Trying to Turn a Sow's Ear into a Silk Purse

There aren't any steps because I deleted them form  my photo library [in frustration]. I think I am a bit obsessed with trying to interpret the dried hydrangeas. At least, I am learning with each effort. I want to create a looser, almost abstract background, and yet keep the detail and delicacy of the dead flowers. 

This is where I realized it was NOT going to work. So I dragged some dark blue across to see what it would look like - messy and wubbly, but there is an idea coming out of the experiment. Back to the proverbial drawing board for another go!!!

As always, your comments are most welcome! 

Another Wet and Blustery Day in Lala Land

This is Bruno, two days ago, after an earlier ride, and then a blissful roll in the mud. I had spent an hour grooming him before I rode - he is shedding like mad right now. So I gave him a quick brush before I put his blankie on for the night. It's been very wet and blustery for 2 days now, so no riding. I'll have to push myself outside to take him for a walk.

This is one of my favorite paintings by Nil Catalano. We followed each other's work for some time. He was truly an inspiration to me, and I am sure, to many others. I received an email yesterday, telling me of his passing. He will be missed greatly.

I have done a bit more work on Spotty. Just now wondering about putting in a ground - maybe a dry-brush effect, dragged along under his hooves???

Had to share this photo of Tuffy doing his moose imitation. He would do it on cue - hang his head outside his stall, and bob it up and down sideways, with his tongue hanging out. YES, horses do have a sense of humor!!! :) 

I have started another dried hydrangea. The first one was OK, but I'd like to paint another, with more "oomph".

I also have another hen on the board to paint. This, too, I'd like to paint so she really stands out.

I will probably use this breed of chicken as reference for color. It's called a Swedish Flower chicken, because of the varied pattern of its feathers. It is also a "heritage" breed, and has been brought back from a state of almost-extinction. I think it's an extremely attractive bird. I wonder how Bruno would get along with a few chickens???

Other than that, I am happily reading Ken Follet's 2nd book in his "Century" trilogy. Also reading a book on climate change [scary and depressing], Neil Turok's book, "The Universe Within" - a not-too-technical book about scientific discovery over the past tree hundred years, and a fascinating book about uranium - sort of a political, social, economic and environmental history. Yes, my painting habit of working on several at the same time extends to my reading habits. Thank goodness, I have only one horse.

As always, your comments are most welcome! 

SPOTS!!!

This is me - many years ago. I am blissed out, sitting on my first horse-love, Tuffy, aka "Semi-Tuff" or "I Am a Tuff One". Why a registered appy has so many names, I am not sure.  It could be a double registry as an appaloosa and a quarter horse. 

I am using Tuffy's glorious coloring as a reference for the spots on the filly. This is another painting that,  as I work on it, I am smiling. It's just so gosh-darn cute.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

HORSES!

I had left this one for a while. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do with it, nor did I have the courage to work on it, and risk mucking it up. Linda Roth  [blog friend] gave me the impetus to work on it again. She gave me some advice from her reading of R. Schmidt ... darker, more shadow.  

So I have darkened the background in a manner suggestive of falling rain, and I am now darkening the shoulder and neck of the horse, creeping up towards the head. I would like to achieve more than a "picture of a horse". I think I am heading in the right direction. Thank you, Linda!

I have also started another painting of the filly. My thoughts with this are to put together an ebook. So far, I have a lot of photos and no writing, but it will come.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

The Three [Tamworth] Musketeers

I've added more to the foreground grasses ...

... more shadowing to the piglets

I think, other than a bit of tidying up of edges, it's done.
This is where I have taken it, and surprisingly to me [because I did not look at my value study while painting ... uh-oh], it follows the values of the reference photo quite well. This breed of pig is English in origin, and is called Tamworth.  

I am leaving pigs as models for a bit to work on a horse painting.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Pigs and a Chick

Here is Miss S-L Wyandotte, with all the glazing done and the masking off.

I have started to work on her head and feet ...

... and now the details are done [most likely]
I'd like Christine [the purchaser] to take a look before I put the ground shadow in place. 

I am adding more of a red/orange to their coats, and a violet/orange in the shadowed areas.

I've put in the start of a loose background, to give myself an idea of how dark to take the piglets.

Still darkening the pigs, and adding some detail to their faces.

I've been going back in my mind to try to figure out why I have such a strong love of animals. It might partly be my grandmother's doing. She used to put my sister and I to bed by telling us stories she made up, all about the adventures of Momma Pussy, Daddy Pussy and Baby Pussy. I can still hear her voice. And then I remember visits to the zoo in Toronto. As I recall, it had large natural-type enclosures for the animals. My favorite thing to do was to feed the animals pieces of bread and fruit and vegetable through the fencing. I LOVED to watch their excitement at the food,  happily munching away.
That's it for now. It's sunny, the ground is fairly drained, and my big muncher is waiting for some exercise and carrots.

As always, your comments are most welcome!

Dare I Say "Hamming It Up"???

A quick w/w varied wash of aureolin and quin. gold ...

Some quin. burnt orange ...

and now some orange with alizarin crimson.
I'm poking along with this one, scrumbling the shadow colors.

One of my neighbors really liked this painting. It has gone to a good home in Seattle - thank you, Beth!
Christine liked the format and composition, but wanted a chicken, so ...

Masking off, after 5 - 6 graded washes of aureolin and phthalo blue.

Masking back on for the white tips of the feathers. I am using indanthrone blue, and a mixture of that blue plus orange and purple for the black.

This is after 2 w/w applications of the blue and the black. I think it needs 1 or 2 more.
This is what I've been doing all day, as the weather is just foul - pouring rain all day.

As always, your comments are most welcome!