Frank Haddock

You're More Important Than Me - watercolour

Anyone who loves dog, would surely be captured by the beauty of this work by Frank Haddock. Frank paints with a sensitive hand and a fine brush. And, this work makes the media seems so appropriate to the subject.

The diffusion of light and colour, is soft and it sets the tone for the gentle and patient love of the guide dog for its owner.

There are so many 'little things' which together built to make this an excellent work. Frank uses the power of contrast to make his statement even bigger than life.
The softness of the dog's coat and its gentle sense of forebearance, is enchanced by the contrast of it lying on a hard surface. And there is also the contrast of colours - the honeyed warmth of the dog, contrasted to the cool blue of its back cloth, and the blue of the hard pavement.

Notice too, the intersection of vertical and horizontal lines in the tiles. Frank's subject is pretty much defined within an area, within the picture. And,this defines the area of our focus.

The harness is the link between the dog and its owner. But, it is also our visual link to the animal. The leash runs parallel to the line of the tiles, and then loops into the round form of the dog itself. The leash gives the owner and the viewer a sense of ownership of the subject.

You can check out more of Frank's works by looking at his website by clicking here, or by clicking on his name on the profiled artist's list on the right column.

Art as a Metaphor, with picture provided by Frank Haddock.

I see art as a metaphor for the human condition, and Frank Haddock illustrates this superbly with his above painting, "You're More Important Than Me."

We find in this work, love, patience and non conditional love. Qualities which make this guide dog for its visually impaired owner, so endearing. And these same attributes make for lasting and loving human relationships.

Frank, has that capacity as an artist, for closing his lens in on his subject and eliminating extraneous details. This picture is simple - a dog wearing a restraining collar, and a leach, and lying on a sidewalk.

This picture asks all the questions and lets your imagination fill in the answers.

A lovely work.

Please click here to go to Frank's Website.

Edmonton Artist: Frank Haddock in Watercolor Artist Magazine

Spanish Red

Frank Haddock is a versatile artist who works in any painting medium with ease. His works are characteristically illuminated by a strong light source that gives his art "an inner life and energy". Frank's artwork often focuses on the human figure upon which he arranges a cascade of light that produces interesting arrangements of shapes and colours. The result is a character study that has the spontaneous spirit of a moment caught in time. The freshness of this moment is often complemented by a gentle, unfocused background almost creating a dreamlike atmosphere. In other paintings he intensifies the light by contrasting bright surfaces with dark backgrounds.

http://www.frankhaddock.com/