We all know how dogs inspire us. They inspire us to be better people. They inspire us to love openly and unconditionally. They inspire us to play and embrace the simple things in life.

For artist Peter Clark, dogs inspire creativity.

Peter paints with paper, finding bits of treasure among other people’s trash. He and his wife scour flea markets, garage sales, and even dumpsters for malleable media.

His paper dog portraits convey a profound love for and understanding of dogs through the precision of his method, and his collages invite the viewer to peer deeper into his work. They’re more than just skilled renditions. Looking closely might reveal a map of the breed’s homeland, a strip of sheet music, or a piece of a paper dog license — an attention to detail that unifies the subject and medium into one sublime image.

You can see more of Peter’s work at his website.

Story via Interior Design Hound, images via Peter Clark Collage