Cairn Terrier

 

fine art dog print

"The Barn Patrol"

This drawing shows the dogs fulfilling their natural role - patrolling the barn for vermin. But the horse has the day off and is relaxing in his stall, it's a warm afternoon and nothing much is happening so the sudden appearance of a swallow offers them a welcome distraction.

My aim was to bring out the gentle side of these feisty little Cairn Terriers and I know them very well - these three belong to a pack of six that diligently work on our friend's farm.

The scene is imaginary. The cart was almost derelict and photographed some years ago in the corner of a field, the horse is our own Badger and the swallows nest under the roof of our goat house.

The original drawing took 114 hours 20 minutes to complete and remains in my private collection.