Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: February 2024

Sunday, February 18, 2024

An Irish Setter and her handler

Every time a painting is completed, I say, "I loved painting this." And... yes, I LOVED painting this.

The painting features a dog that I knew many years ago with her handler and her handler's daughter.

Funny thing - reminiscing, this very same handler helped me in a pinch in 2000 with a young Irish I was showing named Jewel. She was a junior handler at the time. She was such a sweet young lady and so professional considering her tender age. Jumping ahead many years later, I remember sitting across a restaurant table with her discussing the name of her unborn child.

The dog in the painting was named Lucy. Lucy was the same age as my girl, Monet. We showed against each other more times than I can count and always enjoyed our time together.

When the commission came in to create this painting I was beyond excited. The primary reference photo showed Lucy giving kisses and reaching up with her paw to the then toddler. A different photo of Lucy was used in the painting - a better head shot of her. I decided to make Lucy closer to the people in the painting than she was in the reference photo. I also have the toddler reaching up and petting Lucy instead of her little hands in her lap.

It is so important to me not to copy a photo. I absolutely need reference photos to guide me to capturing the subjects correctly. All the while, I can not be held captive to copying a photo. I look for ways to make each painting stronger than the reference photos. It can be a balancing act deciding how much to deviate from the reference material. Of course, there are times when the reference material is perfect - exactly what needs to be painted.

This painting was creating using soft pastels and measures 11 x 14. It was an honor to paint all the subjects. The painting was a commission - a gift from one friend to another. I truly hope those involved in this project enjoy the final product as much as I enjoyed painting it.

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!