artist in residence

When he was offered an art-teaching job at St. John’s Episcopal in 1990, artist Martin Delabano gladly accepted, mostly because he wanted out of his job at the iron foundry, where he labored in close proximity to 3,000-degree metals and had once seen a man’s legs crushed by a cage of motor blocks. “It is hard, nasty, dangerous work,” he recalls. He had gone to school at St. John’s, and thought it would make a nice (safe) “transitional” job. “I remember thinking, ‘Hmm, middle schoolers, yeah right! I will be looking for another job in two years,’ ” he says. “Then I looked up and 10 years had passed. Turns out I love it.” Delabano, a sculptor of colorful expressionistic pieces, comes from a line of artists. His grandfather, whose inherited tools Delabano uses in his craft, was a woodworker. His father, Barney, was a staffer at the Dallas Museum of Art for 30 years and a painter. His parents’ art collections shaped his early interests. “I grew up in a house stuffed with paintings; drawings; and Pre-Columbian, African and New Guinea sculptures and baskets, which had a profound influence on me. I almost didn’t have the choice to not be an artist,” he says. Over the last couple of years, Delabano has taken up mandolin making, and he plays quite well (search his name on YouTube and hear for yourself). “I’ve played guitar since I was about 13, but I’d gotten bored with it. I was stale, and I wanted to learn something new.” For his talent, teaching (he also taught part-time at Brookhaven College for 18 years) and his avid commitment to the Carter Blood Center, he received the 2010 Distinguished Texas Artist Award. Delabano has donated about 21 gallons of blood to date. It started, he says, after he donated for a student with cancer. “They said I was good for platelets.” So he continues to give.

—Christina hughes BaBB

Video

Visit lakewood. advocatemag.com and search: Delabano to watch a video of Martin Delabano at work.

BODIE is an Australian shepherd who likes to play hard at White Rock Dog Park. His people are STEVE and SARAH KOLDYKE of Lakewood.

WANT YOUR PET FEATURED? Send a non-returnable photo to: PetPause, 6301 Gaston, Ste. 820, Dallas 75214; or email jpeg to launch@advocatemag.com

WHAt GiveS?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for neighborhood nonprofits

THIS MONTH, GIVE TO THE POOREST CHILDREN

by donating to Baal Dan, a charity that cuts out the middle men and sends dollars directly to the poorest people in India. Richards Group employee Tanya Pinto founded the charity in 2006 after finding inspiration volunteering at Mother Theresa’s orphanage in Calcutta. She realized that charities in India typically only give a small percentage of donations to their causes. And a little bit of money can go a long way. Through Baal Dan, $1 can feed a child for one day, and $365 can send a child to school for one year. More information is available at baaldan.com or 214.566.8926.

Or Get Fit

... while helping Woodrow Wilson High School. Zumba classes are held every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the boys’ gym. The classes cost $2 per person, and 60 cents from every fee goes to a school fund. Certified instructor Denise Malley leads zumba, which is an aerobics workout that incorporates Latin dance moves. Donations go to cheerleading, the spring musical, sports teams and other programs at Woodrow.

KNoW of WAyS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@ advocatemag.com.

Working Dogs

Paige Anderson is a talent agent who represents “rock stars” with names like Butters, Rookie, Othello and Oreo. They might not trash hotel rooms, but they’re still animals. Anderson owns an agency called Beast, and her critter clients have appeared in print ads for Neiman Marcus and Pier One Imports as well as TV spots for PetSmart and Western Union. Anderson was a photo stylist for eight years, and she’s been an animal-lover all her life. At home in Forest Hills, she has four rescue dogs, and she usually has one or two foster pups, too. In 2007, she realized she could combine two things she loves and make a niche for herself. Anderson describes a recent commercial where the producer wanted a dog to take a bag of potato chips from an actor’s hand, carry it in its mouth to a dog bed, drop the chips, and lie down in the bed. “That’s a lot of behaviors that have to be all in one sequence for the shot,” she says. “People don’t realize how much goes into it.” Anderson says she realized early on that it’s better to call for the behaviors producers expect rather than calling for a certain breed. Most of the dogs she represents have agility training because they’re focused, obedient and svelte. Just as runway models have to be skinny, so do canine models. “Most people’s pets are overweight,” she says. “I’ve had to tell people their dog is too fat.” Just because a dog is photogenic doesn’t mean it can be a model. Anderson says she receives about 10 emails a day from people asking her to represent their pets. Most of them are rejected. Anderson also represents cats, including Cadbury, who stars in a hilarious new Western Union commercial. She works with lizards, skunks, monkeys, bunnies and horses. But she draws the line at alligators: “My only rule is, I won’t work with anything that can eat me.” —Rachel

Stone

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