Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: March 2018

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Sunset at Dana Point - Painting in Progress

For the April 27th, 28th and 29th art show in Southern California. I have two more paintings in the works. Here is one I started a few weeks ago. It is 20 x 27 and is a sunset at Dana Point. My nephew took the photo and as soon as I saw it, I knew it had to be painted.

This photo reflects the very beginning stages of the painting. The painting is being rendered on acid free board. For the under painting, I mixed acrylic paint to create a gray taupe color and added that mixture to gesso. A thick layer of gesso was laid down with a wide brush.

Then, I wanted a more gritty service so I purchased some specially made stuff for pastels (like the secret sauce on the Big Mac - do you like my art terms!?!?!). The special stuff was applied using the same thick brush and leaving very defined brush strokes to give a unique visible texture to the finished painting.

Next, a piece of vine charcoal was used to create the sketch of the clouds and water. After the sketch, it was time to start laying down color. Here are some of the colors going down.

Check back....it is coming along fabulously. Thanks for taking a peek!

Friday, March 9, 2018

A Painting of Oliver - Wire Haired Dachshund

Here is a painting just finished. It is of a Wire Haired Dachshund named Oliver.

I was able to meet Oliver last year and take photos of him for his painting. What a cutie pie he is. I fell in love with him at once. It is interesting how that happens. He just touched my heart. It was exciting to get his painting started, and now that it is finished, I am a bit sad. Painting is more than work to me - it is my passion. At the point the painting is finished, I almost feel like I've returned home from vacation. It is good to be home (or finished) but the journey and experience will be missed.

When working on paintings, I usually have 2 or 3 going at the same time. That way I keep a fresh eye on each one which helps me see areas that may need some adjusting. It is interesting how the eye can become blind to something that you have become too focused upon. Multi-paintings really do keep my eyes fresh. While working on Oliver's painting, I was (am) also working on a seascape for an art show in April and a larger multi-dog painting. Now that Oliver is done, I can move on to another commission that is already sketched out and ready to begin. It is of a gorgeous boy named Ethan.

I'd asked Oliver's human mom to share some words about him and here is what she said:

As most know I lived with Rose and Ross at Meadowlark. After Rose’s knee replacement did go well she could no longer show the Irish. But Rose liked showing so we chose the standard wire haired dachshund. Our first litter in 2006 produced 7 puppies of which 5 finished. Oliver was from this litter, I just love this guy. Oliver finished first with three 5 point specially majors including the host show and the national. But he is more than a show dog, he’s my best friend, he can tell when I’m upset or happy, he’s just the most incredible dog!!!

Here is the reference photo. His beard was a tad wild and needed to be brushed. That was an easy fix in the painting. Thank you Ivy for having me paint your special boy!

www.dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html

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!