Over a year ago a book came out written by well-known
author, Marsha Hall Brown (retired AKC dog judge), and illustrated by me (the
new illustrations - there are historical illustrations and paintings in the book
as well). The title is Under Sun, Stars and Sails. The cover
illustration is one of my pieces. With
the craziness of the past almost 2 years, the publicity for the book was impacted. The book is an amazing historical story. I am so glad efforts are underway to proceed
with the publicity of the book.
The illustration process was more than fascinating. I created several maps, pencil
illustrations, pastel illustrations as well as the cover painting. The book follows a sea captain, Joseph
Marshall who was a master mariner, and his family from 1851 thru 1861 on their voyage
at sea from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Mind you, at that time, there was no Panama
Canal. Their voyage took them ashore too. Their trek across the Isthmus of Panama was
by train and mule. The research required
to create the illustrations and maps was a journey in and of itself. I also worked from photos of artifacts and of
individuals. It was an honor to work on
a project with Mrs. Brown again. She
is a wealth of information. She is
humble about her background, not only in dogs but as a descendant of the
founding families of Nantucket. Did you
know Macy’s founders were from Nantucket?
Nantucket played such a tremendous role in the 1800s whaling
industry. The book is a must read for American
history buffs. The book is filled with actual
photos and inserts of historical letters.
It is a must read for those wanting to experience a true-life adventure.
Mrs. Brown just released a captivating book trailer for Under
Sun Stars and Sails that I am more than proud to share. Under Sun, Stars and Sails was
published by Spinner Publications, Inc. of New Bedford, Massachusetts.
To see the trailer, click on the following link:
To order the book, click on the following link:
http://www.spinnerpub.com/Under_Sun_Stars_and_Sails.html
Mia is an Irish Setter I had long admired on Facebook. She was a beautiful dog. Everything about her was lovely.
The time came when Mia passed. It was heartbreaking news for those who knew and loved her.
When her owner contacted me to paint her, I was thrilled. It is always such an honor to paint someone's special animal. This was no exception.
Do you have little children who love hearing bedtime stories? I am starting a story time video series on my dog, Bling's Utube channel. Here is our first video, Interrupting Chicken, by David Ezra Stein. If you haven't read the story to your children or grandchildren, you all are in for a treat. If you just want a distraction for you little ones for a few minutes, this video might be exactly what you need. Interrupting Chicken is a fun and clever story with amazing illustrations. Please consider subscribing to Bling's Utube channel so you don't miss our next video. Hugs and Wags, Dawn Secord and Bling
To get Bling's picture book, No Ghoulish Green Monsters Here, go to her website at aDogBling.com
#adogbling, #storytime, #childrensliterature,#childrensbooks, #bedtimestory, #NoGhoulishGreenMonstersHere
This is a painting of Billy. He is formally known as CH Bellary Ride Cowboy Ride BN, RI, SWN, CGC, TKN, ATT.
I've known him since he was a pup and painted a mini painting of him at that time. Now it is ...gosh....5 years later and that pup has grown into a beautiful dog. I was thrilled to be able to paint him again. With this painting we used a photo his owner had taken. It was a lovely pose of him. The only draw back was the lighting. The lighting made the darker areas too dark and the lighter areas too light. To get the proper coloring, I relied on a number of other photos. There was one photo where his owner held his ear in her hand so I could see the coloring compared to the skin tone of a person. My goal is never to copy a photo. The photo is only the roadmap to keep the likeness to that specific animal accurate. My job as an artist is to create something special.
My art has opened up the opportunity to get to know so many people and I am blessed to be able to call them friends. When I paint landscapes or wildlife (etc) the paintings are not as personal. When I am painting someone's beloved animal
Thank you to Rita for having me paint her boy. It is always an honor.
