BRITT ZAIST´S BIRTHDAY CALENDAR

BY BRITT ZAIST

This is an events calendar with illustrations by Britt Zaist of her pet portrait clients. The Birthday Calendar concept originated in Holland. The Birthday Calendar was placed in the bathroom next to the roll of toilet paper - the idea was that everyone had time in there to read the important dates. Generally, now they are placed next to an annual calendar so you don't have to mark that up each year. The nicest part is that they can be handed down as an heirloom.

This is the connection with the drawing above of Tessa. I had completed my Birthday Calendar and decided to make Mosa - another one of the Bouvier des Flandres dogs of the same owner as Tessa - be "January" in the calendar. Making the selection from all the portraits I had done up to that time was difficult. Each dog or cat (or horse, rat, warthog or...) had a story. Owners are remarkable for their stories about their animals. Often, I would be asked to do one of their favorites that had died. Many years ago, I received commissions by the old-fashioned mail service. There would be envelopes filled with photos and letters describing their pet. One photo I couldn´t work from because it wasn´t clear: a dark dog on a dark surface - at night ---is hard to do. But when I wrote for more - the owner said his dog had died and he had no more photos. Ok-it´s a pedigree - whip out your sources and do the drawing to keep the memory alive.

Let me get back to Mosa and Tessa, the Bouviers. Their owner was delighted about Mosa making the cut and bought six calendars. But not so much for the portrait that she already had from the commission; but rather because she was making a gift of the calendars to each of her six children with the month and date of her birthday written large and in red pen inside. She said maybe this time they will remember!
These calendars never sold well although I thought the idea was terrific. I think people didn´t understand the idea of a calendar that was not annual. I have one that I´ve used for the 15+ years since I did them. Now it´s all marked up, sitting next to the annual calendar that remains pristine. Each time I turn the pages of my birthday calendar, I remember someone. It´s a reminder to send a birthday card, to remember my sticky divorce, the date my parents were born and died, an assassination of Henry´s first big-time client (that´s a story in itself - he finally gets a good client and they shoot him!).

Anyway, going back to doing art, I found I have 6 left which I will keep for special gifts. Mine- I have no one to pass it on to so I will continue to add to it until I can´t.