A Crowd for Jamie Wyeth Signing

Bring together Jamie Wyeth, a love for dogs and a lazy summer afternoon and you have a recipe for a crowd. A big crowd.

Hundreds of fellow dog lovers snaked around the second floor of the Brandywine River Museum this afternoon, waiting patiently as Wyeth signed copies of his exhibition catalog ($24.95 plus tax) for "Dog Days of Summer: Works by Jamie Wyeth" from 1-3 p.m. The line was so long that museum officials weren't guaranteeing those who arrived after 2 p.m. that they would reach the signing table before 3. (If you didn't get a signed copy, stay tuned to this blog. There might be one available.)

Wyeth, with tussled curly hair and high spirits, sat at a table near the window signing, signing, signing.

If you haven't seen the exhibit, you need to -- it continues through Sept. 3. It's a delight to see how big of a role dogs have played in Wyeth's life, to see how he created the White House Christmas card for the current president and first lady based on sketches of the Bush pets, and to see the imagination of a talented artist at work.

My favorites included:

"Newfoundland," a gorgeous oil painting of Wyeth's big black regal-looking Newfoundland named Boom Boom.

"Ziggy on Ice," a poignant winter scene with evergreen trees flocked with snow in the background, and Ziggy sitting on the ice, looking off in the distance.

"Homer," the image used to promote the exhibit, which features one of his Jack Russells sitting prominently in the foreground with the richest royal blues of the ocean behind him.

"Christmas Morning, Year of the Shoulder," an intimate painting of a young boy asleep with a Jack Russell sitting at attention at the corner of his bed. It reminds me of how my dog Petey used to "guard" me.

If you've seen the exhibit, let me know your favorites.