Commissioned painting of Flannagan an Irish Setter

A gentleman was referred to me who was looking for an artist to create two paintings.  One painting was of his wife and the second painting of his dog.    Jim and I had a wonderful phone conversation and I couldn't wait to see his reference photos.   For the dog painting, his dog is an Irish Setter named Flannagan.   Personally, I am an Irish Setter owner (since 1984), know the breed well and absolutely love painting them.    I was excited to see what reference material he had for me.  

Though he sent me a wonderful selection of photos to use, he had a favorite to be considered.  The photo was one taken with a cell phone of Flannagan in his backyard.  Flannagan had been on point (as our Irish Setters do) and Flannagan was just starting to run when the photo was taken.    It was an unusual photo and called for a special background.   I started searching through my reference photos to find the ideal photo to use.   The one presented to Jim was of a field with an open gate.  There were two panels to the gate, one was missing.   It was a neat photo.   Jim gave the okay to use the photo and I added a barbed wire fence in the far background to compliment the tree line.  Jim also wanted the official flower of Kentucky to be included in the painting - the Goldenrod.  This flower was designated as the state flower of Kentucky in 1926.   History is sooo cool.   

I hope you love the painting as much as I loved painting it.   I asked Jim to share a bit about Flannigan, and this is what he told me:

Flanagan

CH Analainn’s Moonshadow 09-03-2019

SIRE: GCHS Cairncross Concierge With Tullane

DAM: CH Analainn’s Breathless At Ambition

 This tour de force by Dawn Secord depicts a strong, alert, and fully energetic male Irish Setter (Flanagan) on the hunt in a field of Goldenrod.

 Perhaps a good title for this painting is “SoliDOGo”. This is a play on the scientific name for the Goldenrod, which is Solidago. The Goldenrod is a flowering plant found in open areas such as meadows, prairies, and savannas.

 This painting was created from a photo taken by my daughter on her iPhone set to LIVE mode. My setter (Flanagan) was on point when the photo was taken and in the split second of LIVE mode, he took off running, resulting in this pose.

 I wish to offer my sincerest gratitude to Dawn for inspiring these paintings with her artistry. Dawn is such a pleasure to work with, offering her vast knowledge of painting throughout the entire commissioning process.

Thank you Dawn!

Portrait of Christina - Pastel Painting by Dawn Secord

This is a painting created earlier this year which was a gift from a husband to his wife.  The painting was a surprise, so I had to hide the finished painting until the time the gift was presented.  

When contacted by someone to commission a painting I always ask to see any photos to be used in order to evaluate whether or not the photos are good reference material for a painting.  Sometimes furnished photos are fabulous, sometimes they are not (and when "not" we discuss obtaining additional reference material).  To my delight, the reference photo was fabulous.   The lighting was great, the pose was great and the turn of Christina's head in the photo was ideal.   The reference photo had the subject sitting in her car.   The background would be changed to enhance the painting.  Other than that small change, I had what was needed.

The painting was done in soft pastel on board and measures 20" x 24".   I asked Jim (the husband) to share a little bit about the painting for viewers of my work.  Here is what he shared:

    

    Dawn Secord’s painting is created from a selfie photo taken by my daughter, of herself and her mother (Christina). I am so enamored with Dawn’s painting of Christina.  It is such a beautiful painting depicting Christina’s wonderful dual expression, being a proud mother spending fun time with her daughter and also being a mature, confident, loving woman, happily showing her emotions with her eyes and smile. 

Below is the reference photo for the painting:

Commission to paint logos on an antique truck

This truck is going to be in a parade in Texas on December 3rd.  The owner of the truck has a construction business as well as a wonderful store in Whitewright, Texas.  The store has the coolest decorating items and some furniture.  

The store, Small Town Store and Decor, reminds me of the store in Waco, Texas started by Chip and Joanna, Magnolia Farms.   We've purchased items from both stores for our remodel when we moved back to Texas.   Waco has some the BEST cupcakes on their Magnolia Farms property.   Hum, maybe the store in Whitewright could add some cupcakes too.  

Getting back on track, for this truck logo painting commission, my goal was to make the signage look old and weathered to match the antique truck.  This is video # 2 of the door painting demos.  

Please remember to subscribe to my U-Tube channel to see more videos.   To see my artwork or children's book series, here are the websites:    DawnSecord.com and aDogBling.com

Antique Truck - Painting logo on doors - in progress (video # 2) - YouTube