Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Duncan - English Setter

This is Duncan (Ch. Paisley's Showstopper, H. D.).

When someone contacts me to paint their dog from one of their photos (with me not having been able to meet the dog in person) it is almost like Christmas. I know "presents" are coming but I don't know what is inside until I open the package. When the package of photos arrived I couldn't open it quickly enough. What I found absolutely warmed my heart. This big robust gorgeous English Setter. The photos were primarily show photos with some profile head shots. Duncan's people parents wanted me to paint the pose of him lying down and resting. The other photos assisted me with his coloring and "getting to know him."

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Rich and Bailey


We recently returned home from the Irish Setter Club National Specialty. My husband, Rich, was the RV chairperson.
Rich drove around the grounds in a golf cart helping with parking and security along with various RV parking issues. He took our 11 year old male Irish Setter, Bailey Boy (Ch. Rendition Irish Cream), with him in the golf cart. Bailey was thrilled and eagerly awaited their daily "cruises".
Bailey sat in the front seat on a big soft pad and enjoyed the rides, the fresh air - and visiting all the girl red dogs!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

"Reflections"

"Reflections" is my newest painting released in print. This piece was done specifically for the 2008 Irish Setter Club National Specialty held in April in Arizona. The background photos were taken by a friend who was traveling in Sedona. There had been a bridge in the background which was eliminated and more water was added to the painting.

The dog that was the model lives in Georgia and several hundred photos were sent to me by his owners. I didn't know what pose I wanted him in so they sent me every pose they could think of. Once the pose of the dog was determined I build the composition around the dog.

We consulted a cacti specialist in Arizona to make sure the cactus I put in the painting was indigenous to the Sedona area. I took photos of my dog's reflection in our pool to make sure I captured the reflection of the dog anatomically correct. More hours were put into this painting than any other painting I have ever done. The original is sold and a record number of prints as well. Prints and artist proofs are available for sale on my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/