Larry Chandler Art on Dogs Afield Magazine
"In the fall of 1991, I was spending most of my time at a booth in a mall in Decatur, Alabama. I had rented the booth space only through Christmas. I brought my easel and paints to help pass the time. I had finished a few small paintings there and was amazed at the attention someone painting in public could receive. I had painted several commissioned dog portraits for clients, but they were mostly pets, not real hunting dogs like a Labrador Retriever. The idea just came to me to do this collective grouping of all the retrievers, or duck dogs as I often refer to them. I really had no idea how the subject would go over. So, I sketched the piece out in pencil and just sat it on my easel to begin painting.
Almost like magic, people would stop and comment on the painting as it progressed. I noticed several spectators returning each day to see the progress of the painting. The dogs were from a collection of photos I had taken at field trials and some friends' dogs that I thought looked very "noble". One Saturday night, I stood up to take a stretch break. When I looked behind me, there was a crowd of 60 to 70 people just standing there in total silence watching me paint. I knew at that moment I had something very special, subject matter wise. This was the stepping stone that started my relationship with sporting dogs and the path I had been shown that has led to much of my success as an artist. Coming up with the title was easy."
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