A painting of Tobie the Yorkie and Murphee the Maltese

This painting was really awesome to create.  The owners of Tobie and Murphee had the perfect photos for our project.  Both dogs had passed away and and fortunately their owners had a number of them.  

There was a great photo of the boys laying on the back of the sofa.   Their expressions in that photo were not ideally what the owners wanted reflected in the painting.   However, there were some other photos that had the dogs' expressions that really showed "the boys" personalities.

Usually I stay away from moving body parts like this.  Since the dogs had so much coat, it was not as big of a transition as it would be on a short coated dog like a Frenchie (for example).  I didn't have to worry about muscle or tendons being off - all would be covered with their hair.  For the background, I was a bit concerned the darkness in the photo would over power the dogs.  This was discussed with the dogs owners, Kim and Eric, and they agreed.

The photos are all shown below and you can see how the painting came to life.

I asked the owners to share a little bit about the dogs and this is what they told me:

Tobie, our Yorkie, was born August 26, 2004, and Murphee, our Maltese, was born December 26, 2005.  They became brothers in the Spring of 2006 and played a tremendous role in our family for the years to follow.

In their relationship with each other, Tobie was the “big brother”.  He was very smart, spirited, and welcoming; we considered him an “old soul”, as he was very intuitive in his mannerisms.  Murphee, the baby of the family, had a very affectionate and playful character.  He carried himself in a regal manner, and was a true and sweet companion to all he trusted.  “The Boys”, as we affectionately called them, shared a loving bond and were always together. 

This painting, on the back of our sofa, depicts their favorite spot in the house.  It gave them a collective, comfortable view over their home, and more importantly, over our family.  We are so grateful for our time together, and remain appreciative of their lively spirit – they will be in our hearts forever.

Thank you again for truly capturing their spirit.  We are so grateful for this keepsake and your effort.

Eric & Kim

Pembroke Welsh Corgi painting is completed

This was such a cool painting.   The dog featured, Annie, is no longer with her family.  So, this was a very special painting for them.   It sounds like Annie had a nice long life.   For those of us who are animal lovers, no matter how long an animal is with us - it is never long enough.

They were going to be in Palm Springs traveling in from Arizona.  We planned for me to have the painting finished by the end of the show so they could take it with them.

Due to my waiting list, I only have a booth at a show twice a year.   It is always fun to paint in public and talk to people.   Such a huge and welcome change from sitting at home and painting alone.   While I LOVE to paint at home, it is a nice change to get out in public sometimes.

Thank you to Denisa for having me paint her special girl.

Sir Finn - A portrait of an Irish Setter

This was such a fun painting to do - well - I feel like a broken record saying this, but I never tire of painting people's animals for them.   It just touches my heart.

This is Finn.   His owner wanted a standing painting of him from the very beginning.  In the primary reference photo he was pulling down on his tail a bit.  I had to laugh when she asked me to fix the tail (and she did have a great photo of his top line and tail as another reference photo).  So, the reason I had to laugh - my dogs all pull down on their tail when I am showing them if I grab the tip of their tail.    I've never trained them to hold their tail out by holding the tip of it.  If I try to pull on the tip of their tail, the tuck their hiney down and it is laughable.  I had a judge pull Jewel's tail once and Jewel fiercly tried to wag it out of the judge's grasp.   No, we didn't win, but the judge did laugh at Jewel's antics.   Finn has a lovely top line and tail set.   We most certainly did need to show that in the painting!

Sir Finn is my very special heart boy.  In this painting he was just 2 years old.  He is now 3 and has earned 6 titles.  His  reg. name is CH Captiva One Last Time BN,RN,RA,THDN, CGC.   Sir Finn Excels at his therapy work and has a real bond with Alzheimer patients.  He was with my mom when she passed away last year and it was so very amazing how gentle he was with her and is with other patients.  He wants to please me with everything he has within himself, whether it be obedience or just cuddling.  He is a true gentlemen.  In agility classes, he listens and stay with me but is now getting too fast for me so we will see what this brings.  He has a heart of pure gold and is so very calm .  Even the day we brought him home from Canada,  he, a 10 week old puppy, calmed my very sick Irish, Liam!  Sir Finn has never found a person or critter he has not liked no matter what they do or say.  There will never be another Finn.  I do thank Dawn Secord for capturing him so amazingly and in a few more year hope to have a head portrait of him.

Thank you Rita for having me paint your beautiful boy!

Sir Finn - A portrait of an Irish Setter

This was such a fun painting to do - well - I feel like a broken record saying this, but I never tire of painting people's animals for them.   It just touches my heart.

