Marvin the Painting Dog from the Rhode Island SPCA in East Providence sits on a couch with Tropical Birds, a painting he did in 2004. Marvin raises money to help poor people keep their pets through his paintings.

The Providence Journal / Steve Szydlowski

This weekend at an exhibit opening not only can you meet the featured artist, but pat him: Marvin, a black Labrador retriever. He’ll be at Sunday’s reception for the “Paw” Traits exhibit at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of the Cruelty to Animals in East Providence.

The exhibit will include two dozen of Marvin’s paintings and a few dozen by human artists, members of the Fostering Arts organization in the Northwest section of the state. Proceeds will go toward the Marvin Fund, which provides financial assistance for pet owners having trouble paying veterinary bills.

So far, Marvin, through sales of his paintings and his 2003 autobiographical book, Marvelous Marvin, has raised $90,000 for the fund. Marvin does not grant interviews. So we spoke with his agent, Dr. E.J. Finocchio, a veterinarian and RISPCA’S president, who lives with Marvin in Burrillville.

Finocchio and Marvin met in the fall of 2002 at the shelter. At the time, Marvin was 3 and Finocchio was 60. Marvin now works 40 hours a week with Finocchio, visiting nursing homes and hospitals as a therapy dog and going to libraries and summer camps, teaching children the danger of taking things from strangers.

In 2003, Finocchio saw a television segment about elephants in Thailand painting with their trunks, and generating lots of money from their art. That got Finocchio thinking of how Marvin could raise money for the shelter.

“I just decided to put some paint on his tail and paper beneath it. I was amazed with what I saw – beautiful configurations.”

Finocchio calls the results impressionistic, and invites people to go online, to www.marvinfund.org, to compare Marvin’s works with those of Jackson Pollock.

Marvin paints four times a year, producing 8 to 10 paintings each time, with each painting taking about 2 to 3 minutes, according to Finocchio. In nice weather, Finocchio has Marvin paint outdoors, “which seems to inspire him.” In bad weather, Marvin paints in Finocchio’s basement.

In either location, the art-creating process is the same. Marvin lies down. Finocchio squirts an assortment of watercolor paints on his tail and puts a piece of paper beneath it. Then the painting begins.

“I sort of encourage him, say he’s a good boy, and I give him treats. That gets the tail going.”

Marvin’s works have appeared in art shows in Scituate, Burrillville and Pawtucket, among other places. The highest price paid so far for one of his paintings is $2,500.

“He is a very humble dog. None of this has gone to his head — just his tail.”

RISPCA is located at 186 Amaral St., East Providence. Sunday’s opening reception for “Paw” Traits is 1 to 3 p.m. The exhibit will be up through May 17 during regular shelter hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call (401) 438-8150.

brourke@projo.com