Dog Days of Summer

It was great fun judging this art show.   The finalists have now been identified so it is safe to post them.  Thank you to the Brandon Gallery for having me judge your show.

http://www.dawnsecord.com

The opening reception will be this Saturday, August 6, 2016 from 5 pm - 7 pm.   I am very much looking forward to meeting the artists.  Hope to see you there!

Brandon Gallery, Fallbrook, CA

Dog Days of Summer

I had the honor today of judging the artwork submitted for "Dog Days of Summer" at the Brandon Gallery.  The show included animal art that not only included dogs, but cats, and a few chickens!

When arriving at the gallery, the amount of artwork that had been submitted was shocking.   When driving to the gallery I thought, the pieces will just jump out at me like at the dog show.  Sometimes that dog enters the ring and you just can't take your eyes off of it.  Well, I felt like I had a ring full of blue ribbons once I started looking at the work.

The artwork was lined against almost every wall and then several deep on the floor along the walls.   Holy Smokes!!    I walked through all the art several times just enjoying the pieces.   My goal wasn't to try and pick the placements at first sight, I just simply wanted to take in all the work.   There were 2 dimensional pieces, 3 dimensional pieces, photographs, and one very unique multi-media piece.  There was work that was traditional, some whimsical, some very modern and from all mediums.   WOW - the body of work was awesome and all from local artists.  UNBELIEVABLE!

I don't want to give away what happened next as choices were made and why.  Nor can I show what pieces won.   On August 6th I'll be at the gallery to meet the artists and discuss my choices.   I can't wait.    All I can say is WOW - some really amazing work.  I loved my Best in Show.  Gosh, I loved all the placements.   So often I hear a dog judge say to me when I exit the ring, on any given day - any of these fine dogs could have been the winner.   Those thoughts circled in my mind as I looked at all the art before me.    So many winners and I could only pick one.

Thank you to the Brandon Gallery for trusting in me to judge the work.  It was truly my honor!

Book Reading at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - February 17, 2015

We had a wonderful opportunity to have a book reading of our book Show Dogs Escape to the Seashore (authored by Marsha Hall Brown and illustrated by me) while attending the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City on February 17, 2015.

The film crew had seated us on a sofa, surrounded by children, while the breed showing was being conducted.   One of the organizers handed me a black Labrador retriever to hold during the reading.  The lab was so well behaved.  There is no wonder why the labs are such a popular breed!  The children were very focused on Marsha while she was reading to them. 

Marsha turned to "The Great Escape" illustration and asked the children how many dogs were in the illustration.   There was a young boy named Travis who was just adorable.  The children were focusing on the dogs in the illustration

and they all thought there were 7.  Then Travis proclaimed, "WAIT A MOMENT....I believe there are 8" as he pointed to the hidden puppy who was peeking out of a suitcase!   Good job Travis!

Without question, this was one of the highlights of the trip.   Thank you to the organizers for inviting us to do a book reading.  It was great fun!

Bling - Best in Puppy Sweepstakes

Bling "Rendition Treasure Every Minute CGC" (CH Willowbrook Artists Rendition JH x CH Rusticwood Spellbound CGC) going Best in Sweepstakes at the Irish Setter Club of Central California under sweeps judge, Gary Brown DVM.  

She had wonderful placements all weekend.   On Saturday she went Best of Opposite Sex in Sweeps and on Sunday she won her sweeps class - with some extremely lovely competition.

The first two days of the show she placed second in Bred-by Exhibitor (out of classes of 7 and 6).

If only I had her energy - I started running out of steam after day 2,

but sure had a wonderful time.   Thank you to the Irish Setter Clubs of Central California, of the Pacific, and Sacramento as well as to the judges that gave us a placement.  

Faith at the Dog Show

Faith "Jamond Wings of Glory at Rendition"

I showed Faith today at the dog show.   It was a very small show and I had moved her up to the open class.   We practiced in the parking lot and she did fabulous.   Standing ringside she was a little angel.   In our class, she was okay, a bit feisty towards the end, but okay.    Then, we went back in the ring for winners.    My little angel gets that look when she wants to rumble.   Somewhere during our short two minute allotment from the AKC, Faith went on vacation.  She was leaping and frolicking and basically a wild child.   Against my better judgement, I popped the lead and said, "No FAITH!  KNOCK IT OFF!"   Knowing this dog, I should have known what would come next.   "A Challenge!", her little eyes beamed at me.  The games were on.   Dawn "0", Faith "1".

So, I came home and laid down on the bed for a minute, Faith right next to me.   She was so close she was actually breathing my air.   Somewhere in the hazy years passed memory banks of my mind I drifted off to when Jewel was a young dog in the classes.   I kept more of a journal of my dog show experiences then.   Many of the entries said, "Bad Jewel".  "Jewel was a bad dog."  "Bad BAD BAD Jewel."    I smiled and thought of my dog show entry today.  

DOG SHOW JOURNAL:   January 26, 2013 --
Showed Faith today.  Faith was a Bad Dog!   Bad Bad Faith.

