Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: September 2023

Monday, September 25, 2023

Book Event - Wine and Music Festival in Prosper, Texas

October 7, 2023

Windsong Ranch - WINE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL, Prosper, TX

NOON – 6:00 pm

Windsong Ranch - WINE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL, Prosper, TX

Windsong Ranch in Posper, Texas, is having a wine and music festival on October 7th, 2023 and has invited the Visiual Arts of Prosper to participate. The artists will be in attendance with booths and Bling has been invited as well.

Come and meet some of our artists. Dawn and Bling will be signing books in their booth. Look for us in the greenbelt entry area to Windsong Ranch.

We will have her books and some fine art on hand and for sale.

Friday, September 8, 2023

A painting of Kate

This is Kate, an Irish Setter. I have painted her before in commissioned work by her owner, but also as a model in one of my paintings.

This last painting is a mini and the reference photo was taken of her while she was a senior dog nearing the end of her life. She was loved by all who knew her. I will cherish all the times I spent with her and have been honored to paint her.

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!