Title: “Labrador Retriever In His Element”

Artist:Gay Freeborn

Medium: Oil on canvas

Price: Contact National Purebred Dog Day to inquire about purchasing this piece.

Artist’s Thoughts: I am an animal artist and I breed and show English Labrador Retrievers. Having 6 Labradors at home has been my artistic inspiration and they have been responsible for directing my work toward painting animals and the human/ animal bond.

I have shown my dogs in the AKC Conformation ring, Rally Competitions and Agility Trials and have earned our Canine Good Citizen award for 2 dogs. One of my dogs is a Therapy Dog as well.

I grew up with Labradors and my father duck hunted with them. Now I live on a farm in Maine and have the fortunate opportunity to swim in rivers, lakes and oceans near by. We snowshoe with the dogs in the winter and hike in the mountains where we live.

The dogs have enriched our lives beyond any expectations. Not only to live with their kind nature but to work with them, play with them and paint them. Because of my dogs I have met some of my closest friends, not only those who own Labradors but also other breeds.

Painting Details: 25″ x 30″

I often take the dogs to the water for their favorite pass time. Their enthusiasm over the sport is contagious and the pure glee that they find fetching and diving can change a bad day into a good one instantly. When I painted this image of my dog Hoover I thought of how much he loves the water and how seriously he takes retrieving. I photograph them as they explode into the waves and as they emerge, dripping wet and this one image stood out as this boy’s true personality. His heart is in everything he does. He is devoted, kind and serious about his job, but he’s playful at the same time. He can only make you smile and this is what goes though my mind when I paint him.

I also particularly like painting water and what the dog’s body does with reflections, splashes and drips. Using layers of glazes and splattering brushes after the main subject has been painted I think of how this one second in time has been caught by the camera and now by my brush and how in the very next second it will change. I try to stop time with my paintings but also try to convey motion toward the next time frame. #NPDDArt2017