As the hot desert summer is on the verge of getting even hotter, I was looking through past paintings and found myself drawn to some of my still life’s.  Something about the cool produce in Lemon’s or the open window with an implied cool breeze in Copper Kettle seemed to refresh my mind and soul, if not the actual air around me.  

So as I’m listing prints of more of my work on Etsy, I decided to have a July Still Life Special.  Sure they’re not horses, and don’t get me wrong… I love horses, but sometimes a change of pace rejuvenates the creative juices and remotivates the artist process.  So grab a glass of iced tea or lemonade, turn the fan on yourself and enjoy some simple, old fashioned still lifes!

Blog Feature

I am honored to be featured on a wonderful blog, Shelley McDonald’s Designs!   Being an artist is a very introspective practice, it never fails to surprise me when someone sees my work and loves it… it reminds me why I’m so driven do this, if I just kept my work to myself I don’t know if it would be worth doing!  Also, check out Shelley’s Etsy store, she has some beautiful items… such as one of a kind beaded serving sets, barware, and desk sets for home and office and silver wrapped and beaded necklaces.  Thank you Shelley!

I recently had the opportunity to visit Hollywood Park, where I had the pleasure of watching the amazing Zenyatta acheive her 17th victory in a row.  Inspired by a weekend enjoying the races at such a beautiful track, I finished working on this piece called “Jostling for Position”…

This is one of two peices that will be on display at the Equine Art 2010 show held at Emerald Downs in Auburn, WA July 8-11, the other piece is ”The Sprinter“. 

Another recent piece is called “The Sunset Kid”, a simple painting of a horse bathed in the final burst of vivid sunlit brilliance before sundown… 

I will also have paintings in the upcoming WIld Horse Western Art Show and Sale in Rock Springs, Wyoming coming up July 9-10.  Peices that will be there include Natural Beauty, Buddy System, Heated Exchange and Makin’ Fast Work.   If you’re near either of these shows over the second weekend in July please visit!

Carole

For all who have been waiting… I have open edition prints of these two incredible, athletic ladies!  I’m offering 2 sizes (8 x 10 and 11 x 14), and you can get them separately or as a pair!  There’s even $1 shipping though the end of May!

Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra Prints

For those who are more interested in the art collection side, I also will have 12″ x 16″ available as a limited edition of 50 prints each at the Backstretch Gallery.

…and of course a portion of proceeds benefit a great racehorse rescue,  Equine Encore Foundation.

Upcoming Shows…

I have paintings traveling to quite a few really nice shows this year, if you’re in the area for one of these please stop by and see all the great artwork!   New shows are…

• Western & Wild Horse Art Show and Sale, Rock Springs, WY July 9-10,
• The Washington Thoroughbred Association’s 2010 Equine Art Show “The Horse and a Whole Lot More” at Emerald Downs in Auburn, WA  July 8-11
• The American Royal Art Show, Kansas City, MO, September 23-26, 2010   

…and ongoing shows…

•  American Academy Of Equine Art 2010 Spring Invitational Show “A Salute to the World Equestrian Games, 2010″, Lexington, KY April 16 – November 1.
• 2010 Hits-on-the-Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition and Auction. Woodstock, NY, May 26-Sept 10

A Happy Memorial Day to all, and special thanks to all our Vets!

Carole

As I spend time getting to know the various horses rescued by HEART of Tucson, I often find one or two that provide me with some extra measure of inspiration, artistically and personally.  But recent subjects seem to be turning their backs on me, literally!  Before Bella, there was Christina… the palomino mustang mare featured looking back from the rear in Natural Beauty,  Bella must have been talking to Christina, because she impressed me with a similar pose, and it ended up on a 16 x 20 canvas in oil, now titled “Bella”…

Bella is an older arab or arab mix that was dumped near what in Tucson we call the dog patch, where dogs (usually victims of dog fighting) and other animals are dumped… including horses.  It’s a desolate, open piece of desert on the south side of town, and Bella was left there months ago – thin and without adequate food, water or shelter.  After getting to HEART, she immediately took to Tamale the goat, so much that if he’s away from her for a moment she becomes inconsolable. Other goats were tried with no success, so poor Tamale, who loves to have free roam of the stable, has become resigned to a life stuck in a stall playing companion to a noble old lady for now. 

Prints from this painting of Bella will be available at my Etsy Store very soon, with a portion of proceeds to benefit HEART, of course!

After finishing my painting of the wonderful race mare and 2009 Horse of the Year, Rachel Alexandra, I immediately started working on painting the other amazing mare, 2009 Breeder’s Cup Classic winner Zenyatta.  Zenyatta currently is undefeated, with a total of 16 wins in 16 races, and she’s not done racing yet!

 Zenyatta…

16 x 20 oil on board

Prints will be available for both of these paintings with proceeds benefitting the Equine Encore Foundation, the prints will be listed soon, check back here or at my Etsy Store for updates.

“Hug” featured on blog…

Sasha of the “What, No Mints?” blog featured my painting Hug, she’s saying goodbye to the horse she’s grown into adulthood with as he heads off to a new career working with autistic children.  While the horse in the painting resembles her horse, it has a deeper meaning with so many of us who have bonded closely with a horse… that is why I painted it, it’s an image that seems to be universal amongst horse lovers regardless of breed, discipline or event.

HEART Store

I now have a HEART Rescue Prints section on my Etsy shop just for prints from paintings of HEART of Tucson rescues, these horses have had unique personalities and if all I did was paint rescues that inspire me I have enough work to last me 1o lifetimes!  Of course sales of these prints benefit HEART of Tucson.

