Currently, there are four dogs at Halcyon House, but shortly after you read this, that number will be increasing by one, with the addition of a new puppy. We love our dogs with each of their distinct personalities. The youngest dog, at just over a year old, is the most active and it’s virtually impossible to take a picture of her that’s not a complete blur! The other dogs are older, and it’s easier to capture them on film – or in pixels!
As much as we love our dogs, we know they’re not with us forever and while it’s painful to know they will be gone, they’ll of course be in our hearts forever. We have endless pictures of the dogs on our phones and iPads, but those images won’t last through the ages (and we’re sure that our dogs would want to be immortalized).
Recently, our good friend, the painter Sam Robinson, has started painting animal portraits, and naturally, we commissioned him to paint our dogs. Sam spends time with the dogs, getting to know them and their personalities, and takes pictures to help recall their spirits while he’s painting. Then he heads to his studio and starts the painting.
Sam is a master at catching the spark in the dog’s eye, the shading of his coat, and the particular angle at which the dog holds his paw or cocks his head. Sam’s style is referred to as Expressive Realism, and with simple and effective brushstrokes, he grasps the essence that makes the dog so special to its owners.
We are so excited to be showing Sam’s pet portraits at Halcyon House Antiques, beginning October 11. If you’re interested, Sam is accepting commissions for both pet and people portraits in time for Christmas. You can contact Sam here. Or join us on Friday, October 10 for an opening of Sam’s show at from 5:30 to 7:30 at Halcyon House Antiques. Please RSVP to Eric@HalcyonHouseAntiques.com. You will be able to see painting of our dogs and some of our friends’ dogs.
After our dogs are long gone, we will still have Sam’s beautiful paintings to remind us of the many happy memories and how much we loved them.
