English Setter and Irish Setter Portrait

This pastel painting is of two lovely girls, Devon, an English Setter and Amber, an Irish Setter.

Their parents had commissioned me to paint the girls some time ago. We kept trying to get together to take photos and it is amazing how difficult such a small task can become!

We decided to get together at our local club's doggie fun day. The girls were photographed separately in several different locations in the park. We all had so much fun. Devon was a little princess and each photograph was a pose in and of it's self. Amber, on the other hand, was the queen and much to busy to be photographed. At discrete moments she would honor us with a gaze and if I was quick enough I could take the shot. Thank goodness for digital cameras on a speed setting!

There were several great photos of each dog that would work for the painting and the final choice of reference poses and the background of the painting was left to my artistic creativity. I picked poses that were complimentary to each dog and then complimentary collectively. One photo of the girls standing together gave me the reference point on how tall to make each dog when placing the dogs in the painting.

Thank you Devon and Amber for being so cooperative and thank you to Cathy and Dave for asking me to paint your girls!

To see more of my work please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/. Have a great day! Dawn Secord, Artist.

Drew Secord - Ten Months Old

Many of you know my husband and I show our Irish Setters. This is strictly a for fun exercise. Our dogs think of the show ring as a fun trip to the park. They get to play with other dogs (safely) - they get treats - they get to meet other people and most importantly - they get out of the yard and have a fun day.

I've shown Drew infrequently for a few months now and I was so proud of him - he held his stacks, gaited properly and really tried to keep "four on the floor!" He has turned into a pick pocket though and is sniffing all passersby pockets!

To see more pictures of our dogs please go to our website and look for the button that says Dog Show Photos. Have a great day!! Dawn Secord, Artist.

Bodhi - Irish Setter

This is the second painting I've done of Bodhi, an Irish Setter. The first painting I did of him was several years ago and he was jumping through an agility ring.

This painting was a head portrait. I photographed Bodhi during the Irish Setter National Specialty in Arizona. His owner thought it would be fun to put the red rocks of Arizona behind him.

Bodhi is a very special dog and it has been an honor to get to know him, his owner and paint him in two different settings.

To view more of my work please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/. Have a great day!

Misty - Labrador Retriever

This is Misty, a Labrador Retriever mix. I met Misty's parents several years ago at a show. The following year they came to talk to me about painting Misty. It was so exciting to hear they had waited a year to find me at the next show and wanted to proceed with the painting.

We scheduled a time for them to bring Misty to my home for photographing. Misty was such a good girl. We took so many wonderful pictures of her it was difficult to choose which was the best candidate for the primary reference photo.

Misty's owners didn't want to proof the painting over the internet - but chose to do so in person. They were very happy with the painting. The kindest and most heartwarming compliment they gave me was to ask me to paint another one of their pets.

To see more of my dog art, cat art or horse art please visit my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/. Thank you for taking the time to view my work!

Irish Setter

This painting of an Irish Setter was done from a professional photograph (with the photographer's consent of course). The dog's name is "Magic" Ch. Marlyn All About Magic.

There was something "Magic" about the photograph. The dog is so regal - so proud. The photo was taken outside and the way the light bounced off the flowing mahogany coat took my breath away. When I was asked to paint the dog I had so many ideas!

I worked from a total of three photographs with the primary reference pose being a photo of Magic standing in the show ring with his handler. The other photos were used as additional reference material for me to make some changes to his muzzle and tail in the painting. The party commissioning the painting had no preference on the background. With the highlights on the dog's coat it was natural for me to make the background dark to draw the audience's eye to Magic's face. I used the lighter color reeds to minimize the attention to the highlights on the body coat. My overall goal was to lead the viewer to Magic's face but keep them engaged in the entire painting.

American Staffordshire Terrier

This American Staffordshire Terrier is known as "Brody" by his friends and in the show ring as BIS BISS CH Fraja NE Gold Ticket. He was a Best in Show dog at the tender age of 2 years old.

When his owners approached me to paint him I was thrilled. At that time he was about a year old. We waited a little bit for him to grow up and what a handsome boy he has become. It is amazing the muscle tone and body mass he had added during that time frame.

