A painting of Alec

What a fun painting!   After taking photos of Alec for this painting, his owner kept going back to two photos she was having trouble deciding between.   So, we did the obvious - painted both.  

It truly was difficult to choose the best reference photos for this painting.  Alec is so photogenic.  

When we decided to use both photos, I wanted to really set the laying down photo away from the head study so I played around with the bottom of the painting.  Finally, layering some middle value ultramarine blues did the trick.   The fun thing about pastels is that there are so many different techniques that an artist can employ without having to wait for the paint to dry.

Here is a little background on Alec from his loving owner:

BISS GCh./Can. Ch Courtwood Going My Way. 

Alec received his name on they way home from Sue Hahnen's home when he was a puppy.  My son and I talked about all kinds of names and my son said he sure looks like a smart aleck of a puppy; the name fit perfectly.  He became my smart "Alec" and the keeper of my heart. 

Sandra Kraft

 

Thank you to Sandra for having me paint her special boy and to her dear friend, LeeAnn, who was the mastermind behind our project.

Ch Jewelsets Split Second "ELLIE" (BIS Ch Saxony Snow in August ex BISS Ch Jewelsets Special Attraction)

Ch Jewelsets Split Second "ELLIE" (BIS Ch Saxony Snow in August ex BISS Ch Jewelsets Special Attraction)

This beautiful girl left us earlier this year.   She lived a full life but, even then, losing her was far too soon.   They are never with us long enough - even when they lived as long as beautiful Ellie lived.

Ellie's painting was a Christmas gift from one friend to another.   The painting was a surprise and today the friends had their Christmas get together and the surprise present was opened.  The painting is a mini painting and measures 6 x 6. 

Thank you to Pat for having me paint Ellie for you to give as a gift.   It is such an honor to be able to be part of such a special present.


Hugs and understanding to all those who shared in Ellie's life.   She will be in your memories forever.

Commissioned painting of Brandie.

This painting is sitting her in my office and ready to be shipped out tomorrow.

This is "Brandie" CH Jamonds Brandie Wine Back with a Shamrock. I understand she is points away from her Grand Championship as well. I met Brandie back in 2013 - she was WB at the 2013 ISCA National Specialty - shown by her breeder and dear friend, Jackie Drummond. 

She is a gorgeous girl and very loved by her owners, Bob and Rita Schmidt. I was so excited to be able to paint her for them. On a fun note, Brandie is a sister to my girl Faith (Brandie is from a repeat breeding so Faith is older). They both have the darkest eyes and gentle expression.

I met up with Brandie again in 2014 and took some photos of her. More photos were taken in 2015 and this painting is a result. The time allowed Brandie to mature and what a beautiful head and expression she has.

The painting is being shipped to Bob and Rita tomorrow. I can't wait for them to see it in person. The paintings are so much better in real life. There is a dimension and vibrancy that is lost when looking at the image on a computer screen.

Kobe

This is Kobe, Multi BISS GCH Jadestar Ride Em' Cowboy.

I've known Kobe for a number of years and have watched him mature into a beautiful dog.  Not only is he lovely on the outside, he is a dream of a dog with a gentle kind heart.

When his owners approached me to paint him, I was thrilled.  We met up at a dog show and I took a number of photos of him.   The photos which were my primary reference photos were taken in the shade.  He'd really been squinting in the sun therefore, we moved him to get some shots of him in a cooler area.   We didn't want him to become too warm and start panting.  

Three photos were used to create this painting.  One was his primary reference pose, another was for his eye shape (where he was fully relaxed and not squinting at all) and lastly a photo taken from him sitting in the direct sun for his coat coloring.

Kobe lives in Arizona.  His people family wanted a southwestern background.   I have a ton of photos in my reference library from all my trips between California and visiting my family in Texas....so, reference photos of Arizona were plentiful.

Thank you to Kobe's family for having me painting him.   It was a wonderful experience and I'll keep a place in my heart for this wonderful dog!

 

Rich and baby Faith

Rich and I decided to get Faith and have her be our Christmas present to each other. Do you think my husband likes his present?

Irish Setter Painting "Celtic Charm"

This is my newest release in Irish Setter Art. The painting background was created from a photo I had taken in 2009 during a cross country trip. If you really want to see our great Country - the best way to see it and meet the people is by driving.

The original painting is unavailable. The prints are in a limited edition of 195. There are 19 artist proofs. The reproductions are professionally printed, are museum quality, and are signed and numbered. To purchase the prints you may call me or email me. For Pay Pal users, there are Pay Pal buttons set up on my web site for purchasing on line. Please click here: http://www.dawnsecord.com/printsforsale.html

Have a great day!

Irish Setter Print "Generations"

Here is my "surprise" release for the ISCA National. "Generations" was a commissioned painting. The painting features three direct generations of Irish Setters. When I was looking at the senior Irish I kept thinking to myself, "boy does that dog look familiar!!" So, I asked the owner what the blood line was on the dog. To my surprise she is the 1/2 sister to my dog, Jewel. I KNEW that dog looked familiar!!

When I started showing the painting to Irish Setter breeders many asked me to put the piece into print.