I’m not often inspired enough to paint well known, famous horses for many reasons.  For one, I prefer to work from my own photos, and since I don’t encounter many famous horses I don’t have photos of them.  I also like to seek out the hidden gems, the “average” equine; the trail horse, dressage horse, mustang, etc… and find the undiscovered beauty in them.  

But two impressive mares have caught my artistic eye over the past year… Rachel Alexandra, 2009 Horse of the Year and Zenyatta, winner of the 2009 Breeders Cup Classic.  So I’ve decided to paint each of them, and the first is finished…

Rachel Alexandra…

16 x 20 oil on board

I will soon be offering prints of this and Zenyatta’s portrait, check back here or email me to be notified when they are available!  A portion of the proceeds from sales of the prints will be going to the Equine Encore Foundation, a wonderful rescue set in a desert oasis dedicated to providing a safe, healthy retirement for ex-racehorses.

Reduced Shipping on Racing Prints

In the spirit of Triple Crown season, I have a shipping special for the month of May on my racing prints on Etsy, I have ten of my racing pieces listed, sales of which also benefitting the Equine Encore Foundation.  Be sure to browse the rest of my shop, too, you’ll find some of my older originals as well as new prints I am adding regularly!

… at the Angels for Animals Craft Fair/Fundraiser tomorrow! Angels for Animals is a rescue dedicated to helping the abused and abandoned dogs found at the dogpatch south of Tucson.  The equine rescue I work closely with, HEART of Tucson, has worked with Angels for Animals and taken in a few horses abandoned at the dog patch. 

The event will be from 10 am – 5:30 pm Saturday April 17th on the northeast side of Tucson at Bear Canyon, 8852 E. Tanque Verde Rd. on the southwest corner of Tanque Verde and Bear Canyon.  Please come out and support this wonderful rescue, and make sure to come find me and say hi!  I will have some prints available, and a few paintings on display… and I plan bring my easel and do some work on a piece or two while there!

Also, be sure to check out my Etsy Store, I’ve already added new prints and will be adding more!

I am now offering the option of prints of some of some of my more popular work. There are three pieces (below) that I’m initially making available on my Etsy store, and soon they will be availble in larger, limited editions along with other pieces I will be adding over the next few weeks and months. 

 Cottontail Sunrise

Hug

 Natural Beauty… this painting recently won an Award of Excellance… visit this link from the Horse HeART Exhibit! 
**A portion of proceeds from prints sold of this painting will go to the rescue this mare is lucky to have been brought to… HEART of Tucson!

If you have another piece that’s a favorite let me know.  If you would like to keep up on new prints offered subscribe to my etsy store, email me with a request to receive emails about blog updates or check back here often!

New Work…

I also have a new piece, based on an old photo.  I found a small pastel I did probably close to 20 years ago, it was from a photo of a warmblood at a local stable that struck me as a good looking gelding. I found both the old, beat up pastel as well as the photo recently, and decided he deserved an updated portrayal.  Since I was so taken with this handsome gentleman (whose name I’ve long since forgotten), I have titled this “Prince Charming”, it’s a 14 x 18 oil on canvas.

 Happy Easter and Happy Spring to everybody!!

We have a nice series of  hunter/jumper shows in the spring and the fall in Tucson, and one of my favorite ways to kill a couple  hours is to run down to the fairgrounds and just wander around taking photos of everything from horses getting bathed to the action in the ring.  Unfortunately we’ve had a lot of rain this year, a good thing for a desert in a drought, but not so much for enjoying an outdoor horse show (and photographing it).  

So while waiting for a clear, sunny weekend (which is finally this weekend – I’m charging the battery for my camera as I type, yay!), I dug through my photo archives of past years loooking for some good material to capture in paint.  After narrowing down my favorites to a handfull, I picked one and started painting…  and now I have “Launch”, a 18 x 24 oil on canvas:

New Gallery

I am honored to have some of my paintings as part of the newly launched  Backstretch Gallery!  Bookmark their site for wonderful gift ideas for quality equine art and decor!

I finished up some pieces I was working on earlier in the year. The first is of the abandoned racehorse now doing very well at HEART of Tucson (see below), Streakin Kitty, or Kitty as we call her.  This is an 18″ x 24″ oil on canvas…

I also have finished this piece, it’s of a TB gelding (and retired racehorse) named Nightly Delusions, it’s titled “Scratching Post” and is a 16″ x 20″ oil on canvas…
 

1010 Program

I am offering a new opportunity to help you get the art you want and help some good southern Arizona rescues in the process!  If you either purchase a painting or commision and mention either HEART of Tucson or Equine Encore Foundation, I will give you 10% off and give 10% of the total to the rescue of your choice!  It’s a win win for all, and a way I can use my art to help!  Below is some information about both rescues…

HEART of Tucson is a general horse rescue, saving horses from everything from slaughter to abuse, and providing support for those who struggle to afford to care for their horses in this economy.   If you want to support a program that both helps horses in great need and tries to offer the support and education to prevent problems in the future, donate to HEART!

Equine Encore Foundation provides a peaceful, well cared for retirement home for racehorses.  If your a fan of thoroughbred racing and have always wanted to be sure the horses you watch race are well cared for after their careers, donate to Equine Encore to help support the daily care of these horses who gave so much to entertain us!

Etsy Store

Also, don’t forget to check out my nedw Etsy store, I’ve been gradually adding more work, and will be having prints available soon, as well!  You can see the latest listings on my Store page, but visit AndreenHarrisArt at Etsy to see all the listings!

Quick Exhbition Note

The mustang painting at the bottom of the post below (Natural Beauty) has been accepted into the Horse HeART Art Show March 12-April12 at the Art Attack Gallery in Incline Village, Nevada (near Lake Tahoe) . This is an art show to benefit wild horse preservation efforts.