Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: The one and only Clarence

Monday, July 20, 2020

The one and only Clarence - Clumber Spaniel

I was so excited to paint a Clumber. I'd painted an Irish Setter, Bailey, for Hilary and Pat in the past. They are wonderful people and I was looking forward to working with them again. This time they approached me to discuss painting their beloved Clumber, Clarence. They are so dang adorable. This is a breed I've always watched at the shows. Hard to pinpoint the exact attraction, there is just something "happy" about a Clumber.

When it came to accumulating photos for Clarence's painting, his owners had some really fabulous choices.   A number of photos would have worked wonderfully.    They chose a perfect photo for me to use as the primary reference photo. Clarence was sitting in a regal pose surrounded by a lovely garden of soft fuchsia colored blooms.

With the white of the Clumber, having a soft blanket of color enveloping him was the ideal background.   The color really allowed Clarence to jump out of the composition as our primary focal point.

I'd asked Hilary and Pat to share some words about Clarence for me to include with his painting in my posts.   Here is what was shared:

As far as info on Clarence, you know that Bailey was our heart dog and we’re honored to have his portrait by you in our home. We’re lucky to have a second heart dog in Clarence and are thrilled to have his portrait now too. He’s a true gentleman and loves his work as a therapy dog. He makes us smile every single day.

Thank you again!

It was my pleasure to paint Clarence. He is such a character. Congrats to Hilary and Pat for the new puppies they have out of Clarence. His legacy will continue on.

http://www.dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html

http://www.dawnsecord.com/galleryhome.html

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