American Pie

Norman Rockwell’s quest for canine perfection.

By: Susan Van Dongen

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Rockwell: A Boy and His Dog by Loren Spiotta-DiMare is the semi-fictitious tale of the artist’s quest to find the right canine model for his calendar illustrations.


   Although she studied sociology and journalism, Loren Spiotta-DiMare knows almost as much about certain four-legged creatures as many veterinarians and trainers do. The veteran "animal journalist" and author has been asking questions and absorbing information about horses, dogs, cats, domestic birds and other critters for about 30 years.
   "I have always been an animal writer — all of my books have been about animals," Ms. Spiotta-DiMare says. "My background is magazine journalism, especially (animal-oriented publications) like ‘Dog Fancy’ and ‘Bird Talk.’ I also wrote a pet column for ‘Better Homes and Gardens,’ ‘Ladies Home Journal’ and ‘New Jersey Countryside.’ I didn’t study veterinary medicine, but over the years I’ve interviewed all kinds of vets and trainers, so I’ve learned a lot."
   Now Ms. Spiotta-DiMare has authored her seventh book, Rockwell: A Boy and His Dog (Barron’s Educational Series, $14.95). It’s the newest in Barron’s series about famous artists and their relationships with the children who inspired or posed for a famous work of art. Ms. Spiotta-DiMare’s words are accompanied by Cliff Miller’s illustrations, as well as several memorable works from Mr. Rockwell’s own easel.
   A Boy and His Dog is the semi-fictitious tale of Mr. Rockwell’s quest to find the right canine model to pose for his famous "Four Seasons" calendar illustrations, along with young model Scotty Ingram — a real person who is now in his 50s and living in Pennsylvania.
   In the book, Mr. Rockwell looks at a collie, an Irish setter, a spaniel and a hound, but none of the dogs quite fill the bill. Then Scotty finds a friendly stray beagle, who turns out to be perfect for the pictures.
   "This is kind of a departure for me because I usually do nonfiction," says Ms. Spiotta-DiMare, speaking from her home in Tewksbury. "It’s considered a work of fiction because I embellished the stray-dog story line, but it’s based on fact. Scotty Ingram, the model, is alive and well and I was able to locate him and interview him for the book. He says he had a nice relationship with Norman Rockwell — in fact, he wrote a book about their friendship.
   "The scenes in the book about riding bikes and having milkshakes are all true," she continues. "I asked him about the little dog in the paintings and he said, ‘I never met the dog.’ Apparently Rockwell never had animals and kids in the studio at the same time. The child models posed with props and the animals were painted in later. But I asked him if he knew anything about the dog in the calendar series and he said he thought she had been a stray, so I took that kernel of information and created this stray-dog story line."
   An animal lover who has three dogs, a parrot and several other birds in her personal menagerie, Ms. Spiotta-DiMare says writing A Boy and His Dog gave her the opportunity to blend her passion for animals and art.
   "I looked through tons of Rockwell’s paintings and he seemed to like beagles and spaniels in his work," she says. "I love dogs — I like their beauty, I love watching them interact with each other. They’re my buddies. I have a 15-year-old field spaniel, a four-year-old Welsh springer spaniel and a four-year-old Irish setter who is very friendly and sweet and thinks everyone who comes to the house is coming to see him."
   Just before Christmas, Ms. Spiotta-DiMare self-published Madeline’s Miracle, about a disabled pony and the children from the Tewksbury area who assist it. She has had three other picture books published, as well as three pet-care books for Barron’s —The Sporting Spaniel Handbook, Siamese Cats and Macaws. Her animal companions frequently appear in her childrens books.
   A native of Short Hills, Ms. DiMare graduated from the journalism program at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and published her first article at age 19 — her first book came a few years later. Along with her writing, she’s been director of public relations for the Somerset Art Association in Bedminster for several years.
   She’s been writing non-fiction for Barron’s for quite some time, but couldn’t get them to pick up on her ideas for children’s books until about a year and a half ago.
   "I kept sending proposals and kept getting rejected," she says. "But they were already publishing an educational series. The premise was famous artists and their relationships with a child and a famous piece — like Degas and the ‘little dancer.’ I liked the idea and, of course, I was very familiar with Rockwell’s work."
   Ms. Spiotta-DiMare collects illustrated children’s books — both classic and new — and is especially influenced by Marguerite Henry’s books about the wild ponies of Chincoteague and Assateague islands.
   "I loved the art for ‘Misty of Chincoteague,’" she says. "As a kid, I also remember liking Walter Farley, who wrote ‘The Black Stallion,’ and Albert Payton Terhune, who wrote a series of books about collies — one of the books is ‘Lad, A Dog.’ It’s fascinating because when I go into schools to do readings, I ask kids if they know these books and they still do. As an author, you like to think that your own books will also be as well-liked."
Rockwell: A Boy and His Dog by Loren Spiotta-DiMare is available for $19.75 (includes shipping) at PO Box 301, Califon, NJ 07830.