Community Sketchbook

Title: America Loves Its Dogs

Artist: Eric LaPointe

About the artist: LaPointe follows patterns to make his cross-stitches, embellishing them with some free-hand work. His “studio” is his car, his home or a local park. LaPointe said he prefers to do cross-stitchings of animals and scenery.

While he may not call himself an artist, LaPointe said he has been complimented by fellow cross-stitchers for doing “some of the best work they’ve seen.”

LaPointe’s sister taught him to cross-stitch when he was recovering from a back injury 11 years ago, he said, and he never stopped. He works on his “enjoyable hobby” 10 hours a week.

He doesn’t sell his cross-stitches; he gives them as presents to family and friends. He has also donated one piece to the Adult Learning Center.

The past year, LaPointe came up with a fund-raising idea combining his passions for animals and cross-stitching. LaPointe volunteers as a dog walker at the Central Missouri Humane Society where, he said, he tries to keep the dogs happy and more adoptable.

“You can tell animals appreciate the help,” LaPointe said.

About the work: America Loves Its Dogs is a 4-by-3-foot cross-stitching featuring 22 dog breeds, all but one of which LaPointe has walked or seen in Missouri. More than 1,000 hours of work and 30,000 yards of thread in 94 different colors, went into the piece. He said he worked on this piece four to 10 hours a day. LaPointe designed the cross-stitching by using patterns of dogs he thought were popular and complemented the color scheme.

America Loves Its Dogs was displayed at several locations around Columbia June through August and was auctioned in the Columbia Canine Sports Center Aug. 31. The winning bid raised $1,000 for the Central Missouri Humane Society.