While his painting was in process I was in San Francisco at a dog show hurrying to the show ring with one of our Irish Setters in tow as I passed Brody and his handler. Exclaiming to my husband, "That is the dog I'm painting" - my husband responded, "Are you sure?" Without question I replied, "Absolutely!" Thank you to his owners for the fabulous photo reference material they supplied and for the honor of painting him.

To see a larger image of Brody - please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/.

Thank you for visiting my art and have a great day!

Dawn Secord, Artist

English Setter "Waiting In The Wing"

This pastel painting of English Setter puppies and is titled "Waiting In The Wing". The painting was created specifically for the English Setter Club of America National specialty.

A lot of research went into the painting and I thank all those for their assistance. The reference photos were old and the puppies were gazing downward. The puppies were in different photos looking different directions. I opened up the eyes and had the puppies gazing forward.

At first I thought of putting some object in the painting to give the viewer an idea of what the puppies were looking at. Then, on second thought, it seemed more fun to leave the audience guessing at what was the center of the pups' interest.

The original of this painting is available as well as limited edition prints. To purchase the original or the prints please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/.

Thank you for taking a peek at my work and I wish you a great day!

Dawn Secord

website: http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Irish Setter and Cowboy Boots

"Boots 'n Boys" is a pastel painting of an Irish Setter by artist, Dawn Secord.

This is a pastel painting of Luc, an Irish Setter. His human mom sent me a photo of him laying on his father's lap. Instantly I was drawn to the jeans and cowboy boots. Being from Texas - this scene just melted my heart.

The lines of light that are being cast from the blinds gave an interesting feeling to the composition. In the photo the lines of light were also across Luc's face. With artist liberty I chose not to include those as they took away from this gentle boy's expression.

This painting is available on greeting cards. To purchase please click here!

To see more of my work please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/. As always - thankyou for looking!

Boston Terriers

This painting is of two Boston Terriers, Ruby and Slugger. Originally, the portrait was to be solely of Ruby who had recently passed away due to her senior age. A matter of months later Slugger, another senior, passed away as well. Their owner contacted me to give me the devastating news and asked if we could put both dogs in the painting.

His favorite photo of Ruby showed her in a canoe. Once Slugger was to be added to the portrait I asked if the recipient of the portrait ( the portrait was a gift as a 5oth birthday present for one sibling from his other siblings ) if he would like me to paint the dogs in the canoe as the photo showed. He did!

In the reference photo the shore line was above the top of the canoe. I dropped the shoreline below the top of the canoe so that I could get the shoreline in the composition while keeping the poses of the dogs as large as possible. The canoe was also narrowed down a bit in the painting to allow more room for the surrounding landscape.

Ruby and Slugger - in your honor - this painting was done with love.

To view more of my artwork please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Dawn Secord

Specializing in animal portraits

Blog:

http://www.artofthedog.blogspot.com/

Border Collie

This is Murphy, a Border Collie mix. Her painting has been finished for a few weeks now and I realized I had not yet put it on my blog or website.

Murphy is the second dog I have painted for her owners. I had met them several years ago at an exhibition in Beverly Hills where they commissioned me to paint their golden retriever. One of the greatest compliments as an artist is to have someone come back to me for another painting.

Murphy's owners brought her to me to photograph for her painting. It was wonderful to spend time with all of them. It was a very warm day and I was in Malibu at an exhibit. Murphy didn't waiver in her cooperation. What an amazing dog she is!!

I am so thankful to paint for a living and very little else is as rewarding to me as presenting to a person a painting of their beloved animal.

Dawn Secord

Fine Art Web Site

http://www.dawnsecord.com

Dancing Irish Setter

This weekend I finished a painting I've been working on for some time. This is Daysie - an Irish Setter. She enjoys many different activities with her human mom. One of the things that Daysie loves is to dance in competition.

Along with the photos sent to me for this portrait was a DVD of Daysie at a competitive dance exhibition. My husband and I enjoyed watching all the dogs that were performing on the recording. We noticed immediately how interactive Daysie was with her "mom" during the performance. She was absolutely in her element.

The primary reference pose of Daysie showed her in an indoor facility. In her painting I placed her outside in a green meadow surrounded by wild flowers with subtle gentle colors in the background. I hope you enjoy viewing the painting as much as I did painting her.

