I really love the goofy couple that designed the logo for Crumbfed Mongrel. It’s my daughter and her husband! I know that I am partial to them, but I am delighted with what they produced for me. It wasn’t at all what I had in mind, because I couldn’t articulate what I wanted when I mentioned it to them. Somehow, just the name and the notions behind it were enough to help them produce this.
Hadassah
My daughter Hadassah has surprised me with her artistic sensibilities ever since she was a young girl. I am always in awe of people who can effortlessly portray the world around them or the world inside them onto canvas, clay or other media. It’s all the more amazing to me that my children are those sort of people.
My favorite things that Hadassah creates are photos of tiny critters. She sees things I miss, and uses her camera to bring my attention to them. She does the same with her poetry. (Maybe she’ll let me post some of it here someday). Frogs, spiders, and snails are among her favorite subjects. Where others see pests or repulsion, she finds beauty.
John
A year ago, John Suffield married my daughter. I had him as a seminarian in class long before that. I knew him as a lovable goofball. I wouldn’t have imagined that he would be marrying my daughter then. Hadassah is bookish, and John really is not. You know what they say about opposites …. They complement each other beautifully.
Like Hadassah, John has incredible technical skill as an artist. He does things with shadows that look three dimensional. I’ve seen him develop in the last few years, and it has been exciting to watch. I am certain that he is only beginning to hone his technique.
The Logo
A few months ago, I shared my idea for my website with John and Hadassah. I told them I was considering the name, “Crumbfed Mongrel,” and the inspiration for it. I also shared that I wanted it to be about discovering Jesus in the pages of the Old Testament.
A few days later, they came to me with the logo that you see on this site today. It was even better than I had imagined, because it incorporates a Eucharistic theme, something that I didn’t even mention. What you see in the logo is a typical Eucharistic Host bearing the image of Christ’s nail-pierced hand extended from the top right quadrant towards the titular mongrel in the lower left, offering yet another Host to the dog. It captures everything for which I could have hoped.
Hadassah sketched out the image in a few minutes. Then John digitized it, and cleaned it up, making it web-ready. They really do make a great team.
Imago Dei Studios
John is starting a side-hustle as an “artist for hire.” He calls his endeavor “Imago Dei Studios.” Here are some sample pieces of his work.
