Wingshooting USA

Morning Hunt

Original Oil painting

14" X 24"

For my upcoming stint on Wingshooting USA starting this Fall, I had two more dog paintings to paint. They aren't my "traditional" subjects though lately it might be difficult to determine what my traditional subjects would be!

As always, I think it is good for a painter to try new things. As I delve deeper into the field of sporting dog paintings, there is a lot to learn. My main goals are to understand the particular dog and its breed characteristics, and most importantly, to say something new. Man's best friend has been painted for centuries. What new can be said? 

Each painter will have his or her own style. That can contribute to the new but there has to be more. A new story, a new perspective. Some sporting dog paintings have used the dog-bird-hunter-barn formula. And I have seen some tremendous art with those elements. I have also seen some which says the same story except with a different dog, or hunter, or barn.

In order for me to evoke a different emotion in each painting, I need to tell a different story each time. That is part of the challenge but also part of the fun. Who wants to read the same book over and over again?