Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Art of the English Setter

Showing posts with label Art of the English Setter. Show all posts

Saturday, June 21, 2025

A painting of Prada, English Setter

I've painted for Prada's owner in the past. A few years ago she showed me this breathtaking photo of Prada in the field. It was taken by a professional photographer. With permission of the photographer, Prada's owner commissioned me to paint her. Prada is no longer with us and I understand she was immensely cherished by her owner's husband. I would be painting Prada as a gift from wife to husband.

Those of you who know my painting, know I like to use photos as a road map while using artistic liberties to make the painting be a painting - not a photocopy of a photo. With this painting, the photo was so fantastic that there was not much that I wanted to omit or adjust. To keep Prada's coat as if it was illuminating and retain the "sun kissed" look (what her owner loves about the photo), I encapsulated some of the foliage with purples and blues. These were the primary colors used in Prada's coat in addition to the obvious earth tones and I wanted the color in the composition to be bouncing and reflecting on and off all tangible items in the photo. As mentioned, I did not want to gravitate from the photo, just soften the foliage around her and the shadows cast by her head over her shoulders.

The first picture is the painting I created of Prada. The 2nd photo is a somewhat size ways view of the painting to show how dimensional the painting is.

I asked Prada's owner to tell us about Prada. Following is what she said:

Prada..BOSS, GCH Monimar SeaIsland's The Devil Wears Spots, JH.

OFA CHIC The reference photo was taken by Joe Deese. Prada was 7 & 1/2 months old in the photo and had just found her first quail in the bird field. Prada was my foundation bitch, bred by Mary K. Iverson (Monimar ES). She loved to hunt and had beautiful style in the field. Never missed a bird. She was a great mother to her 12 puppies. She is the dam to multiple CH, GCH-GCHG, BISS, BOSS, Specialty WD, WB, BW, Group winning & group placing get. Dam to Top 5 & Westminster Select Dog (2022) Jake, BISS, GCHG Sea Island's Wrapped Up In Magic. Prada also has get with performance titles in several venues, Therapy dogs as well as Great family pets. Prada was a great house pet, loved my grandkids and they loved her. She was my sidekick, my Prada B, mainly shown by me. Prada helped raise the pups from my other litters, she loved puppies! Prada was the love of my husband, Kurt's life. she will always have a large piece of his heart. There will never be another girl like Prada, she was beautiful and sassy with so much attitude! Prada was pretty close to Perfect.

I was so excited to paint Prada. A note of sincere appreciation to the photographer for allowing me to use his photo for reference. Of course sincere appreciation for Prada's owner, Frazier, for choosing me to paint this truly special girl.

Here is the original reference photo used for the painting.

Friday, March 20, 2020

Painting of John Doe - English Setter

This painting was recently finished. The painting is a portrait of a beautiful English Setter, John Doe - BISS, GHC Sea Island’s Kadon Code Blue.

I love painting English Setters. Painting them takes more time than some breeds. It is a full time "checks and balances" to make sure I have the markings correct. I usually use a ruler and have a large photo taped next to the painting as well as the image on my computer screen next to my easel. The computer allows me to zoom in on fine details. The photo allows me to use a ruler and measure back and forth between the painting and the photo comparing the placements of the markings.

The primary reference pose was John Doe sitting on a grooming table at a dog show. We can see he was having a great time. My dogs love going to the shows - lots of pampering - seeing new people - making new friends - and....lots of TREATS! What a beautiful boy.

dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html

Thank you Frazier for having me paint this special boy.

If you are interested in commissioning a painting of your dog, please email me at fff@linkline.com

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association

So excited to share that my work is on the cover of JAVMA - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

They contacted me earlier this year to inquire about using one of my paintings on the cover of the January 1, 2017 issue.

What a great way to start the new year! Thank you AVMA!

Happy New Year to all!

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!