This is Finn.   His owner wanted a standing painting of him from the very beginning.  In the primary reference photo he was pulling down on his tail a bit.  I had to laugh when she asked me to fix the tail (and she did have a great photo of his top line and tail as another reference photo).  So, the reason I had to laugh - my dogs all pull down on their tail when I am showing them if I grab the tip of their tail.    I've never trained them to hold their tail out by holding the tip of it.  If I try to pull on the tip of their tail, the tuck their hiney down and it is laughable.  I had a judge pull Jewel's tail once and Jewel fiercly tried to wag it out of the judge's grasp.   No, we didn't win, but the judge did laugh at Jewel's antics.   Finn has a lovely top line and tail set.   We most certainly did need to show that in the painting!

Sir Finn is my very special heart boy.  In this painting he was just 2 years old.  He is now 3 and has earned 6 titles.  His  reg. name is CH Captiva One Last Time BN,RN,RA,THDN, CGC.   Sir Finn Excels at his therapy work and has a real bond with Alzheimer patients.  He was with my mom when she passed away last year and it was so very amazing how gentle he was with her and is with other patients.  He wants to please me with everything he has within himself, whether it be obedience or just cuddling.  He is a true gentlemen.  In agility classes, he listens and stay with me but is now getting too fast for me so we will see what this brings.  He has a heart of pure gold and is so very calm .  Even the day we brought him home from Canada,  he, a 10 week old puppy, calmed my very sick Irish, Liam!  Sir Finn has never found a person or critter he has not liked no matter what they do or say.  There will never be another Finn.  I do thank Dawn Secord for capturing him so amazingly and in a few more year hope to have a head portrait of him.

Thank you Rita for having me paint your beautiful boy!

Irish Setter Puppy Painting Number 2

Here is puppy painting number two.   The first painting can be seen on my facebook page at:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Art-by-Dawn-Secord/120610651282807?ref=br_rs

To push the emotion in the painting a bit further than that of the photo, I rolled this pup's ears back a tad more than what her ears were doing in the actual photo.   That is the fun with painting - no rules - no being limited with a photo.   Following is the story about this painting.   If you want to participate in the voting on which painting I should put into print, please go to my facebook art page and share your comments!

Here is a second puppy painting that was done for a show.   When the first puppy painting was completed, I was asked if it was going to be put into print.   Originally, that had not been the intention.   The two paintings were simply for a show. 

When going through all the different reference puppy photos in my library, the reference photo for this second puppy painting kept talking to me.   There was something about the eyes that drew me in and kept me there.  At first, it seemed the pup was longing for something.  After looking at the photo numerous times it no longer had that look, but rather a thoughtful look.  The emotion the pup was displaying was very thought provoking - what the heck was that pup thinking?  I figured, if I kept going back to that photo, well, I better paint it.

So, my question to you is (now that I've decided to put one of the two into a limited edition print) which of the two should it be?   Would love to hear your votes - is it puppy painting number one or puppy painting number two?  In puppy number one, I used some fun fruitful colors that were used in a painting of my dog Jewel,  years ago (you can see a snippet of Jewel's painting on the top of my blog) that were more of a fun cheery approach.   Puppy painting number two has more bold colors.    

The emphasis was not color harmony in the painting but to direct the viewer to the eyes of the pup.

If you want to see the original reference photo for puppy painting number 2 - go to my blog at http://www.artofthedog.blogspot.com 

Don't forget to send me a comment and let me know which of the two you prefer!   Thanks so much!

My newest limited edition print is out.   It is part of the "Country Series."    The title is "Old Country" and is available by going to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/printsforsale.html or by calling me / emailing me.

The painting features a historic stable and carriage located on the East Coast. The family of Irish Setters are sitting on an antique horse drawn carriage. Two horses are shown inside the stable. They are looking out towards the meadow, which is visible through the breezeway of the stable. Cherry Blossoms are in bloom behind the pups on the carriage.

The property on which the stable and carriage actually sit was a 7,000 acre land grant by Lord Baltimore to his niece in 1703. The structures were believed to be constructed circa 1728. The carriage featured in the painting sits protected inside the carriage house along with a number of other carriages.

To create the painting I worked from a number of photos of the stable during different seasons. I chose to use the spring photos, as that is when the 2013 ISCA National Specialty is actually taking place in Virginia.

The original painting has been sold. There will be reproductions produced in three sizes, as well as artist proofs. All will include a certificate of authenticity and will be signed and numbered.

Irish Setter Art on Outside Flags

"ROCKETS RED GLARE”

http://www.dawnsecord.com/printsforsale.html

go to my website link above if you are interested in purchasing this flag or mini print.