This is a painting of Clooney. His owner described him below as the very best dog in the world. Isn't that how we all feel about our beloved dogs? Isn't that what we want for each dog - to know that dog is thought of as the very best dog in the world? Clooney was a wonderful dog and had a wonderful life. I can vouch, to his family, he was undoubtedly the very best dog in the world.
I remember the first time I saw a photo of baby Clooney like it was yesterday. What I remember was seeing a stacked photo of this pup in front of a gorgeous boat. All I saw was the most breathtaking puppy ever. Here we are years later and I've had the honor to paint him. I've asked his owner to share a little bit about Clooney. Following is her story about Clooney:
Clooney went on his first boating vacation at the tender age of 10
weeks. It was so rough crossing the
Straits into Canada that I donned my life jacket and sat on the salon floor
with him while Patrick took the helm and shook his fist at Mother Nature. Cloo slept through it all. I remember cautioning Patrick, “You don’t
spit into the wind and you don’t let the puppy walk on the inflated tubes of
the skiff when you’re underway unless you’re prepared to go in after him.” PJ’s wallet and its contents spent the awhile
spread out on the dining table – drying.
Cloo blossomed into a lovely adult who finished his Championship
quickly and easily. Peter Kubacz handled
him to his first huge win, a BOS at the 2010 National. There is simply no way to describe what it was
like to be having Thanksgiving Day dinner with the family the following
November, celebrating our 43rd Anniversary and watching our dog go
Best In Show on national TV! Peter took
Cloo to #1 All-Breed points, #2 Breed points in 2011.
That following spring we moved to a waterfront home and it was
perfect except for one thing - It was time to bring Clooney home to enjoy it
with us. Cloo spent the ensuing years
working with our son, Michael in the field, trialing with me in Obedience and
Rally, running the beaches, swimming, boating and riding around in the skiff
with Patrick. We were fortunate to have
him in excellent health to the end. Sometimes
I would hide so Cloo had to find me, then he would trot away ahead of me, down
the long hallway to the cookie jar in the kitchen. It always made me smile as I watched him
going away – dead true to the last. How
I wish I could follow him down the hall one more time and tell him again that he
was the very best dog in the whole world!
Where do I begin? I guess it starts back when I was showing Monet (GCH Rusticwood Spellbound CGC) - Bling's mama dog. Monet was gorgeous. She just didn't enjoy showing. At one show in Palm Springs, a well known judge (whom I'd never shown to before) said to me quietly, "She is gorgeous, can you get her to move out for me?" I shook my head no. "Not today," I replied. I understood Monet and loved her with every breath I had. I loved her independence. I laughed at her "I only do what I want" attitude. I shrugged my shoulders the time she was excused from the ring when she tried to fake limping. She was a smart dog; as beautiful as the day was long. She was one unique and special girl.
Back to my story....I was showing Monet at a specialty at the Irish Setter Club of Southern California's summer show. In our class, standing behind us, was a woman with the most fabulous mane of blonde hair and a beautiful Irish Setter named Maggie. I thought to myself, that is a beautiful dog. I am not sure we can defeat her in this show. If Monet wanted to show, we had a chance. What caught my attention the most was how much fun Maggie was having - how much she loved her mom. They were a special team with a special bond. Years later, the two were standing in my front yard so I could photograph Maggie for her painting.
On that day, taking the pictures, the vibrant Maggie with a white speckled sugar face still looked up at her mom glowing. We were laughing and having a grand time taking the photos. Maggie was healthy given her age. Both her mom and I knew that her days were fleeting as time will rob us of memories the future could hold. They say with an Irish Setter, or any large dog for that matter, any time past their 10th year is a gift. We were in Maggie's gift time.
Maggie would pass a year later. We sat outside the home while the vet went inside to help Maggie on to rest. We were there for Maggie's mom. After Maggie passed, it took Maggie's mom a few years to be able to look at the photos again for the painting. There was no rush. It would happen when the time was right. A few months ago it was time. We had gone through the photos while Maggie was still with us and made notes of favorites. When it came time to choose the primary reference photo, though there were many wonderful candidates, one jumped out. The one that jumped out was Maggie looking up at her mom...that look of love I'd seen so many years ago when Maggie and Monet were youngsters.
