Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Above the Barn

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Above the Barn

Owls have always fascinated me. We have a pair of what we call "hoot" owls that roost in the palm trees above our barn. To be correct, they are "Great Horned Owls." When we are out at night they fly over us. Occasionally, they roost on top of the telephone pole directly behind the barn. and hoot away. One night, crazy as this sounds, one was on top of our home's chimney. The hooting was echoing down into the house. It was so cool.

For an art show it came into my heart to paint one. So, I set out to photograph owls. We went to the zoo and photographed owls. We were having dinner at a friend's ranch and there was one in the pine tree near their home. It was sitting there in a Ponderosa Pine (hence the Ponderosa in the painting). Then, at another friend's home there was one in the opening of their barn.

This owl is a combination of all my owl sightings and photos taken. The pine tree was photographed near our home in a canyon.

We love to hear them call out at night. Equally, we love to be under them as they fly overhead. We enjoy the sound of their wings flapping in the calm night air.

The painting is currently on exhibit in Southern California at the Santa Rosa Ecological Preserve and is for sale.

Thanks for taking a peek.

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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!