Smartie and Buttons

Smartie and Buttons were a lively pair of chocolate labradors that I was supposed to be painting as a commission. The client was out at work and had left me with the dogs to paint their portraits, but they were impossible and would not settle. The pair were so lively that I decided to take them out into the clients garden for a run around in the hope that it would burn off some of their energy. After 20 laps of the huge garden they dived through the hedge and ran off into a field, they clearly thought I was going to walk them. After climbing through the hedge in hot pursuit, the dogs, who were delighted to have my company, took off across the field. Calling them made little difference but as I walked it was clear that they wanted to be with me as they began to follow my lead. Eventually after the best part of an hour, the dogs came to me and sat in the long grass. I caught them on camera and coaxed them back into the garden and safely into the house where I took many more shots of them and worked on a couple of sketches. The painting of the labradors was from that quiet moment when they sat in the long grass.

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