I hope Maggie and Monet are once again young; I hope they are jumping around chasing butterflies and waiting for their moms to play with them again when those days come. You see our love for our dogs never dies. Our love is always in our hearts and when we close our eyes, we see those priceless memories that will keep us together until we meet at the rainbow bridge.
It is always so special when an existing art collector returns for another painting. I have painted for her twice and now, Tallie is the third dog painted.
Here is joyful and rollicking Tallie; the ever smart and obedient girl who is filled with love...and who is forever giving kisses. I hope you enjoy viewing the painting as much as I enjoyed painting her. Thank you to Julia for the honor of painting your special girl.
This is a painting of Lucy and her two pups, Kate and Emmy (who are from Lucy's two litters).
Lucy and my Monet were similar in age and were shown against each other in the dog show ring. The girls knew each other. Both Lucy and Monet are now gone as difficult as that is to comprehend.
Lucy's first litter produced Kate. Kate and my girl, Baby Faith, were two months apart in age and were shown against each other and knew each other. Gosh - the girls are 11 years old now. Time is a vapor.
Emmy is from Lucy's second litter. Emmy is almost a year younger than my Bling. And yes, they showed against each other, stayed in hotels together and went on many walks together. Emmy and Bling look so much alike that Emmy's owner once took Bling for a long walk in Palm Springs thinking he had Emmy. Imagine my fright when I found Bling's crate empty.... Bling had a long walk and I had to take a tranquilizer. (not really but I do stress when my girls are out of my sight).... We all had a good laugh. Bling is days away from turning 9 and Emmy is 8.
It is nice to know the dogs that I paint. The interesting thing though is that I truly get to know the dogs I am painting if I don't know them beforehand. The owners or family members who have commissioned the art tell me stories about the dogs that helps me get to know the dog (or other pets) that I am painting. I know if the animal was bold, sensitive, quiet, outgoing and that information goes into my painting. The painting process allows me to gaze into their eyes for many hours. The relationship is formed and by the time the painting is completed, I know the pet I have just painted.
I hope you gave enjoyed the little walk down memory lane. As said earlier, time is but a vapor. Our pets come into our lives and though they are never with us long enough (no matter how long that is) they leave their pawprints on our hearts.
Hi Friends,
I have finally finished a project that I've been working on for some time - a studio tour of my new studio. The video is on my Utube channel. The channel address is Utube Bling Secord and I hope you will subscribe to it.
My goal with the Utube channel is to be more active with video logs of me providing art demonstrations, paintings in progress and recording book readings with Bling at libraries. Lots of fun stuff! Below is the link to my studio tour video. It is 11 minutes long. You may want to pause it and return if you don't have time to watch all at one time. Warmly, Dawn Secord
My friends, family and art collectors know I had a life long dream of writing and illustrating my own children's picture book. No Ghoulish Green Monsters Here is that book and the first in a new (and forth coming) series featuring my Irish Setter, Bling.
Writer's Digest has asked me to share my journey of self publishing my award winning picture book. What an incredible honor. Below is the link to my article. Thank you to Writer's Digest for the opportunity to share my story and hopefully be of assistance to other authors and illustrators on their journeys.
Lessons Learned From Self-Publishing My Picture Book - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)
Link Address:
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/lessons-learned-fro
m-self-publishing-my-picture-book
No
Ghoulish Green Monsters Here - a children's picture book
I
Recently I was contacted by VoyageDallas Magazine for an interview. It was surprising to see the length of the article. I sure didn't expect them to be so thorough. It is an honor to be included. Here is the link to the article and magazine.
http://voyagedallas.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-dawn-secord-of-north-of-dallas-in-anna/
It was an honor to be included in the magazine.
