... I'm Ready for My Close-up ... or ... the Portrait Is Done, and a Color Study Is in Progress ...

31.5 x 21.5 cm.
A lot of dry-brushing of thin glazes has gone on, and some are so thin even I have trouble seeing them. But I think they have given a beautiful, soft glow to her gentle coloring. When I started this portrait, I had thought to put in a background of various soft greens, suggestive of leaves,  to act as complement to her coloring. But at this point, considering the softness of color and the tightness of the format, I know it is much better as is. This was not a commission, but the parents did ask to see the portrait when I finished. Hopefully, they like it enough to purchase it.

29 x 22 cm.
This one is a study for a commission. When finished, it will be a bit taller and much wider. The reference photo was taken in a covered riding ring. The background in the photo was quite nebulous, and I have chosen to make it even more so. The background will meld into the ground [the footing of the arena], and will be darkest on the far right. Again, I am using my favorite triad of quin. burnt orange, quin. violet and indanthrone blue. I like the color scheme, and the horse/rider image; my only qualm so far is the overall composition, but I'll see how it goes.

Thank you so much for visiting!
Your comments are always welcome.

Short and Sweet - Just the Way We Like It!

My, he is one HANDSOME lad! Nice bum!!!

He has such a gentle and attentive look in his eye here.

I like this shot - shows how I am able to keep the inside rein [in this case, right] looser here - means he is listening nicely.

And this is the time everybody LOVES. Goodies and treats and pats all round.

I had a most pleasant surprise this morning. Just as I was grooming Bruno, my sister, Stephanie arrived. She has a delivery box in the States, just minutes away from here. She had driven down earlier to pick up all the watercolor paper I had ordered, and then came for a visit. She offered to take some photos of the lad and I riding, so ... here we are. :)
GOOD TIMES!!!

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

"... if only you could see what I've seen ..." [Bladerunner]

I am here

I am posting all 3 recent shots  to allow you, hopefully,  to get an idea of the actual colors.  it's frustrating - not only are the thin glazes impossible to pick up on camera, but also the lighting makes getting a realistic photo very hard. That is what inspires the quote - I wish you could see the painting as I do. I think she still needs more depth around the eyes and mouth, and I am undecided whether to put just a hint of her t-shirt [pink, of course] in the painting. I had originally thought to put a soft, light background of yellows and greens, suggestive of leaves, but that would alter the entire color balance of the painting. I realize it sounds like I am obsessing a bit here, but I am out of paper - waiting for a shipment from the States. So I don't have any other painting to work on.

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

There Is No "Easy Way" ... or ... Round 2 with the Portrait

I started this portrait again this morning.

I apologize for the color quality. The oranges - quin. sienna - are not coming through well at all.

This technique, essentially dry-brushing, is very time-consuming, but there is nothing like it to get clean colors, and depth in a very delicate subject. I am far from finished, probably several days or weeks of work, but I really like how it is coming along. The dry-brushing allows you to better maintain the clarity of the sensitive colors. I am glazing with pure colors - started with a thin wash of yellow ocher over everything, and am now using permanent rose, alizarin crimson, quin. sienna, quin. burnt orange and cobalt blue. I read about this technique several years ago. If you would like to see some work by a master of dry-brushing, I highly recommend you google Ottorino de Lucchi - brilliant!

And besides painting, His Imperial Highness is doing well in his training.  I must say, the same goes for training horses as for creating a painting. There are short cuts, but they just do not come to fruition in the end. With horses, "tricks" and short-cuts will take you to a point in the process where the horse is ill, lame, or just completely unwilling to work with you any more. It's sad. I am pleased to see Bruno willingly come in off the field in the morning when he sees me come out, dressed for riding.

Here's Scruffy, almost totally blind, but game to be out there -  playing, walking, and being a barn helper. 

And then there's Maggie - what a character! That's her best friend, Flossy, behind her.

Thank you dropping in to the Farm! Your comments are always welcome. 

A Portrait in Progress ... or ... What Happens When You Cross Chuckie with Pris ...

This is my free-hand drawing - rather pleased with it.

This is Isla, my inspiration. I was visiting one of my sisters a week ago, and her neighbors' children caught my eye. They all have gorgeous, carrot-red hair. So I asked the dad if I could take some photos. He agreed, so here I am, playing with Isla's portrait.

These are the first washes, all done one color at a time. I am using quin. coral, phthalo blue, aureolin and alizarin crimson.

More pure pigment glazing ...

This morning, before heading out to ride, I did a w/w application of a shadow color for the skin, using the same three colors  mentioned earlier. The hair is painted using aureolin and quin. sienna, with a touch of phthalo blue for the shadows. At this stage ... OK ... it's the really UGLY stage. When I look at it, I keep seeing Chuckie, of the horror movie fame, and Pris, from Blade Runner. I love the movie "Blade Runner", but have never watched any of the Chuckie slasher movies. I prefer more subtle movies.

Pris

Chuckie

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

Another Drama Queen Is Done ... and This ... That ... and the Other ...

Yes, it really is finished. I painted this to give to a dentist friend of mine - a sweet, gentle lady who lets me bring my family in to the office twice a year for the recall appointments. She does like dramatic paintings, and she loves purples, so I hope she loves the painting. 

I was here Saturday for a few hours, giving a demo and promoting the art courses offered.   

Sitting beside me for much of the time was Sam. She has a wonderful sense of humor, and we discovered we both love H. P. Lovecraft stories [that's the book she is holding up] and "popular" books on quantum physics and cosmology. Who'd have known??? Quantum physics is so very unbelievably weird and beautiful!

And here I have my painting propped up in an eye-catching position. And it did. I think I recruited 3 people for the course I will teach in September.

Summer is in full swing here, hot and gorgeous! It's hard to stay inside to paint, and I am such a studio painter.
Bruno is going very well, though hard work for both of us. We are working on getting and increasing suppleness through his body. His past life as a pacer did nothing but make him stiff and resistant. I think I will have to spend some time in the evenings working on his neck, giving him a massage. WHAT a life he has!
I think Scruffy has fallen in love with the lad, and thankfully he is very tolerant of her. Today, she followed me into his paddock when I went to feed him dinner. She is almost totally blind, and has never been around horses, and she stood right under his body. He gently lifted a hind leg to nudge her out of that very dangerous position. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. I think I was holding my breath. With any other dog, he would have used that leg and hoof as a most effective weapon, and sent the dog flying. But to be safe, I think old Scruff will have to stay out of his domain.
Maggie is quite the character. She has turned out to be a rug chewer, and a shoe thief. But it hard to be angry with her - she is sensitive and seems to over-react to scolding. Hopefully she will outgrow most of her vices ...

That's about it for now. I thank you for dropping by! And your comments are always welcome. 

Asking Myself "Why" ... Why Do I Tackle Such Complicated Subjects??? Iris Update

Since the past post, I have tweaked the foliage, added a w/w wash of quin. violet to the fall, and started working on the teeny, tiny shadows on the uprights. Right about now, when I am cross-eyed from trying to paint detail, I ask myself WHY I choose complicated subjects. But ... here it is, almost done ...

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