A Most Humble Start to "Cidade de Deus"

Dratted blogger keeps placing this painting at the top, and I have tried to place it at the bottom 5 times. Suppose I'll leave it here. This is a painting I did in one of my few art classes,  more than ten years ago. Probably a bit ambitious, but ignorance is truly bliss!
I think it's about the same size as the Rio favela painting-to-be. It is based on a photo I took of my sister, when we were in Venice, again many years ago. I had it framed for Denise, and she likes it, but somehow it never made it to the wall of her home. She always wants to wait till she's finished renovating and decorating and ...  So I most happily have it hanging at my place! :) I love it - one of my favorite paintings.

After getting the sketch organized, I painted a thin glaze of indanthrone blue over the shadowed areas, and left it ... for a long time.

Then I got motivated to do a thin wash of aureolin on the sunlit areas, and once again, left it to sit ...

Finally, today, I have started putting down some local color.

This will definitely need MUCH, MUCH more work.
It is quite large - 21.5 x 13 inches, much bigger than anything I have worked on for a while. But I had done  another large painting in the past, also a city/landscape of my sister in Venice.
So, I guess I'd better get back to work ...

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Some Work on the Latest Rose before I Go Out to PLay Dominatrix with Bruno ...

I left off here ...

I have gradually been adding aureolin and quin. sienna, and a touch of pink to the lower petals ...

... and then quin. sienna and aureolin to the top petals.

Close-up of flower.

I have to leave this for a few days. I'm starting to wonder if I like it or not - not a good sign.  Time to work on the Rio painting, and maybe another one of some geese ...
That's it for the rose for now. Off to play dominatrix with Bruno.
:(

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And YES ... in case you're wondering, all these paintings are available.

My Second Venture with the Rose ... and Bruno ...

I am still bound and determined to capture the essence of this rose ...

... but have decided to go yellow rather than peach in color.
Both of these photos are taken in my friend's back yard. She does love her garden! And I do, too!!!

This is after at least 10 w/w washes of aureolin, phthalo green,  burnt orange and alizarin to get the dark background. Thankfully, the masking cooperated this time - YAY!!!
The shadowed areas of the rose I have painted with a thin glaze of aureolin. The leaves are done w/w with aureolin, phthalo green, quin. gold and burnt orange. I think there's a touch of alizarin and indanthrone here and there, too.

More color on the rose shadows - thin quin. gold.

I have done the shadows again with a brown mixture of quin. gold, alizarin and phthalo green.

I think I am done with the brown. My plan is to go into the shadows again with warm, bright colors - yellows, pinks, oranges ...

As for Bruno, he had 5 days off [he pulled a shoe, I had to go into Vancouver, it was pouring rain ...]
When we finally got together yesterday, he wanted to play a rip-snorting game of "Who's the Boss"! Horses, being herd animals, constantly jockey for higher positions in the wild. The acts can be subtle - a look, a posture - or extreme - an all-out fight-to the-death. One must be vigilant and observant, noticing slight changes of posture and position, shifting of hooves. It's a quite the job, maintaining one's leadership. I really find it so hard to be masterful and disciplined all the time with a horse. I see all of them through the eyes of  Anna Sewell and "Black Beauty". Yesterday, His Nibs tested me the entire time, and I was exhausted, but I saw the exercise through to a good conclusion. Here's hoping today will not be so trying!!!

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What the ??? ... or ... Another Watercolor Mystery

Yesterday, I had been trying to do background washes without masking. It got to be just too awkward. So I let the painting dry, and applied masking to the flower and leaves, let it dry, and started applying washes of orange and green.The above photo is after at least four washes ...

... and this photo is after about ten washes. It really is a beautiful, glowing background. Unfortunately, when I was taking the masking off, I found it to feel like it had been mixed with honey, so sticky and tacky to the touch, and a real stinker to get off the paper. The masking did not come off well, and thin filmy bits remained as well as an overall sticky feel to the paper. I was hoping to be able to do more with the flower and leaves, but this is it. Thankfully, I have another one traced onto paper, and I've started painting the background.
I'm curious - has anyone else had this happen with masking fluid?