I love my dog.  I love her spirit.   We had a good day.

Irish Setter Club of Southern California Specialty

Our dog club (Irish Setter Club of Southern California) had its 100th Specialty Show this past weekend on June 4, 2011. It was a beautiful day in a very nice park. Our puppy, Faith (Jamond Wings of Glory at Rendition), won Best in Sweepstakes under judge Dr. Gary Brown, DVM. We were thrilled. Here are some pictures my husband took ringside. Thanks Rich!

Tri Setter Specialties in Dixon, California

We had a great time with the dogs in Dixon this past weekend. Drew went Winners Dog for a 4 point major under respected breeder judge, Dr. John Savory.

Faith went Best Puppy under Dr. John Savory and the following day in sweepstakes went Best of Opposite Sex.

The art sales were good and we had fun seeing friends we hadn't seen in a while as well as meeting new people.

Thank you so much to the clubs for putting on these shows (Irish Setter Club of Central California, Irish Setter Club of the Pacific and Irish Setter Club of Sacramento).

To see more pictures of our dogs at this show or pedigree information please go to our website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/renditionirishsetters.html

Secord Dogs out having Fun

Our dogs were busy today. Rich took Drew to learn to work in the field. Drew took to it like a duck takes to water. Rich let Drew loose in the field and Drew immediately took off with his tail up and wagging like crazy. That dog started working the field like he'd done this before which he had not. This was his first time out. The trainers were surprised at Drew's confidence and drive. Rich said he was impressed with how keen Drew's instinct was. They were gone for hours. So, the boys had fun being boys. I bet they both sleep well tonight!

I took Monet out to a conformation show. She showed her little heart out and received lots of compliments from fellow exhibitors. Monet hasn't been shown in a while and boy did she have fun. I could not have asked for anything else from her. I really felt we had some great team work. She picked up another point towards her Grand Championship by going Select. The girls had a fun day too! Monet does not want to be a couch....ooops....."studio potato"!

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Day 6

We are at the final day of the 2010 ISCA Specialty. This day is always bittersweet. The week has long days with the set up / tear down of the booth contents daily and functions in the evenings. However, no matter how tired we are we hate to see it come to an end.

The weather held out and we were not hit by rain. The bag pipes this morning took my breath away as usual. My grandfather was Irish and I only wish he could be here at the show while all this is going on.

Here is a candid shot of me in my art booth. Not sure who took the second photo = but thank you for doing so!

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.

Ho Ho Ho from the Secord Pets

Here are two of my pets.....Monet who is an Irish Setter and Cash who is a blue point Siamese Cat. Monet is about 15 months old in these photos and Cash was about three years old. It is two years since those photos were taken and oh my gosh how time flies!

Hope you enjoy the photos. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Dawn Secord

http://www.dawnsecord.com/

"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

Baby Drew Secord

I just came across the attached photo of Drew. He was a young pup in an exercise pen when the photo was taken. If you look closely his doggie lips are both pulled up so it looks like he is smiling.

Is there anything cuter than an Irish Setter Pup? Perhaps to some the answer is Yes! But to me - hum - I have to say baby Irish Setters are the cutest!!

Golden Retriever "Prince"

This is Prince - a Golden Retriever. At this time he is gone. He lived to be almost 15 years old and we understand he had quite a healthy life. Prince lived with a great family who adored him.

He was a beautiful dog inside and out. His family told emailed about his portrait, "It is beautiful and captures his soul. You made us cry in a joyous way."

Thank you to Prince's family for allowing me to paint their special boy.

Irish Setter "Moxie"

This is a portrait of Moxie - in the dog show world she is known as BIS/BISS Am. Can. Ch. Windntide Sand In My Genes CD, JH, RN, CGC, VC.

Moxie has been an Irish Setter I've admired for years. She is a few months younger than my heart dog, Jewel. There have been few but wonderful times we've shown against Moxie in the ring and I've been able to admire her from an intimate distance.

It was a joy to be secretly approached by Patrick at the Arizona ISCA National Specialty in 2008 to paint Moxie's portrait as a surprise gift for Carol. We took a number of photos of her there and additional photos were sent to be afterwards. Moxie is quite the little "sailor" and can be found yachting around the Northwest Pacific. It was a perfect scene to paint her sitting comfortably in the vessel she knows so well.

If you are interested in having me paint a portrait of your dog please email me at fff@linkline.com or call me!

Thank you to Moxie's parents for the wonderful experience of working together on our "Moxie" project. I hope Moxie touches you when you view her portrait as much as she touches me.

Watson

Watson is a very special dog who was rescued from a hording situation in Illinois. He is a cross of hound and husky. Due to his lack of socialization he was a candidate to be euthanized.

The local shelter there would only release Watson to one person - his current owner. Watson has thrived in his new loving home and has blossomed into a wonderful companion. This portrait of Watson is to be a Christmas gift from one sister who lives here in Southern California to her sister that lives with Watson in Illinois.

It was an honor to paint such a special dog.