The Poodle to many people might appear to be quite ridiculous - the way her coat is cut,   her appearance however originates from the fact that she was once a water dog,  the coat was cut to make her less heavy in the water,  but ensuring that the chest etc were kept warm on leaving the water.   However Poodles are no longer used for retrieving ducks,   but the custom remains for shaping her fur,  and creating pom poms and rosettes at will.

This plumping and preening of a dog's coat into grand sculpted forms is a part of the human desire to transform and tame nature.   Not satisfied with the more practical side side of breeding a dog for utilitarian purposes,  we go a step further into the realms of fantastical aesthetics.

The landscape behind reinforces the idea of taming and shaping nature into something ornamental.   It is a formal garden with topiary hedges,  there is no wilderness here. Everything is very much under control,  and in the distance are neatly kept fields.   Everything is clean, especially the dog.

Despite the existence of both dog and landscape,   for me the combination of the two together create an irreal image,   something unworldly, of another time.

Incidentally, the show name of the dog is Mystic Star, hence the title of the painting,   it seemed to sum up the atmosphere. I had thought of other titles,  but that one stuck.

note: If you are interested in seeing a more natural cut for a poodle then take a look at Coco, she is a good example, and she has not had her tail docked either, which up until recently has been the norm (another leftover from the days of being a duck dog)