Skeeter - A Mother's Love

Skeeter belongs to some wonderful people that I have known for years. They also own Jack my dog Bailey Boy's full litter mate. The boys are 11 1/2 years old now. Where did the time go?

When Skeeter's parents came to me and wanted a painting it was so flattering. The main photo of Skeeter used for his painting was part of their Christmas card. In the photo his left ear was flipped behind his shoulder and he had two collars on. They also gave me a cd of puppy photos that were used as additional reference material. Generally I use a number of photos to create a painting and one primary photo is just not enough for me to gather all the detail needed.

This particular photo was not something that would have popped out to me as a great candidate for a painting. I worried there was too much going on and, at the same time, not enough going on. Skeeter's mom wanted the painting to show the reflected love between dog and owner without giving evidence to the identity of the owner. This way all dog lovers could enjoy the bond of love and be able to personalize the emotion.

Now that the painting is done the vision that Skeeter's human mom saw is so crystal clear. May this painting remind us all of the simplest message of what our dogs are for us - love - unconditionally - love.

Thanks for reading about my art and don't forget to give your animals hugs all day long!

Ringo - Irish Setter

I met Ringo's human parents a few years ago. It was exciting when they later contacted me and asked me to paint Ringo. We planned to get together in Arizona at the Irish Setter Club of America National Specialty to take reference photos for his painting. Until that time they sent photos of him to me from time to time.

Once in Arizona I was going up the stairs of the hotel and saw someone walking down past me with a beautiful Irish Setter. We stopped and chatted briefly while I petted the dog. The owner told me his dog's name was Ringo. I started laughing and said - OH! This is Ringo!!! It was a funny moment. Several days later we met up again to take the photos. Ringo was so cooperative during the photo shoot and there were many great reference photos for the painting.

When the painting was finalized Ringo's parents told me what they were most happy with was the way I had captured his gentle nature in his eyes. Ringo is now embarking on an exciting career as a therapy dog. I'm sure he'll bring many smiles to those he touches.

Jewel wins 1st place in Rally

Jewel is 9 1/2 years old. She was retired from the conformation ring in April 2008 at the Irish Setter National Specialty. At the National she won 1st place in the veteran sweepstakes class - 8 to 10 year old bitches. She then won 1st place in the regular veteran bitch class.

She has not been in an obedience ring in over four years. A few weeks ago I thought I'll go ahead and enter her in rally so she could go to the show with Monet. To my surprise she went through the rally course with ease. She won 1st place in Novice B with a score of 99. We look forward to more obedience competitions.

BIS BISS CH Rendition Treasured Moment CGC TDI - "Jewel"

Bennington Center for the Arts

Once a year the Pastel Society of America (PSA) sends invitations out to their signature members to apply to be juried into the annual PSA Signature Member exhibit. The Pastel Society of America is the most prestigious pastel society in America.


A signature membership is an elevated status of an artist which allows that artist to follow their signatures on paintings with the initials of the art association. I was juried into the PSA as a signature member. Non-member artists may only apply for associate membership in PSA once annually. Associate members that would like to be considered for signature membership may apply once a year for that status.


My work, "Golden Dreams", was accepted into this exhibit. The accepted works will be on display in Bennington, Vermont from June 7 - August 3, 2008 at the Bennington Center for the Arts. http://www.benningtoncenterforthearts.org

Drew Secord - Irish Setter Puppy

We have a new member of the family. His name is Drew. My mother, husband and I picked him up on Sunday - May 11th and he was a great mother's day gift.

He is fitting into the family so easily and no one is more excited to have him here than 19 month old Monet!

It is quite apparent we are going to have to stock up on tennis balls!

Bonnie the Mastiff

The portrait of "Bonnie" was commissioned as a gift by a sister who lives in Wisconsin for a sister that lives in Arizona. Bonnie was a very special dog and an extremely beautiful Mastiff.

At the time of the commission, Bonnie was no longer with us. The photos that we had to work with were not the best quality for a portrait. They were old 3" x 5" or 4" x 6" photos that had Bonnie in as a small figure. Most detail was difficult to see clearly. All parties involved found as many photos as possible and each photo gave me a glimpse into who Bonnie was. One photo gave me her eye color - another photo or two clarified her ear set and shape.

It was a fun process and I thank the owners and family members for their patience and assistance in making the painting possible.

Monet gets another point towards her Championship

"Monet" Rusticwood Spellbound has another point towards her championship.

It is hard to believe that she is 18 months old already. Time is just flying by. She looks so much older than she is - but believe me her attitude is all puppy.

We are having lots of fun and learning together. Her aunt Jewel was so easy to show but Monet is quite smart with a mind of her own and sometimes it is difficult to tell who is teaching whom! It is exciting to see where the road will lead us. Good girl Monet!!

Sweetn'in - Irish Setter

Sweet'nin "CH. Scarlly's Sweet Success" was painted from a black and white photo. She had been a very important girl in the breeding program for Scarlly Setters. Over the years - and moves from one home to another - the orginal photo had been misplaced and all that was available of this pose was the black and white photo. Fortunately there were other photos of Sweet'nin that were instrumental in capturing her true colors. The painting will be shipped to Georgia in the next few days. It will be sad not to have it in my studio any longer.

