermelon, French fries, hot dogs, pizza, Cheetos and cheese. He is 14 now and can't jump on my bed anymore, and is on pain meds, but I am trying to give him the best life ever. I wish I could afford to have you paint him looking at one of his favorite foods.
Kathy Salmanson 4 months ago
This brought tears to my eyes. My rescue Siberian Husky, Remington, wouldn't know what to do with a ball or bring back anything you throw. He doesn't even play with his toys. He just moves them around from room to room. What DOES get his attention is people food, especially watermelon, French fries, hot dogs, pizza, Cheetos and cheese. He is 14 now and can't jump on my bed anymore, and is on pain meds, but I am trying to give him the best life ever. I wish I could afford to have you paint him looking at one of his favorite foods.
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