Our New Venture:

This artwork is on actual outside flags!
The flags measure 2’ x 3’...and have an upper hem for the pole as well as two security grommets.
$25.00 plus shipping


New “Mini” Print

5” x 7”
Printed in Full Color
Limited Edition of 195
Available on the website
Framed: $35.00
Unframed: $15.00

Plus shipping on both prints and flags

(sales tax for CA residents)

Thank you to my husband, Rich, for thinking of the flag!

Doberman Pastel Painting

This painting is 17" x 27" and features Kayla - a new champion. Kayla's owners have each of their Doberman's painting when the dogs finish their American Kennel Club (AKC) Championship. As a fun addition to the painting, an AKC ribbon is placed in the painting along with the dog.

I had met Kayla's owners at a dog show where she was not present. Traveling to Northern California allowed me to meet up with the owners and Kayla and be able to photograph Kayla in person. She was an awesome model and I obtained some wonderful reference material from our photo shoot.

The ribbon is a ribbon one of my dogs had won. So, I had a real life ribbon to paint from - an added plus.

Thank you to Kayla's owners for choosing me to paint their beautiful girl!

Labrador Painting is Finished

I've spent some time on this painting. The art collector commissioned two portraits of their Labrador Retriever. The first painting (seen here) features the dog in its adolescence. The second portrait will feature the dog as she is currently at 14 years of age.

The background of this painting is a meadow behind their home. In the reference photo the skyline is almost nonexistent with a slight splash of blue clouds in one small corner. Also, the meadow is laden with the beautiful blooms shown in the painting. However, the blooms were minimized in the painting. The bright color of the blooms combined with the thick blanket of them in the reference photo somewhat stole the show from the dog.

To ensure the dog was the focal point, the blossoms were minimized. The skyline was also greatly increased with a change in direction to draw the view into the focal point.

Gift items with an image of this painting are on my cafepress store at http://www.cafepress.com/dawnsecord

Now off to wrap the painting for delivery and finish portrait number 2.

Borzoi - Mini Pastel Painting

This is one of my new mini paintings and is 5" x 5". I absolutely love painting the Borzoi. They are so elegant and gentle.

To see more of my Borzoi work please click this link to my website: Borzoi Art

Have a great day!

Irish Setter Puppy: Nike

This is Nike and she is an Irish Setter puppy. I met her on the East Coast and she had recently been flown in from Australia.

The amazing thing about Nike was how calm and relaxed she was. She was in a new Country, with a new family, and at a dog show with an incredible amount of activity going on around her. She just sat there willing to pose and was an angel.

I hope I get to see Nike again as an adult to see how she has matured. She will most certainly grow into quite a beauty!

If you are interested in commissioning a portrait of your pet please contact me. There is more information on my web site at http://www.dawnsecord.com/!

Thank you for taking a peek at my work.

Painting in Process

I'm working on several paintings right now. That way I can stand back and get a fresh eye when looking at them. One painting has one dog in it, a second painting has two dogs and the third piece has three dogs in it.

Here is a peek at one of them.

More to follow later.

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!

Annie - Ch Jewelset's Special Attraction ROM

I first met Annie in Rhode Island in 2005 at the Irish Setter National Specialty. Her owner approached me to photograph her for a painting. This painting was to be a gift to another party.

For the past five years I've admired Annie at the various National Specialties. Once again (to my excitement) I was asked to paint Annie. This time it would be for Annie's human mom to keep and not to be a gift. The same original photograph taken in Rhode Island was used. The only changes were to add the graying to her muzzle that had come in with age. Additional photos were supplied and the painting was started.

Anie is a regal ageless beauty and thank you so much for the opportunity to paint her and her kids. To see more of my work please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/.

Ready & Waiting Greeting Cards

A number of people have asked me to restock this Irish Setter greeting card. Until now, all greeting cards have been sold until that particular card sells out and then I pick a new image to put on to cards.

The model for this card is my girl, Jewel. She was a real stinker and kept spitting the leash out of her mouth. It was all quite fun and each time I look at these cards I picture her pitiful face pleading with me to just take her for a walk and to quit messing around like some crazy paparazzi!

The greeting cards can be purchased directly from my website by clicking here or feel free to call me or email me! 866-393-7111 or fff@linkline.com. The image is also available in limited edition signed prints - click here to go to my prints for sale web page.

Thanks for taking a peek at my work!

"Dillon" Irish Setter

This is "Dillon" Am. Can. Ch. Rusticwood's Airtight Alibi. I've known Dillon for many years and he is a wonderful dog. We photographed him at a number of dog shows trying to get the perfect shot of him for his portrait.

