Each morning, as we walk and collect shells on the beach, there is also a dog party happening. At Isle of Palms, dogs are allowed off their leashes to run free for a few hours each morning, and both owners and dogs take advantage. Dogs are running in the surf, chasing balls, playing with each other, greeting all the other beach-goers (who are there for them, naturally), and jogging alongside their owners. It finally occurred to me in 2024 that it was the perfect opportunity to gather reference photos of dogs! I did it secretly for a couple of days, pretending to photograph the beach, clouds, and surf, while also capturing a dog trotting in the water after a tennis ball. Finally, I got a little braver and asked the owners if I could photograph their dogs. Everyone I asked was happy to oblige, and most even helped me get good poses.
One of the dogs I photographed was a Frenchie named Louis (pronounced “Louie” as the French do), and he is most definitely a king. I saw him a few times on our morning outings in 2024, and several other dog owners asked if I had met and photographed Louis yet.
When I was putting together a small collection of works to sell at the Lucketts Fall Market that year, I decided to paint one of the pictures of Louis. This is the painting, and it sold at the market…
Well, two years later, I was walking on the beach and ran into a little white Frenchie, still holding a ball in his mouth. He wouldn’t drop it for a photo in 2024. I stopped the owner and asked if it was Louis. And yes, it was!
I showed the owner the painting, and she asked about getting a print of the painting, so that’s in the works. Of course, I had to take some new pictures of Louis as well. This one is definitely getting painted!
I was planning to paint most afternoons while we were at the beach, so I brought along a few reference photos, including a couple of photos of a spaniel I also photographed in 2024.
I shared the painting on Instagram, and it quickly sold to a family who lost a similar spaniel.
As chance would have it, the next morning, I was walking on the beach and saw a spaniel running through the surf after a ball. I knew it was the same spaniel I painted the day before because the markings were identical. I asked the couple tossing the ball, and they come every year at this same time. What are the chances that we would run into each other again?!
This time, I learned the dog’s name – Sky. Actually, it’s Sky Miles, because there was a split on a favorite name for the dog offered up by nieces, so they combined the top two names together – Sky + Miles = Sky Miles.
They inquired about purchasing the painting, but it had already sold, so I let them know I would be happy to paint another one for them off of a reference photo I have or one of their favorites.
I don’t take pictures of dogs to try to solicit new clients. It’s not a bait-and-switch, like when someone snaps a photo of you and your friends at the theme park and then charges $25 for a 5 x 7 picture. It really is for my own reference library. But when a dog owner inquires about a print or an original painting, well, that’s just a bonus!