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Tempted by a Rose ...

I had done a drawing, sketched it onto watercolor paper, and left it on the board to demo in the watercolor class. The class will not be happening till the Fall, so I decided to work on it now. I couldn't resist!!! It seemed much less overwhelming than the Rio painting. Procrastination strikes again!!!
Here, I have done an all-over aureolin wash, and started the leaves with mixtures of quin. gold, phthalo blue and alizarin crimson.

I've darkened the leaves [too much on that bottom one],  and started on the petals using permanent rose and quin. sienna.

Much more glazing has been done on the petals. I have  done two washes for the background, and it looks like it will need many more.

So far this morning, I have painted another wet-in-wet glaze of quin. sienna over the lower petals , and started adding some shadows there as well with alizarin crimson. I think I'll do an hour or two here, and then tackle Bruno. He is going through a bit of a feisty stage - moving beautifully, listening well - and I have to be super-vigilant and disciplined with myself to keep him in that most excellent space.  In "rider-ese", it is said that you must ride every step! Proving once again, good riding is not about the horse, it's about the rider.

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FINALLY ... Some Work on the Rio Painting-to be ...

I have most of the foreground and mid-ground buildings in place.

Had to find some images as reference for boys playing soccer, and then create some decent sketches. It is quite a complicated drawing, getting all the figures, buildings and background put together in a plausible manner. I did the boys on a separate sheet, then cut them out to see where to place them. Then I traced them onto the main drawing. 

The boys are in place.

I don't think I have ever spent so much time preparing for a watercolor, but I know I need a GOOD drawing first.
I have a bit more to do on the shop-fronts and the lower street level, then I CAN START PAINTING!!!

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Easter with Bruno ... or ... Horse 101

Bruno, in his shed, having a quick munch.

I wonder what we are doing today?

Blanket coming off, fastenings undone from back to front of horse.

Ready for a good grooming.

I use a small, soft brush for his face and ears.

For a great massage and to remove excess hair, I use a round, rubber grooming pad. I go all over his neck and body, carefully over the bony and sensitive spots. You can see it is most effective at removing loose hair. 

Then I go over Bruno with a short-bristle brush, to remove the loosened hair and dander. The metal comb is used to clean the brush, and sometimes for really heavy muddy patches.

I remove his boots to groom the legs and clean the feet. The boots are to protect his front feet - he has a long stride, sometimes over-reaching and hitting his front feet with his hind feet. This causes trauma, and can twist or remove the front shoe.

Tools for cleaning his legs and feet.

Before picking his feet ...

... and after.

Now, we are getting tacked up.

He is wearing a green saddle pad and a sheep's wool pad under the saddle. The saddle pad basically just keeps the saddle a bit cleaner. The woolen pad I use because this saddle was not bought specifically for Bruno. I had it for my last horse, and she was much more round in the back than Bruno. So to make it absolutely comfortable for him, I bought the woolen pad. Saddle fitting is a whole other story ...
This is an English saddle, specifically for dressage.

Here, I have buckled the girth on one side. I gradually tighten it over several minutes. A snug girth is a MUST - I have had a saddle swing around the horse's belly with me in it [not for long].

Here we are - starting to lunge. Lunging is done for several reasons. In Bruno's case, I do it to let him warm up, and for me to see what his frame of mind is that day.

Here he is, at a lovely trot!

After lunging, I take off the side-reins, check the girth to ensure its snugness, and get on.
We had a fantastic ride today!!! I think he liked having his picture taken!!!
You will notice that his mouth is all frothy. That is an indication that the horse is relaxed and comfortable in his work. Also, he has a very soft and gentle look to his eye  - he is a happy boy.

The frothy bit - I use a light French double-linked snaffle. Again, as with saddles, the fitting and use of different bits is a LONG story.

Finally, after the tack [saddle and bridle] are off, Bruno gets LOTS of healthy goodies. Then he is allowed out onto the back lawn for some grass.

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