creep ... creep ...

I think I left the gray here ...

It's just a slow, fussy process of adding depth and detail using wet-in-wet technique.

While darkening the right side edges, I decided to add some drizzles of gray on the left to suggest rain falling.

I am at this point now, carefully putting in shadows and other details  in the head area.  I must admit I like the soft grays.

The babe was done, but lacked ground and depth.

I decided to do a very soft w/w wash around her head. I did not  want to get heavy, using dark shadows. To me, that would lose the freshness and lightness of her youth, innocence and fragility.

As ever, your comments are most welcome. 

Still Slow and Steady ...

I am oh-so-slowly deepening the grays.

Still more, and I have started some detail around the eye. To soften the body and neck,  and bring more of the focus to the eye area, I am working the grays from the body into the background. Hopefully this will lose some of the hard edges there. I must admit, I am fascinated with using the different colors of gray in this way.

I have also started a small head study of the filly.


As always, your comments are most welcome!

Progress Slow but Steady ...

I've done an initial thin wash of quin. burnt orange for warmth.

Here, I have done another thin wash, this time of quin. red. You might also barely be able to see that I have started the shadows on the horse.

This photo was taken outside in bright sun. YES, we have SUN today. I have played with some cobalt blue in the background, and am slowly working on the horse. I am trying to avoid getting into a very dark background, as I did with the last gray I painted. I would like to somehow achieve a strong focus on the eye and upper head, but we shall see ...
I am done with painting for the morning. Now it's off to Bruno-land, to clean up his paddock, and go for a short ride!

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Horsing Around ...

This is a sketch of Misty, whose portrait I painted last year. I found another photo, this one from a fascinating angle. I have it on my watercolor board, and can HARDLY WAIT!!!

A sketch from another photo I found today on my trainer's site. I think it's a filly out of one of Rhonda's mares. Her name is Tega, and she is so adorable. Yup, it's another one I can hardly wait to paint.

Bruno and I have had 4 great rides this week, after my not being on him for about a month. He has even thrown me a few moves that would have usually got me at least part-way out of the saddle. But I seem to be more balanced, just "there" deeper in the saddle, and I can quietly sit through his misdemeanors, and then quietly correct him. I think the month of being ill gave me a needed break, and a chance to become somewhat more focussed in both my riding and my painting. I hope so!

As always, your comments are most welcome. 

Subtlety

I started the dried hydrangeas again, trying to evoke more of a subdued, wintery,  even stark look.

I am using only aureolin, quin. pink, cobalt blue and indanthrone blue.

I quite like the effect. What do you feel about this painting?

Bruno and I are having great times riding again. He even threw me a few horsey curve balls yesterday,  and I just stayed quiet, balanced, and corrected him. It is SO GOOD to be riding again!!!

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Cold Feet!

I am calling this "Cold Feet", because they look like they are tip-toeing  on the snow to avoid the cold. I sympathize with that, almost always having cold feet myself. I thought of putting a bit of dry-brush dark here and there to suggest dry grass poking through the snow, but I'm not sure it would add anything to the painting.
Thank you again to Gary Jones for the photo!

I have also started another dried hydrangea. I must be fascinated with  their fragility and mutes beauty.

I am not sure where this one is going, but I am smiling as I work on it!

As always, your comments are so welcome!

Before I Get Back in the Saddle ...

This reference photo of a pair of greylag geese was generously offered by Gary Jones. I'm sure most of you read Sharon Whitley's wonderful art and hiking blog.  Gary is Sharon's husband. This is her challenge for February.

This was a quickie, to see how difficult it would be to maintain the whites without masking. I didn't think I could maintain the wetness I needed for the entire goose, so I used masking.

I am trying to create the impression of grasses in the snow behind the geese for the background. The colors I am using are aureolin, alizarin crimson and indanthrone blue. I am using the same colors for the geese, with a bit of quin. sienna for the bills and feet.  

Here are both geese with masking.

Local color laid in for both geese. I have darkened the grasses, too, to give an overall pattern and cohesion to the painting.

At this stage, I am darkening the geese, and adding details, and touching up where necessary.

FINALLY, after a month, I feel like painting. That pneumonia really took the wind out of my sails.  I am even going to try a short ride today!!! YAY!!!

Your comments are always welcome!