My paintings are all a part of me and as much as I want them to go to the people who commissioned them a part of me doesn't want to let them go.

Duncan - English Setter

This is Duncan (Ch. Paisley's Showstopper, H. D.).

When someone contacts me to paint their dog from one of their photos (with me not having been able to meet the dog in person) it is almost like Christmas. I know "presents" are coming but I don't know what is inside until I open the package. When the package of photos arrived I couldn't open it quickly enough. What I found absolutely warmed my heart. This big robust gorgeous English Setter. The photos were primarily show photos with some profile head shots. Duncan's people parents wanted me to paint the pose of him lying down and resting. The other photos assisted me with his coloring and "getting to know him."

Rich and Bailey

We recently returned home from the Irish Setter Club National Specialty. My husband, Rich, was the RV chairperson.

Rich drove around the grounds in a golf cart helping with parking and security along with various RV parking issues. He took our 11 year old male Irish Setter, Bailey Boy (Ch. Rendition Irish Cream), with him in the golf cart. Bailey was thrilled and eagerly awaited their daily "cruises".

Bailey sat in the front seat on a big soft pad and enjoyed the rides, the fresh air - and visiting all the girl red dogs!

"Reflections"

"Reflections" is my newest painting released in print. This piece was done specifically for the 2008 Irish Setter Club National Specialty held in April in Arizona. The background photos were taken by a friend who was traveling in Sedona. There had been a bridge in the background which was eliminated and more water was added to the painting.

The dog that was the model lives in Georgia and several hundred photos were sent to me by his owners. I didn't know what pose I wanted him in so they sent me every pose they could think of. Once the pose of the dog was determined I build the composition around the dog.

We consulted a cacti specialist in Arizona to make sure the cactus I put in the painting was indigenous to the Sedona area. I took photos of my dog's reflection in our pool to make sure I captured the reflection of the dog anatomically correct. More hours were put into this painting than any other painting I have ever done. The original is sold and a record number of prints as well. Prints and artist proofs are available for sale on my website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/

Poised for Play

The Bichon Frise Club of America Health Foundation commissioned a painting of Bichon puppies for their 2008 National Specialty as a fund raiser. The title of the painting is "Poised for Play."

A copy of the breed standard was supplied to me upon my request so I could study the breed before beginning the painting. Even though the standard discussed adult dogs - the foundation information was applicable for puppies.

The most enjoyable part of the process was receiving and evaluating all the photos that were emailed. Naturally, the photos were awesome - how could they not be!! Sweet white fluffy dogs I could look at all day Thank you to the Bichon Frise Club of America for the honor of working with them. They are a wonderful group.

Honor to Andrew

Andrew is my youngest brother and one of my best friends. My brothers and I are all close in age and very special in each others' lives.

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to Andy. The flight back from Texas was very tough. Now I am home in California and all I want to do is go back to Texas.

Andy named my first dog - he was 14 years old at the time. He waited up all night for me to return home with "Beau Bear." I was 18 years old and had driven to Austin in a fierce rain storm not returning until after Midnight. Andy was a sleep on the sofa - unable to go to bed until he met my new puppy.

Andy always insisted on being active with my dogs and had a very special relationship with my first Irish Setter, Amber Lee. Andy is very much with me in my heart and I know he will always be there watching over me. I love you Andy.

Monet - Best in Sweepstakes

Last weekend, at the Irish Setter Club of San Diego, Monet won Best in Sweepstakes. We are so enjoying this young girl. She is 16 months old now. Time flies and she doesn't look like our baby girl anymore. When they are puppies we can't wait for them to grow up so they won't chew the things they shouldn't. Then when they grow up we dream of puppy breath and little soft cuddlers.

Portrait of Jade

This is a portrait of Jade, "Ch Rockherin Jade Star". The portrait was commissioned in April 2007. There is a waiting list for my portraits which is explained to all who commission a portrait. In January 2008 it was time to get organized on her portrait and I had been communicating with Jade's owners on getting pictures of her. She had such sweet eyes - gentle eyes. Many photos were taken of her until there was one that said - this is the one - the primary reference pose. The better the photo the more detail and reference material I have with which to work.

Jade was a senior dog when I was commissioned to paint her. In April she was a strong girl and doing well. Her owners sent me many photos taken over the course of January and beginning of February 2008. It was amazing how young she looked in the photos. Her owners had requested that I could make her a bit younger looking in her portrait. The initial sketching was done when I realized her owners had not identified what type of background they preferred for the painting. So, a quick call to Michigan to find out that missing piece of information and I was told the devastating news - Jade wasn't doing well and her owners were faced with making the decision all loving pet owners dread. My heart sank. She had been stable in January.

About 12 years ago I was painting a cat portrait in oil and had encountered the same situation. During the completion of the painting - the cat passed away from kidney disease. This is such an emotional situation for all parties involved. My heart breaks for the pet owners. How will the painting be received? Will it be a joy for Jade's human family or will it break their hearts? It has been an honor to have been able to gaze into Jade's loving eyes for the past few weeks while her portrait was painted. Tears are in my eyes as I think of her loss - I wish I could do more for her family. Thank you to her owners for allowing me to get to know her through her painting.