I discussed the possibility with the dogs' owner and she was very excited about the prospect. My prints are planned 18 months plus or minus in advance. The question was - do I come out with this print in December of 2011 or should I just release it now. The "now" vote won.

Thank you to all involved for your encouragement.

Expecting Irish Setter Puppies!

We've bred Monet and Drew ---- looking forward to red puppies in July.

Pictures of Monet and Drew are on the Rendition web site. http://www.dawnsecord.com/renditionirishsetters.html if you want to take a peek.

CH Rusticwood Spellbound CGC "Monet"

Monet has won another Best of Opposite Sex. This makes her fourth BOS in four shows. I'm so proud of her as a special.

To see more pictures of Monet or her pedigree for our planned litter go to http://www.dawnsecord.com/renditionirishsetters.html

Good girl Monet!

Irish Setter

This is Teagan. She is quite a lovely girl. Her owner commissioned her portrait while my husband and I were traveling back east. It was a delight to meet her in real life.

When I photographed her for this painting she posed like she had been doing it for years. Where ever I asked her to look she gently set her gaze.

Irish Setter Club Awards Banquet

Last night at the awards banquet Drew, Willowbrook Artist's Rendition, won the blue ribbon puppy award. Yeah Drew. Here he is at two years old - not a puppy anymore. Boy, why do they have to grow up so quickly! We hope he is soon a father!

Our First Planned Litter

My husband and I have always purchased our dogs. We've had Irish Setters since the early 1980's. Here we are - 30 years later and have decided to breed a litter. The mom will be Monet. Up until now, Monet has been my "working model" in the studio. We hope she will enjoy her new role! Will keep you posted on how this goes!

Pastel Painting Mini - Irish Setter Puppy

This is my dog, Drew. He just turned 2 years old. The reference photo taken for this mini pastel painting was taken the day we brought Drew home. He was 12 weeks old and sitting in my mother's lap.

He is a wonderful dog and brings more laughter into our home on a daily basis than one dog should be capable of. He loves to "hunt" in our yard so it was fitting to put him in an outdoor scene.

Here are some links if you want to find out more information about my work:

www.dawnsecord.com

www.dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html

www.dawnsecord.com/printsforsale.html

Mini Portrait - Irish Setter Puppy

This painting is titled "Mini Monet" as it is a miniature painting of my dog, Monet. She was about 15 weeks old in this painting.

Time flies - Monet recently turned three years old. If only we could stop the time. It pains me to see my dogs growing older so quickly.

Irish Setter Art on Coffee Label

One of my paintings, "Steady to Wing", was just put on a new coffee label.

The manufacturer sent us a sample of the coffee and my husband went crazy over it. We love the bag and love the coffee. A win win is it not!

Oil painting of Drew

I've been having a lot of fun playing with my oil paints. Between paintings I decided to take a break and do something outside of my regular activities.

It was Drew's birthday so I decided to do an oil painting of him. I have not painted a dog in oil since 1992 - 18 years - so it was kinda fun and kinda scary to see what would happen.

Here are the results. Painting in pastel has really allowed me to develop some skills that flowed over to my oil painting. It was interesting to see how many things were "changeable" with a wet medium. With pastel - there are only so many changes that can be made so it is important that each stroke be accurate. I absolutely love painting with a palette knife so all the reeds are done with the knife and not a brush.

Hope you like the painting - and Happy Birthday Drew!!

Irish Setter Art

I'm working on an Irish Setter commission and this dog has the most beautiful eyes. I had so much fun painting them. Here is a peak!

Laguna Beach - Plein Air Oil Painting

I spent the last three days plein air painting with a group of fabulous artists. The workshop was hosted by Greg LaRock. Not only is Greg an incredible painter but he is an incredible instructor - a winning combination.

On the third day my husband, Rich, brought Jewel (our veteran Irish Setter) down and joined me for the day.

My body is telling me I spent a ton of hours in the same position and since it is early in the morning it is best to take a couple aspirin over a glass of wine.

Hope you enjoy the photos. The painting in pictured here is not finished but will be in the next week or so. Please check back on my web site at http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Have a great day!

Santa Barbara December 26, 2009

My husband, Rich, and I took our three dogs to his parents home in Santa Barbara. They are dog lovers and have a golden retriever. The dogs all got along beautifully and played together in the backyard overlooking the ocean.

Drew and Monet played chase all day long. Don't know what it is about that ocean air - but our dogs went crazy!

We had a great day and were all quite tired when we drove home that evening!

Morgan

This is Ch Rusticwood Dance To The Music "Morgan" aka Goober. The photo reference for this painting was of a young Morgan - approximately 5 years old. Morgan just turned 12 years old on November 4th. She is a very special girl to her human family and the portrait of her was/is a Christmas gift.

My husband and I had the privilege of meeting Morgan this past summer while we traveled in Georgia. She still has a beautiful mahogany coat and has a real sweet temperament.

Merry Christmas to Morgan and her family!!

To see more dog art please go to my website at http://www.artofthedog.com/ or http://www.dawnsecord.com/.