Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: A painting of Darby

Saturday, January 22, 2022

A painting of Darby - an Irish Setter

It is always exciting to receive a request from someone to paint for them.

When Vickie and Tom contacted me about painting their dog, Darby, I could not wait to see the photos. The photos came in and I fell in love. Darby had the sweetest expression. My favorite photo (immediately) was the one where his ear feathering was gently sweeping across his neck.

What I usually do is look at the photos sent to me (or taken by me if I've met the dog/cat/horse) and put the best "painting candidate photos" together as a collage. That way we can look at the photos all together instead of toggling back and forth between the favorite photos.

To my delight, Vickie and Tom picked my favorite photo. This is not always the case. Sometimes, the pet's owners pick better than I do. It is most important for the owner of the animal being painted to love the reference photo. That reference photo is a map for the painting to be their dog and not any dog - in this case, Darby the Irish Setter. The other photos sent to me for consideration are more reference material. Those photos come in handy when the reference photo is lacking something that I need to verify. Examples would be coloring, eye color, nose shape, etc. I can never have too many photos.

I asked Vickie and Tom to tell me a little bit about Darby, and this is what they shared:

He was the sweetest perfect little Irish man, with his call name, Darby, and his AKC registered name, Fleetwod Farms Wind at Your Back.

I hope this painting warms their hearts as they pass it daily in their home. Thank you for having me paint your perfect little Irish man. It was a pleasure and an honor.

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Pastel Painting in Progress - French Bulldog

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Oil Painting in Process

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