Off the Leash – GICLEE CANVAS – AP – 11/36

18″ x 28″

“From an early age, I decided I that although I grew up in a big city and would always
enjoy visiting cities, I would live in the country so that I could walk out my door and
immediately be in nature. A dog that is reasonably well trained is a wonderful companion
for walking in the country. I can’t count the happy hours that Smallwood (our Labrador
retriever with a Newfoundland grandmother) and I spent exploring the fields and forests
near our home or cottage. Joey Smallwood, by the way, was the first premier of
the province of Newfoundland when that British colony joined Canada in 1949. The Premier
was a bit of a rabble rouser, but our dog was mellow yet enthusiastic and most important
for roving in nature, he was quite obedient. For this reason, I was comfortable to walk
with him off the leash. Of course, he would always be ahead in the direction he guessed
that I would go, but he continually checked back to make sure that he was on the right
track. If I had felt it necessary to hike with him on a leash, I know that we both would
have been frustrated. In this painting I have shown him briefly lying down, waiting for me
to catch up. I felt that the delicate forms in the little grove of hemlocks made a good
counterpoint to the solidity of Smallwood’s sphynx-like figure.”

S18-018