Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Miss Mia....a painting of an Irish Setter

Monday, December 13, 2021

Miss Mia....a painting of an Irish Setter

Mia is an Irish Setter I had long admired on Facebook. She was a beautiful dog. Everything about her was lovely.

It is amazing how time flies by. I saw photos of her as a pup, in the ring as a young dog, in her yard playing and as the dam of beautiful puppies. Then the photos started showing a graying face...Irish Setter people call this "Sugar Face" which is so appropriate. The Irish Setters are sweet dogs. As they age, and they develop white on their faces, our hearts just melt. Some just get a soft speckling of white while others have faces that are solid white around the eyes and on the muzzle. Nothing softens a heart like a veteran dog - regardless of the breed.

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.

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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!