WHO TURNED OFF THE HEAT?!!!!!

I'm making sure the birds are well fed.

There's Bruno inside, having his hay.

The pond is frozen solid.

The lad is staying warm, with 2 padded blankets, and lots of hay.

I thought I'd try a painting of this, NOT that I like the snow, but the grasses do make an interesting and complex composition.

My favorite tree [yes, I have a favorite tree!] in the park.

Out for a quick walk with the dog. WOW, was it cold!!!


Our weather has suddenly become most un-Vancouver-like.  Out in the countryside, we've had temperatures down to -7C at night, and it feels much colder ... you know, the sort of cold that freezes the inside of your nose. And we've had a fair bit of snow over the past 3 days, about 8 inches. So that means no riding, just stuffing Bruno full of hay, and making sure he has warm water [carried from the house]. If horses do not have potable water, they could develop an impaction in the colon, colic, and possibly die - serious business!
All this means I am also getting on with Buddy's portrait. And I am going through my photo reference to find some flowers with HOT colors! 

I've finished "mapping" the colors of his face, and am starting in with the blacks. As always, all your comments are so very welcome!

The Ballade of Buddy ... or ... Buddy the VI

I really liked the head, especially the eyes and nose.
Pat, Buddy's owner, wanted a background, of which I made a supreme mess, so onto the next rendition. 

I started with the tan on his face, and then went into the shadows of his scarf. 

Got a "bit" too intense too soon ...

A "collage" of the good head on the bad painting, for color reference.

I am here now, working on ANOTHER version. To my eye, it seems to be going well.


The ballade of Buddy Graham continues. Stay tuned if you dare! And please feel free to leave  comments, questions, good jokes ...  I love to hear from you!!!

HEY! ... It's Starting to Look Like an Owl

It sure doesn't look like much when I start!

Still unrecognizable ...

... maybe???

Definitely looking owlish


I used aureolin, quin. siena, quin. burnt orange, quin. violet, indanthrone blue and ultramarine blue [which I have not used for years, as I usually get variations of mud, but I needed a really warm blue to use with orange]
This is as far as I got today, in between running an animal spa/restaurant/fitness centre. I was a bit busy feeding six animals several "home-made"  meals, and exercising Bruno, and  walking and playing with the Boxer Girls. It was a great day. Bruno was a superstar genius; he is picking up the yield-to-the-leg and carry-your-own-front-end so very well! He cracked me up, when he started doing the leg-yielding exercises [from the ground] all by himself. He was so proud of himself today!!! And I apologize to those of you who do not speak "horse-training". If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
And as always, please leave your comments - I love them!!!

Boy Genius

A Eureka Moment ...

Touched up shadows on foreground sheep

Sandy, I lightened shadows on left, and pumped up a few at the centre. I thank you for your input!


As I was coming up from the barn, after feeding the lad,  I caught the toe of my gum-boot, and went flying. It must have jolted some of my little grey cells, because I realized what I have been struggling to figure out for the past few months. Like all artists, I have been trying to find my voice, my style, who I am as a painter. I've been scrambling, trying different techniques and styles. And it hit me ... well, I hit the ground, and then it hit me. I am a perfectionist, always have been, probably always will be. And I love detail and intricacy. Even in riding, I fell into dressage - the systematic training of horse [and rider] to increasingly more refined movement. 
I am happy and content with that revelation. While I will take occasional, temporary diversions from my customary style, and deeply admire the looseness [yes, THAT again] of some painters,  I will be at reasonable peace with my art.

Well ... It's Going to Be Interesting ...

Palette - aureolin, new gamboge, quin. burnt siena, alizarin crimson, phthalo green [y.s.]

Sketch traced onto wc. paper

Wet swath of aureolin with bit of new gamboge

Quin. bt. siena w/w

Thin wash of phthalo blue in flower and bud shadow.
Greens are mixes of aureolin, phthalo green and quin. bt. orange
Not finished

Beautiful Tunis sheep photo, courtesy of Jennifer MacNeil-Taylor
Thank you, Jen! 

Two sketches I did a few days ago.

Palette - aureolin, quin. coral, cobalt blue for sheep coats
                                             - quin. bt. orange, quin. coral and indanthrone blue for darker colors 

Wet wash of cobalt blue, leaving only foreground sheep white

Various warm and cool grey mixes to shape the heads

Same mixes to give texture to the fleece
For more intense colors and shadows, I used indanthrone blue instead of cobalt blue
Finished

LOVE the owl ... too bad I couldn't do a  credible start for a painting

I did a rough sketch directly onto wc. paper, and started playing with some neutral beiges and greys

I got to this point, and saw that my niece at the age of five could do a better owl, so I'll try again.


So far, I have learned HOW tight a painter I am - good or bad, that's me. I hope to be able to loosen up over the next while, playing with these "exercises". I found, painting the sheep, that I did go into more of an intuitive mode at times. Perhaps that's why it turned out alright. Anyway, there is a lot more painting, exploring and learning to be done.
As always, your comments are so very welcome!!!  

THE BIG PUSH

   These are a few of the photos I have selected from my photo library. They all have some element of watercolor painting in which I want to improve. I have about 60 of them, so over the next several months, you will be seeing my efforts. The owl I would like to paint loosely [EEK!!] alla prima. How to interpret the frost on a fallen leaf. Grass in watercolor - I think there have been books written about that difficult watercolor subject. Of course, improving my techniques at interpreting animal hair and fur. And fire - I have never painted a flame before. So it goes ...
   My other push is getting my art seen and purchased. I have been consulting with a career counsellor for the past several months [dental hygiene opportunities in B.C. are non-existent] and we are working on a plan to get my art noticed. Like most artists, I would really rather paint than go out and drum up business, but that is what I must do to make my art viable.
   As always and ever, please leave your comments. They are much appreciated!!!  

A Little Horsing Around ... or ... a Well-Needed Lesson

This is Rhonda, my horse-meister. She is actually a great hunter/jumper rider and trainer. She herself trained with Ian Miller [Captain Canada], of Big Ben fame. Yes, I prefer dressage, but she is such a great trainer, and so darn positive and most considerate of the horse. I really love riding under her tutelage!!!

Bruno and I walking out a bit, to give him a chance to get the saddle comfy before I really tighten the girth.

And we're off! I must say, seeing the photos, he is a big, beautiful lad, and a good mover.

We were taking a big learning step today, working on lateral flexion. It's something he really has not done before to any degree, as he raced, pulling a sulky - NO lateral flexion there, just boot and scoot!

WOW ... looks like he is starting to get it.

Almost done. Looks like I'm asking Rhonda how to keep improving the flexion, and being advised that it's going to feel pretty rough for the next month or so, till Bruno really gets the concept.

That is one soggy and dirty horse. I let him loose after I untacked him, and he very happily went for a good long roll on the ground. I spent the next half hour drying and cleaning him with towels - a nice rub-down after a good work-out!


BOY! Did I need a lesson! Not that Bruno has been "bad"; I don't think he has ever had a bad thought in his life. But, in riding, there is a progression. In dressage, the idea is to improve the horse's thinking and movement, so that you achieve a horse with better balance and muscle tone, a horse that is more graceful, powerful, flexible, fluid and more in tune with the rider. And it is definitely not one-sided; the rider must improve in much the same way. I LOVE it - find it compelling and fascinating! It is such a thrill to build one's sensitivity and communication with such a subtle and noble and elegant creature.
So, this is my other great passion. And if truth be known, if I had to give up one of the two, it wouldn't be riding!!!