Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Arrow

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Arrow - Golden Retriever

It is always such an amazing honor to receive a commission to paint for someone. There are times I am able to meet the person and take photos for them - then there are times reference photos are supplied to me.

This painting was the latter. The commission came in and I was THRILLED when I saw the photos.

The shadows cast on Arrow's body and in the background were going to be awesome to include. The painting would be a larger size and for the most part, capture the actual feeling of the photo. I had two photos for my project. In both photos, whatever had captured Arrow's attention, had stopped him midstride and his rear legs were in a tad odd position. Also, in the primary reference photo, the bottom of his front legs were cut off. In the second photo, a better view of his front legs was available. It is important to note, the goal in my paintings is to take the reference material and make a beautiful strong painting and not to copy photos. There are always things an artist can change, adjust and improve to make the painting unique and not a replica of the photo. There are times of course, that the photo is really strong and there is not much from which to deviate.

For the painting, to make Arrow's face my main focal point, I emphasized with some additional back lighting behind his head. The effect was exactly what was desired.

Arrow is a beautiful Golden Retriever - "HighRoller Happy Birthday Arrow". He was bred by Kelly Kosinski - HighRoller Goldens. Thank you to Holly Carr for having me paint your amazing boy.

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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!