I had known Killian since he was a pup. I watched him mature into a beautiful dog who graced the show ring as well as excel into a highly respected dog in the field. I watched his muzzle develop the gray hairs that disclosed he is older than young. While we don't want to think about our dogs aging, we don't really want to see it either. The whiter faces on the Irish Setter are so heartwarming. They also make us think of time....the dreaded time that passes like a vaper. We don't see it but yet we do.
After Killian passed, When Killian's owner asked for a painting of Killian as a gift for his wife (Killian's human mom) I was thrilled. For his painting, I used a number of photos to assist in the project. There was a primary reference photo which showed his lovely head. It was a bit shadowed so other photos were of paramount assistance with his coat and eye coloring. It was an honor to paint him.
I asked Jen if she would share a little bit about Killian. This is what she said:
Killian
was an incredible hunting dog. We know that this is what
the Irish setter is bred to do and Killian did it with style and perfection.
We
still think of him when we are with dogs in the field and a bird is “there
somewhere” but the other dogs can’t find it.
“Send Killian, he will !”
Killian
at home was the rollicking, sweet, gentle Irish we all talk of as being the
best characteristics of the breed. Killian was sensitive; not in a timid
way but in his connections. He knew what each of the family members
(humans and animals) wanted/needed, and was generous enough to give his best to
all of us!
This
painting is a very special gift to me. CH Roclyn Killians Red MHA,
With
me always!🐾❤️
There is an interesting story behind this painting, East Texas Afternoon.
My task was to create a visual aid of the two ponds - apart and merged. We drove out to East Texas and I photographed the ponds. I did the following sketches and sent them off to my friend.
I wanted a new painting to enter in art shows in 2021. Most art shows will only accept work done in the last few years. Doing so much commissioned work gives me little time to create paintings for other purposes. I pulled out my photos of the ponds and sat down at my easel. Instead of painting one pond this time - as I had done previously, I painted both ponds with one flowing into the other. Of course, there was no reference photos for this as the ponds are still separate. The painting is an artist's interpretation of what I envision the ponds to look like once they are merged. I also added more color to the trees and water. The reference photos were taken when it was late summer. No leaves had really started changing color. I love throwing color where I imagine it - finding that balance in a composition of color harmony.
Where am I going with all of this? Well, the painting has just been accepted into a national juried show to my delight. Will it win something - only the judge will determine that. Though I questioned my trashing the original painting at the time it was trashed, I am so glad that I didn't trash the idea of the painting. Thank you to the Pastel Society of the Southwest for sponsoring their 40th National Juried Exhibition. I am thrilled and honored to be a part of it. For those in North Texas, the exhibition will be in Grapevine, Texas from September 13, 2021 through November 1, 2021.
This painting was a gift from one friend to another. It is always so very exciting when a person approaches me to create a surprise for another.
The reference photos were a little difficult to acquire in this scenario. Facebook can be friend and foe at times. This time - a friend. The recipient of the painting and owner of Phoenix had a number of photos on her page. I felt like Goldilocks and the Three Bears- some photos were too far away, some photos were too blurry, this photo was just right!
The gift exchange was made at the Irish Setter Club of America National Specialty - 2021. Tears flowed as the gift giver gave the present and the recipient realized the painting on my easel in my art booth was her dog. Okay - I shed a few tears too.
I hope the painting will give Phoenix's mom many wonderful memories as she reflects on their journey while enjoying her painting.
This painting was recently completed of a beautiful German Shepherd Dog named Charlie. He was a very special family member.
When I am asked to paint a dog painting for a family, it is a special request. For someone to commission me to paint their dog, there is no question if the dog is a family member or not.
