I was at a dog show recently talking to a friend about my art. It is fun to look back at where my journey with dog art began. Back in the 90's, my work was hanging in a wild life gallery in Laguna, California. My husband and I had lost our first Irish Setter and had found a new pup from a breeder. We'd set out to get a pet quality female and ended up with a show quality male. That was before the internet and it was difficult for people not in the show world to find pups.
We decided to try showing and my world to new friends opened up. I painted a friend's dog as a gift for her helping me with my pup and his training. Thus began my entrance into painting dogs.
Here it is, almost 30 years later and one of my greatest joys is painting people's animals for them. When I was commissioned to paint Samantha, my heart was heavy. I knew that Samantha had passed and she was very special to her human family. When emotions are involved, my work is more of a mission than a journey. My goal was for the painting to give the family a piece of their Samantha to hang in their home and warm their hearts.
I asked Samantha's owner, Katie, to share a few words about Samantha. Here is what she shared:
Samantha was the love of my life. My best friend. It was a privilege and great honor to have her at my side for 12 years. Sam was up for the challenge with any venue and gave it her all. Such a gentle, and loving soul. Until we meet at the bridge. Dawn thank you for creating such a beautiful portrait of my Samantha.
Katie's kind words make every moment I spent painting Samantha timeless. Thank you for the honor Katie.