Dawn Secord
Fine Art Website
http://www.dawnsecord.com/ISGalleryFive.html

Blog
Enjoying the Journey
http://www.dawnsecord.com/ISGalleryFive.html

Borzoi

This is Jazzy a Borzoi. She was the most gentle soul you could ever meet. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person and getting to know her. When I went to take photographs of her she lived on 5 acres. Her owner and I sat in the yard and watched Jazzy while we discussed her portrait, her personality and how Jazzy came to be part of their family.

It was like watching a ballet performance. She had this effortless gait and floated as she moved gracefully across the beautifully landscaped property. In her earlier life she had been a show dog and once her show career was finished she was placed with her current owner. Jazzy had an absolutely wonderful life in one of the most loving families I've had the honor to meet.

This is the second painting I have done of Jazzy. She recently passed away and her owners wanted a painting of her with her ears up and looking gently into your eyes. To see Jazzy's other portrait or any other dog art please go to my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/.

Thank you for looking at my art and have a great day!!

Dawn Secord

Fine Art Dog, Cat and Horse Art

http://http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Blogspot - enjoying the journey

http://www.artofthedog.blogspot.com/

French Bulldog Painting in Progress

Today I was working on my painting of the French Bulldog as a demonstration at the Fallbrook Fine Art Gallery.

The City of Fallbrook is having monthly functions called "Wine and a Bite" this summer. Patrons purchase tickets which allow them admittance at galleries where food is catered, wine is served and artists are demonstrating on a work of art.

It was quite an honor to be the featured artist at the Fallbrook Fine Art Gallery. A surprising number of people came through. Many people were asking me about my techniques and complimenting my work. There was a young woman aspiring to be a professional artist full of questions. I can remember being in her shoes years ago. I answered her questions and gave her some tips. It was rewarding to give back as so many artists have helped me along the way.

The above photo was taken at the opening of the event when people were just arriving. The finished French Bulldog painting will be featured on my web site in the next week or so - please check back.

Thanks for checking to see what is going on with my art! To see more artwork, originals that are for sale and limited edition prints that are for sale please go to my web site!

Dawn Secord

http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Irish Setter Family Painting

This painting was commissioned as a family tribute. The owners of the dogs live in a beautiful log cabin in Virginia.

There were eight Irish Setter puppies in the litter. I had taken over 100 photos of the puppies playing so there would a large selection of poses for the composition. Ultimately 41 photos of the pups were printed and laid out on my living room floor to finalize the composition. It was important that each puppy be interactive in the painting so that the viewer found themselves being led from one dog to another. Another 15 photos were printed out of the cabin and the parents. When working on a large multi-subject project such as this it is helpful for me to lay photos out to visualize the final composition.

For the cabin - most of the photos had been taken in the winter while the trees were dormant. There was one photo supplied that showed the summer colors and trees full. In the summer photo the colors of the horizon were breathtaking and it was so much fun to capture the colors behind the trees.

Lastly, and very important to me, was the American flag blowing in the breeze on the front porch. My husband and I are very patriot and we were thrilled to see the flag in the photos.

The painting is 20" x 30" and an extremely rewarding project. I hope you enjoy viewing the painting as much as I had painting it. On my website, there is an Irish Setter painting featuring five puppies playing that is available in limited edition giclee prints.

Dawn Secord

Lhasa Apso - Pastel Painting

The portrait of Andy, a Lhasa Apso, is finished and it was so much fun to paint. Before beginning the painting I went over to get some swatches of Andy's fur and to visit him. He is the sweetest doggie soul you could ever imagine. There is gentleness about him that is indescribable.

Andy's owner was very happy with the painting. What touched her the most was the painting captured Andy's expression and personality. I will miss gazing into his eyes daily while working on the painting. Thank you Andy for being such a good and cooperative subject!

To see more of my work please visit my studio at http://www.dawnsecord.com/. In addition to dog art there are galleries of cat art, horse art, bird art, people portraits, still life, landscapes, beach scenes and floral paintings. A there are also original paintings available and a few limited edition giclee prints.

Thank you for visiting and have a great day!

Dawn Secord