Growing up, we had a German Shepherd that looked very similar to Charlie. A few years later, as a young teenager, our family rescued a German Shepherd / Lab mix. That dog would later intervene and stop a charging bull from hurting me. Dogs are such an important part of our lives. German Shepherds are such wonderful family dogs. Painting their thick coats is always a fun endeavor. The black and tan colors of the breed are such a compliment to the eye. Photographs never do paintings justice - for any artist. I've placed some fun blue and purple shadows and highlights in this painting. They are intermixed in Charlie's coat and are mostly undetected in this photograph. Nothing takes the place of viewing art in person. Don't underestimate going to an art exhibit or museum to view art. What you will see in person is so much more than what photographs of that art will show you.
Being able to be a full time artist is such a blessing. A big thank you to John and Lana for having this painting of Charlie created by me. It was an honor to paint him. I can't wait for you to see the painting in person.
Charlie's reference photo:
This is a painting created using soft pastels. It is of two Irish Setters, a mother and daughter.
Reba (left) and Luna (right) were mother and daughter. Reba has left us and Luna is a special girl that allows her family not only to love her deeply, but have a little piece of Reba through her.
Until we bred a litter, I didn't truly appreciate the depth of having a mom and a pup. Through the pups you see tidbits of their parents - the mannerisms, maybe little quirks - inherited traits. These traits, unless you knew the parents, maybe just fun aspects of that given dog. Knowing the parents, you understand the tidbits are inherited little precious moments that remind you of their parents. We see that in our human families. Fun little behaviors inherited from parents or grandparents.
For the painting, I flipped Luna's pose in her reference photo so that she would be leaning in towards her mother. The beauty of a painting is there are no rules. You can paint what is in your heart and create the setting. It was a great experience to paint a mom and her pup together. Thank you to all those involved.
Give your dogs a big hug. Time goes by so quickly. Regardless of mom, pup or otherwise, before we blink an eye, that dog has grown older and we are wondering how time passed without us knowing it was happening.
Below are the reference photos used for the painting:
When a new painting image is posted to my blog I usually talk about the painting and the process while painting that commission. Recently, in a small boutique in McKinney, Texas, I happened upon a small book containing a collection of great sayings. I thought it might be fun to share some of these inspirational tidbits. In the atmosphere of wanting a positive environment surrounding all of us, following is my inspirational share for the day....along with a piece of my art.
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| An original painting - Cooper |
This is a painting of River. She is a Chihuahua or Chihuahua mix and is a rescue dog. She was abandoned in an area not safe for such a small dog. I'd venture to say, she was abandoned in an area that would be devastating for such a small dog. However, things were going to turn for the better for this little girl.
Thank you to her owner for having me paint your special girl. Your kindness and loving for dogs warms the hearts of dog lovers.
This painting was recently finished. The dog in the painting was named Moose. He was gone before his time due to a medical condition. His owners live locally and were able to view the painting in person. The photo chosen for the reference photo is one where Moose had his paws connected with his owner's hand. Moose's gaze in the painting shows the love between the two.
This painting is of a lovely girl named Lyric. Lyric is no longer with us.
It is always such a heart tugger when asked to paint a dog that has passed. It is a bit emotional...I have to admit.
Looking at the photos of Lyric I realized how much she was loved for her mom to want a painting of her. Each painting I create is from a special moment. The painting captures a dog, cat, horse or bird at that moment the camera took the photo. The painting may capture the moment in a sunset when the clouds were gently sweeping across the sky. The painting may capture a moment when a wave shows a gorgeous brilliant color as the water rolls towards the sand.
The paintings that tug at my heart differently are of a cherished animal that is no longer with us. I know how hard it will be for the animal's owner to receive the painting. I also know how much joy it will bring as their hearts heal. I've been in that owner's shoes looking at paintings I've created of my own pets who have passed. There is a special bond I with a painting of my beloved pets that have gone on and are waiting for me. I have peace and a warm heart looking at those paintings. Hopefully, Lyric's mom will feel a special joy when she looks at Lyric's painting. Thank you for having me paint your girl - it truly is an honor.
