Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Commissioned painting of Flannagan an Irish Setter

Sunday, November 27, 2022

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!

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