As the weather in the desert now gives subtle hints of cooling down… eventually… I’m getting back into the swing of things at the easel after a long summer that left me  little time doing what I enjoy the most – painting.  Time was not wasted completely over the hottest months.  When I wasn’t able to paint, I focused on planning a number of pieces to start on when I freed up my time.  So I present to you the start of my fall painting frenzy…

This is a painting of a brave and solid horse used for search and rescue. I found something compelling in this horses quiet dignity and had to express that in paint… this is an as yet untitiled 16 x 20 oil on canvas.

The many equine faces of HEART…

In preparation for the upcoming HeARTist’s for Horses Art Show & Sale October 24 (watch for more information here very soon), I have been doing a series of various sized paintings of the horses of HEART of Tucson, a wonderful horse rescue I volunteer with. 

The first in this batch is a painting of a sweet Morab mare named “Britches”.  Her perfect maturity and the softness in her eyes caught my attention and had to be painted.  This is an 11″ x 14″ oil on canvas.

Upcoming Art Shows…

• On Friday, September 10, my painting “Spa Day” will be included in the HIT’s on the Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition & Auction in Saugerties, New York.
• On October 24 three other artists and myself are hosting a four artist art show to benefit HEART of Tucson.  It will be held in the San Pedro Chapel in Tucson, AZ… watch here for more specifics soon!
• Later in the fall I will have a booth at the St. Phillip’s Outdoor Art Show October 30-31 in Tucson, AZ.
• And next spring, April 8-10 2011, I will have a  booth at the Cattlemen’s Art Show & Sale in Paso Robles, CA.

A Completed Piece!

By late Monday night (way to late for ”yours truly” who has to get up for work at 5:30 am – and yes, I paid for it in the morning but it was all worth it) I was able to get this piece finished and drying without much difficulty. This was a really fun piece with just enough challenges to make it interesting but none that left me struggling hopelessly… ie: I enjoyed it immensely. Sometimes working on a piece that feels this good to paint is needed to get my painting “mojo” back on track, and this one worked like a charm!  This is a 15″ x 30″ oil on canvas, still working on the title.  See below for a peek into the journey from photo to painting – and a couple close up detail images…

From Photo to Painting – an Epic Adventure!

This is the original reference photo I took… “as is” (aside from blurring out some faces out of respect)…
 

This painting is of a handsome paint owned by Rancho Bosque.  I’ve had the great opportunity on more than one occasion to visit this beautiful ranch in Tucson and I never fail to get a ton of great photos (for paintings – truly not a photographer) at this amazing desert oasis.  A personal favorite, I’ve had this photo earmarked for a possible painting reference for almost a year, but I struggled with finding a way to make it work as a painting.  On one hand I had the hitching post that blocked a fair portion of his face and front end to deal with, all part of the bigger problem of a lot of unclear detail that would be tough to ascertain, and finally there was some awkwardness to the overall pose. 

When I revisited it recently, I experimented with some fresh ideas and came up with a simple solution… crop the photo to it’s core element… the body of the horse.  It seemed to work, bringing out the best of this image and minimizing it’s disadvantages… NOW  this piece could finally happen!

Here’s some detail shots of the piece….

I worked on this most of the day yesterday, working my way left to right across the piece as is my routine (explained last post), and while I did get a couple photos during this, only the last one came out. 

I still have to go over the whole piece to refine some areas and build up more color in other areas.  Also, the halter was left fairly simple, there’s more detail work to be done there, but all in all, I hope to finish it today and have a final piece to post tomorrow!  Then to come up with a title… I’ll admit that can be the part I struggle with the most!

It’s been a long summer, not just because of the heat but because with a heavier work schedule I haven’t had the time to do much at my easel.  This week I finally found time to start a new piece, and I thought I’d share the progress of this piece as I work on it. 

I’m painting this directly in oil, and as always have started with the left half for the simple reason that being right handed I tend to rub the surface with the hand holding the brush… any fresh paint to the right of where I’m working is in danger of being smudged.  For that reason I work left to right to protect both the painting and my hand. It’s not as important with acrylics, which dry so fast I can usually avoid making a mess of everything.  After covering the whole canvas I will go over the whole piece when it’s finished and refine certain areas as needed so I’m not really focused on achieving a finished quality at this point. 

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

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!