Viking commissioned by The Royal Kennel Club
Viking — Crufts Best In Show 2024
Breed: Australian Shepherd
Registered Name: Multi Champion Brighttouch Drift The Line Through Dialynne
Owners: Melanie Raymond, John Shaw and Kerry Kirtley
Painting considerations: Though named Australian Shepherds, the breed originated in California, so I added Californian poppies and a shepherd's fritillary butterfly as a nod to the 'shepherd' element. I included a stack of books with relevant titles. From top to bottom: Crufts Best In Show Winners Through the Years, Motorcycling: How to Drift the Line — a reference to his registered name, Important Vikings, Shepherd’s Fritillary Butterflies, Fact-Ory Gin in California — "Fact — Origin in California", and Australian by N.A. Monly — "Australian by name only".