Heart of Gold

Eclipse Over Longpoint "BUGSY"

For the longest time I wanted to paint Bugsy and I had this idea. I wanted to paint "Bugs" in a shadow. I chose Bugsy because he was an older dog and I wanted to create the illusion of time passing. Moving from one point in time to another. Bugsy fit the bill. At the time of this painting Bugsy was 12 years old. He was moving from one point of his life to another. An eclipse was beginning.

Although Bugsy appears very dignified in the painting, he actually is quite the character. He is comical to a fault. He loves everybody. He smiles, he brings gifts to people, i.e, whatever pair of socks or underwear happens to be lying around. He loves puppies and is a phenomenal retriever. At the time of this painting, Bugsy was 12 years old and still going strong.

Bugsy is actually Erin Hills Bugsy MH. He is owned by Allan Haggerty of Blackstock Retrievers who lives in Otterville, Ontario. And yes, Bugsy was named after Bugs Bunny! Today, Bugsy is 14 years old. He is a little slower and little grayer than he was a couple of years ago but he is happy, still smiling and chases the occasional goose in the pond.

Bugsy has entered the eclipse over Longpoint.

Acrylics and guache on board have been used in this painting. By implementing a layering process the painting is rich in detail and depth of colour. The original piece is 19" X 14".

Giclee Prints are 12"x 16" and are available through the artist.

Longpoint Hunting Day

I spent last Thursday afternoon and evening hunting waterfowl with my good friend Allan Haggerty down in Longpoint, Ontario.

We had a great hunt and my Annie, pictured above, was just awesome. She found every bird and never gave up on a single one. I've never been prouder.

I don't get the opportunity to hunt at Longpoint very often and it's always a great day spending time with Allan out in the marsh.

Trilogy

Trilogy is one of my earlier works and it remains one of my favourites.

The three yellow labs depicted in Trilogy are AFTCH Pilkington's Classie's Image MH (Cody), and two of his sons, Grousebrooke's Cody's Image MH (Chance), and Bluenorth's Cody's Bit of Class QFTR (Cash). All three dogs are owned by Skip and Joan Snow.

Joan Snow came to me and commissioned this painting for her husband, Skip, as a surprise gift.

Skip and Joan have been in the Field Trial game for a very long time and it was an honour to paint these three very talented dogs. Cody is quite the legend in this part of the country and his progeny are located all across North America. Cody is very special dog and holds a very special place in Skip's heart.

Trilogy is displayed in Skip and Joan's home in Grimsby, Ontario.

JODIE

As you can see I also like to work in other mediums. This is a pencil drawing of another friend, Medie Robinson's, golden retriever, Jodie.

Jodie was probably 10 when this drawing was done. She was not overly happy to be posed for photographs but eventually it all worked out. I had her in a chair looking out the window and she just naturally dropped her head and rested her chin on the arm of the chair gazing at the world going by outside. Her soulful expression was captured and her gentle soul realized.

Jodie was quite the character and reknowned for her resounding "whooohoo's" upon greeting you. Jodie passed the torch of "whoohooing" onto a younger member of the household after passing on a year and half ago.

Jodie was an old soul with the most beautiful eyes. I couldn't pass on the chance to do this drawing.

As an aside, prints of this drawing were given as gifts to all of the entrants at the inaugural Master National held here in Ontario several years ago.

Forever Waiting

I had an idea for painting and it took me a while to find just the right dogs. I wanted to paint 3 young females and I wanted them to be hunting, field trial or working dogs. I also wanted them to look feminine.

The young Black Labrador Retriever is my own dog, Annie. Annie is a small girl who is very serious about her work. She loves to hunt and is my constant companion in the blind. You won't find a better pheasant dog than Annie. Annie also competed in the CKC WC program. Annie is through and through a hunting dog.

The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is very talented and the prettiest Chessie I have come across. Flirt is owned by Janet Wilson. I found Flirt at a Field Trial in Southern Ontario. Not only does Flirt excel at Field Trial and Hunt Test, she is also an accomplished hunting dog.

The young Golden Retriever down in front is Jett. Jett is owned by Jill Chalmers. Jett is a mess of trouble at any time. A Canadian Master Hunter, a Sportsman Show competitor, a titled Obedience dog and hunting dog, Jeff is full of life and energy. Jett is a very happy dog.

I specifically chose these three breeds because they reflect three distinct personalities and although they all do the same jobs, they are very different. It was important to me to not only physically demonstrate their differences but to convey the differences in the breed through their personalities.

You may wonder what these 3 dogs have in common other than their jobs. They are "forever waiting" for their turn. They wait in blinds for the ducks to come in. They stand in line ups at a test or trial for their turn to run. They wait at obedience trials and pheasant hunts. They are young dogs waiting to take center stage. They are Forever Waiting.