Ultimately three photographs were the primary reference material for this portrait. One photo was the main pose. However, that photo had draw backs. His eyes were squinting as he was in the sun and his neck was hanging a bit funny due to his leash and his owner holding his head up with her hand. From the photos taken of him there was a perfect eye photo giving me his eye shape and eye color. That photo was used as my visual aid to create his eyes in the painting. Another photo had him standing at ease with no restrictions on his neck. That photo was used to create the natural look to his neck.

I always tell people we take lots of photos because I won't know what will be needed until the painting is started! This painting was a perfect example of needing multiple photos.

Thanks Dillon for being such a good poser! More paintings of Irish setters along with many other breeds are on my web site. Please click here to go take a peek!

For information on commissioning a painting of your dog, cat or horse - click here!

BIS BISS CH Rendition Treasured Moment CGC "Jewel"

Jewel is my heart dog. Recently I was reminiscing on things we had done together. She was in a photo shoot some years back for Pedigree. Pedigree had flown a famous photographer in from Canada and had a number of dogs ready for the photo shoot which took place in Los Angeles - Griffith Park. Jewel and Bailey were the only two Irish Setters there.

A number of photos of Bailey and Jewel were used on the Pedigree website as a result. The photos all had models handling my dogs. Bailey was shown walking with an older gentleman, Bailey and Jewel were used together and my favorite pose was Jewel laying on her back next to a female model. That photo was ultimately placed on the front page of the Pedigree website.

Here is one photo of Jewel from the Pedigree website. Jewel is such a hoot. She is always putting a smile on my face. Now, as she approaches age 11, she does her best work as a therapy dog putting smiles on the faces of others.

Monet goes WB at Burbank Kennel Club

Dog showing is a funny thing. We always try to predict what the judges will or will not like. We avoid some and follow others. I learned a long time ago not to "follow" anyone as there is no telling what other dogs will show that day or how I will feel or my dog will feel for that matter.

I try to avoid the shows when it is hot outside as Monet does not do well in the heat. We entered both our young dogs this past weekend only to support our local dog club when they were trying to build majors. I knew it would be too hot and I knew Monet would do badly. Once again I'm eating my words. It was hot - sweltering at over 100 degrees and humid like is expected in Texas. To top things off - Monet was in season. She showed well, ignored the heat and humidity and won for the girls. Our little boy, Drew, was insane because Monet was in season. Monet however - was perfect - a little gem! Hope our show picture turns out nicely.

Note to self: "Show when you feel like it and enjoy your dogs!"

Drew sleeping on Jewel's Thrown

Jewel on her Thrown in the Studio

Drew taking over Jewel's thrown......

Our dogs keep me in stitches. There is a leather chaise near my easel and Jewel is usually on it watching me. She lays there like the little princess she is. Then there is Drew - our typical "teenage" male Irish Setter. He just turned 19 months old.

I was painting and looked over to see the pretty delicate face of Jewel perched on her thrown only to see Drew laying about like such a boy! It was so funny - just had to share it.

Dreamer the Irish Setter

This is Dreamer. Here is his story as told by his human mom:

Last year we had a litter in which 5 of the pups were diagnosed with Parvo. One of these pups was in the hospital for 2 weeks. It was touch and go, with the vet and the techs not knowing if he would live or die. During his stay, they became quite attached to little "Tan Boy". He did eventually get well and came home from the hospital. There were 2 others that had the parvo pretty bad, but this one was, by far, the worst. When he came home, he was so skinny and weak. It was a real effort for him to walk, let alone play. I let him and his 2 other weak brothers out in the yard alone to move freely for a few minutes each evening. This boy came up to me while I was sitting in my chair, sat down and looked up at me with the saddest eyes. It had been determined that he was a pet and not show quality before he got sick. In that look, he seemed to be telling me that he was home, and he never wanted to leave again. How pathetic his look. I began to cry and took him in my arms and told him that he would never leave. He was ours forever. The litter theme was mountain. His name - Belvedere's Climb Every Mountain. He had climbed his mountain! His call name is Dreamer. Now, of course, when he was out in that yard, I had the camera. I took 2 pictures of that sad boy, with his pitiful look. I have cherished those photos since. He is not small or skinny anymore. He is a big, hyper, happy boy, who will knock you over if he jumps on you. He wants to please and will instantly sit or down on command, but he cannot keep his feet still for 2 seconds. He is great in the house, but wants to play fetch constantly. I am so glad that I made our home his home. Well, I sent the 2 photos to Dawn Secord. I wanted a portrait of this boy! Tonight, she surprised me by sending me a photo of the finished portrait. I can only tell you that when I opened the tears came into my eyes as I remembered the day he begged me to keep him. Dawn has done it again! She captured the whole instant in her superb work! Thank you, Dawn.

Fun is being with an Irish Setter Terry Z