The idea first came from the sad death of Porter, the sled dog in the golden harness, pictured below. He was the lead dog in ‘Spirit of the Quest’ in 2014, it was his energy and eagerness to go that inspired the painting.
Porter and his brother Lager were always running together. They simply wouldn’t partner any other dog as well as they did together. Having grown and raced 1000s and 1000s of miles together they were inseparable. They ran in complete synchronisation, fuelling each other forward if one was to get tired. In 2015, Porter’s health started to fail, and he became paralysed from the waist down. He was to have regular physio by the handler who was desperately hoping to see him recover. Lager, normally as keen to run as the finest of them, lost all enthusiasm to pull. Without his brother by his side, he became depressed, and he was no longer wanting to be harnessed. He was not injured, but the brother’s bond was so strong that Lager was too saddened by his brother’s condition that he just would not run. Porter didn’t recover, in 2015 he died, comforted in the arms of his handler. It is heart breaking to know this was the same dog roaring to go, pulling at the harness and barking excitedly even after summiting Mount Eagle. In his honour, I had the Spirit of the Quest digitally re-mastered to crop just him, and embellished the rest by handpainting with oil paints. Here began the mini prints, all with their own stories. I shall remember Porter as the Golden Harness Yukon Quest dog of 2014, full of energy… Full of Spirit! |
roaring to go, pulling at the harness and barking excitedly even after summiting Mount Eagle.
In his honour, I had the Spirit of the Quest digitally re-mastered to crop just him, and embellished the rest by handpainting with oil paints. Here began the mini prints, all with their own stories. I shall remember Porter as the Golden Harness Yukon Quest dog of 2014, full of energy… ...Full of Spirit! |
Limited edition /25 Frame 20 × 20 cm - giclee print 10 × 10 cm. Hand embellished and textured to finish.