Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Painting of Kelly & Mick

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Painting of Kelly & Mick

I've know Kelly and Mick for a number of years now. When Mick was young, Kelly had him in a crate in her vehicle. They were in a terrible traffic accident. Mick's crate was sheared in half and he was running lose on the freeway. Kelly was airlifted to the hospital. Someone caught Mick, who had some lacerations, and took him to a veterinarian. The vet scanned him for a microchip and called his owner, Kelly's husband. He told the vet, his dog was with his wife. The vet said no, your dog is here. That is how he found out his wife and dog and been in terrible accident.

Life is so fragile and sometimes it can be taken so quickly. Kelly is one of those people who make an impact on your life, and her dog Mick is the same. Those who know her are so very thankful she was not taken from us at that time. You will never see her without a smile on her face and Mick will always be wagging his tail.

Mick is a very important part of her life and the background for this painting is one of their very special places to visit.

Here is what Kelly posted on her Facebook page:
Celebrating 10.5 years with my boy Mick - American Canadian Champion Westeirann Estrella Magic with a beautiful pastel painting by Dawn Secord . Thank you Dawn! I will cherish this forever can't wait to get it in a frame on the wall.

Thank you Kelly for having me paint you and your special boy - it was an honor!

Photo: Celebrating 10.5 years with my boy Mick - American Canadian Champion Westeirann Estrella Magic with a beautiful pastel painting by Dawn Secord . Thank you Dawn! I will cherish this forever can't wait to get it in a frame on the wall.

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Pastel Painting in Progress - French Bulldog

Here is a painting in progress. The pastel paintings are done very much in the same way an oil painting is done. I start with a base color. Usually I work with a precolored surface. With oil painting I would lay in a foundation color so the white canvas wouldn't show through. So this is the same basis. Since I am right handed I work from left to right unless it is a landscape or still life in which case the entire surface is worked uniformly. With pet portraits, so I don't damage an area that is completed, the surface is worked from left to right. While working an area of the subject I lay in mid tone values first - then work light to dark. With pastels an artist can "fill the tooth" of the surface so it is important not to over work any areas. Once the entire subject is painted I go back and reinforce the lightest lights and darkest darks. My greatest area of interest is the eyes. If the eyes aren't right the entire painting will look odd. If the painting is about a sleeping animal it is important to convey the comfort of the animal.

Oil Painting in Process

The following pictures show an Oil Painting in process. The first images show my beginning sketch. I use a common pencil, ruler and an eraser. Once the beginning sketch is satisfactory the sketch is secured with a layer of black oil paint. When the first layer is dried I apply a base color over the entire canvas. I love working on a burnt sienna foundation. There are paintings where I start just working directly on the white canvas and there is no base layer or foundation. It really depends on the painting. From the base foundation I start layering colors. It is a slow process due to drying time. This is where it really becomes fun. I should really make a recording of my husband saying, "You're done - stop messing with it!" Thanks for taking a peek. This painting is of a cat named Lynxy!