... Now ... THIS I Like ... or ... Another Go with the Farrier Painting

Same pose, same colors, same Scott and Bruno ...

I like how the tail looks here. I moistened the area, and stroked in thin lines of burnt orange, indanthrone and a mixture of orange, violet and blue [to make a rich black].

I wet the tail again, and stroked in lines of black only. Quite like the look - must remember this for future paintings!

I took this photo with something called AV mode. It's too dark, but it does show the  deeper, more earthy colors of Bruno.
I will not put a background in this painting. I feel what I want to express is solely about the farrier and the horse [and their bums!] If anything, I may put a w/w puddle of different colors around their feet to indicate a ground. Now, back to Voodoo ... I think he would look good in green!

Thank you so much for dropping by!

Just Because I Like Geese and Warm Colors ... Geese-in-progress ...

I thought this was too beautiful a composition to not finish, so I flipped the painting over, and traced the geese onto the back, and started again.

Using the same colors throughout ... hansa yellow, alizarin crimson and indanthrone blue

Removed the masking last night, and did a bit of touching up and detail work this morning ... VOILA! DONE! I really like the hot colors, and the shapes caused by sunlight on their feathers.
Hot Geese
9 x 12.5 in.
Available

Seagull Study
10 x 6.5 in.
Available

I did this quick [for me] study of a seagull earlier this week ...

... and prepared three images for the class on Saturday. I've done the daylily before, but the class liked it a lot, and wanted to try it, so I'll be painting it again. The two landscapes will be excellent practice for flowing w/w washes for the sky and water.

It has finally stopped raining. For a while there, I thought I might have to build an ark for the animals! So I am heading out to play with Bruno - YAY!!!!! And I have an old university chum coming over this afternoon, with her husband, to help me finally set up a web site for my art.

That's life on The Farm today. Thank you so much for dropping by!

I Painted ALLLLL Day ... to Bruno's Relief

I left the monks/geese at this point last night ...

... then today I painted all day, save for breaks to feed beasties, and to vent my frustrations with 2 hours of guerilla weed-whacking in the back yard. When I looked at this in the morning, the background looked too anemic, so I wet the sky and added more color, then when dry, also wet the mountains and forest and ruins in front and added more color again. I did the monks robes both all over wet-in-wet, and with some dry bush detail. And gave them legs and heads - good to have!

This photo and the one above look very different as to background - I think if you can imagine a blending of the two of them, that will be close as far as color and value.
I did more all-over washes of their robes and satchels with quin. sienna, darkened their legs and heads, and now I am undecided. I do like the orange, but am wondering if it gives enough of an impression of their being back-lit by an early morning sunrise? I'd like to keep the focus toward their feet, because for me the painting is about a pilgrimage, and I see that as walking. Would darkening the bodies a lot take away from that idea? Anyway, I'll put this aside for now, and work on the calf ...

Thank you for dropping by! Your comments are always welcome.  

The Cushy Shoes ... Holes and All

These are my favorite, most comfortable shoes. They have seen a lot of wear, and sadly we may have to part soon.

I've had to mask, using Pebeo this time.
I have done one graded wash of aureolin, and two of quin. burnt orange.

Another graded wash of quin. burnt orange and quin. violet.

Yet another - this time orange, violet and indanthrone, with some thicker mixture dropped in for the shadows.

I've done several washes of the orange, violet and indanthrone, and the last two were of violet and indanthrone only, to get really dark.

Now, I am starting on a road map of the shoes. With all the mesh of the shoe material, and the laces, it is quite complicated. I am also trying to come up with a drawing for a narrow street scene - my version of a landscape.

Thank you for dropping by, and your comments are always welcome!

Feeling a Lot like Nero, Playing His Violin While Rome Burned...

I have darkened the greens with a thin glaze of the same violet I am using on the petals.  To bring the eye more to the upper right, I am glazing the petals with a warm [more pink] or cool violet - permanent rose and indanthrone blue. This is another painting I want to mount and varnish, to show at the gallery in Vancouver next month. The allusion to Nero is that I feel it's too much time spent on something this small [6 x 8 inches] and that won't sell.   Yes, I am having a bit of a bad day with regards to my painting. Probably a good time to leave this, and go play with Bruno! 

Closing on the Finish Line ... and Some Farm Stuff, Too

I had to resort to masking fluid. Then I could start work on the central blossom.

I am at this point now - very close!
If you have any questions about colors or techniques [John] please feel free to ask.

This is the start of my vegetable garden. The layer of soil is quite thin and clayey, so it needs some help. I have put down all my old hay, covered it with peat moss, and am now laying on the compost.

My stash of compost ...

My compost producer ... "partner in crime" ...

If you look closely on the lower right, you can see one of the killdeer, who is most upset by my presence in the field. There must be a nest close by.
I am trying to keep myself really busy, so I don't have time to brood.  My aunt's surgery is slated for Monday.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

If a Battle Cannot Be Won, Do Not Fight It - Sun Tzu

I am trying to keep my mind occupied today, so I have been working on these two paintings.
Above, the entire paper, except the focal flower,  was done in a w/w wash of quin. pink

Just hopping around ...

Getting some darks into the background ...

... and a bit more detail in the petals.

This painting got a varied wash of permanent rose.

Then I did the same with indanthrone blue.

Here I've done some work on the grain of the wood, and the glass of the window.

The quote from Sun Tzu explains [sort of] why I am not riding today. It is sunny - gorgeous, but cold and SOOO windy! I would either be blown out of the saddle, or unceremoniously jettisoned from the saddle by you-know-who. This type of weather makes horses very frisky - to put it mildly. So that, plus the more intense level of work to which I am taking him, makes for a much more difficult ride. I think even a pro would have her hands full riding today. So I am choosing my battles. :) This is one I would not win today.

As always, your comments are most welcome!~

If Boots Could Talk ...

I have added some varied shadow colors - playing with a pink-purple, a blue, a violet and a brown - all mixed from the three colors I am using throughout. The colors are quin. burnt orange, alizarin crimson and indanthrone blue.

... just adding more depth of hue and shadowing ...

I have put in some ground shadow. I will also later paint a slight ground-line behind the boots.

Getting into more of the detail work here.  I might even finish it tomorrow.

I'll just have a quick grump here about how poorly watercolor transposes to  camera and computer - GRUMP.
I think I can attribute some of the success with this painting to climbing up from a learning plateau. But some of it is due to my riding. Over the winter, I had allowed myself to let Bruno become spoiled - unwilling to work. This past week of boot-camp lessons has worked like a charm with my riding and my confidence. And the confidence has appeared in other aspects of my life - like painting. Interesting!

As always, your comments are most welcome!   

Progress on Sadie Does the Swamp, and a New Painting ...

I have darkened the water, lifted out for her front end, and am still darkening her fur.

I have placed the beginnings of more background. I showed it to Scott [my farrier] today, when he came to do Bruno's shoeing. He liked it. Me ... I am still not thrilled with her face. 

Started a new one of my faithful paddock boots. I finished a ride a few days ago, came inside, kicked off my boots ... and then took a long look at them. I got my camera, and took a few photos.

I have laid in most of the basic color. Painting around those laces was a lesson in patience! But now that is done, it is easier to see where I'm going.
That's it for the art part of my world. My aunt is still in the hospital - still no decision on a course of action after three and a half weeks. And Bruno and I are doing Boot Camp - it's all good. :)

As always, I love to hear from you!