Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Lucy and her pups

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Lucy and her pups - a family affair

This is a painting of Lucy and her two pups, Kate and Emmy (who are from Lucy's two litters).

It was so much fun to paint the girls. I've known all three dogs for many years. Lucy is no longer with us, but lives on through her pups.

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.

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Pastel Painting in Progress - French Bulldog

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