Plein Air Painting-Horses

I met up with the Arizona Plein Air Painters for a paint-out at the Saguaro Lake Ranch. This is a wonderful setting with views of the Salt River, Bulldog Cliffs and of course horses. While other members wondered off to find inspiring landscapes to paint, I set up to paint some of the Saguaro Lake Trail Rides horses.
While painting horses from life, I take the opportunity to focus and get very clear on color, light and conformation. As with painting the landscape from life, the scene changes rapidly. I had the chance to lay in my foundation, before some of these horses were off to work to take guests on trail rides. I was then able to complete them when they returned from a scenic ride into Tonto National Forrest.

Studio Tour Exhibit

The Studio Tour exhibit was a blast. I met so many great folks during the two days and had a wonderful time. It was nice to get such good feedback and to know how much my work is appreciated. The "Wild Pair" was the People's Choice, and it got rave reviews. It was wonderful to share studio space with Andrea Trotter, and I got to enjoy her Photography all weekend. Thanks to all of you who came by!

Mustang Oil Paintings on Exhibit

AMONG THE MUSTANGS

The Onaqui herd of horses roams freely in an area southwest of Salt Lake City surrounded by Utah’s mountains. Encircled by more than 200 wild mustangs, I observed their interaction with each other and with the land. Small groups of horses stood together, some sparred, some slept, and others moved from group to group.

These paintings are a soul-searching quest into each horse's spirit and relationship with the herd. They are an intimate glimpse at the powerful, yet peaceful existence of wild horses in their natural environment. I hope you feel as if you have experienced the freedom of these quiet symbols from our nation’s past.

Note: About 200 of the Onaqui herd were recently rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management. Their fate is uncertain.

Artists of the Superstitions Studio Tour

Saturday and Sunday
November 7th and 8th
9:00 am-4:00pm
2161 East Junction Street
Apache Junction, Arizona 85219

Please plan on joining me for this exhibit of more than twenty oil paintings of the Onaqui herd.

Andrea Trotter will also be displaying her Nature Photography at my studio.

Onaqui Wild Mustang herd

This is a guest post from my friend Gene Praag. Gene graciously acted as my guide to observe and photograph the Onaqui herd last June. This experience touched my heart and became the inspiration for my latest series of paintings, "Among the Mustangs". Please take the time to read Gene's post, and visit his link to see the amazing shots he has gotten of this herd during the past several years.

Update On The Wild Horses!

Today I went to the BLM wild horse and burro center to see the Onaqui herd. I saw a lot of horses I recognized in the wild, they rounded up a total of about 200 horses. This includes the General, the paints, the roans, Praire Roses grays, and my favorite Marv. The BLM has informed me out of the 200 horses only 25 will be returned. All the females will have a two year contraceptive shot and the BLM assured me that in three years there will be 200 horses out there again. The BLM informed me that the horses that they could not capture during the roundup have been scattered approximately within 100 square miles and it will take them 3 months for them to band together again. They also informed me that the amount of horses in this horse management area which consists of 48,000 acres isonly 200 horses. I talked with three different BLM officials and could not a consistent answer of why they were rounded up. They told me the horses that don’t get adopted will be shipped to Oklahoma to live their lives in a beautiful green pasture with flowing rivers. He told me with conviction that a healthy horse in never euthanized. He told me that this is totally against there policy. A policy I am still looking to find! I have taken the time to sign many petitions, contact the local news and sent a letter to the white house and governor's. Please take the time to do the same! On a lighter note as my wife and I were leaving one of the wild horses actually walked up to the fence and let me pet him. It tore my heart out!

This is a picture of one of the numerous corrals the horses are corralled in.

Painting the Landscape and Horse from Life

It is wonderful weather here in Arizona, and that it is cool enough to paint from life. Painting the landscape and horse from life come together in one place at the Mammoth Steakhouse located at the Goldfield Ghost Town. In addition to being a popular tourist attraction, many locals ride out to meet friends and have lunch. Every weekend Lee Alexander is on stage with the best Cowboy Western and new/classic country music. It is a perfect place to settle in and paint the Superstition Mountains, horse, and meet folks, in a friendly atmosphere.
This weekend, I got to paint PJ, a tall line-back dun. As well as Duncan, a striking Spanish Mustang. In addition to meeting these wonderful horses, it is always good to make new friends that are interested in horsemanship. After having a chance to paint some horses, I did a small pallet knife painting of the mountains. I look forward to getting out every weekend and posting here about my adventures.

Getting ready; Exhibit on horses

Anticipation always precedes an exhibit, and this series of paintings has held that feeling and more while working on it. The series, "Among the Mustangs", is a glimpse into the life of a Utah herd that I got to spend some time with last June. Each painting has been a journey in itself. A Soul searching quest into each horse's spirit and relationship with the herd. It is a very intimate look at the powerful, yet peaceful existence of wild horses in their natural environment. The vast openness, quiet beauty, inherent risk and freedom these wild horses symbolize in our history and in our hearts is part of what this series means to me. I hope you enjoy the preview of these paintings in the next few weeks prior to the November 7-8 Exhibit. Please contact me if you have any questions about this series.

Getting Clear; on Seeing, Painting, and Horsemanship

They say that Horsemanship is a "Thinkers" endeavor. I believe that painting is too. It seems that I spend more time in thoughtful consideration of my horsemanship and painting than I do of the actual activity. I find that as I strive to really "see" and "feel" the source of inspiration in my painting subjects, that I have a stronger connection with them. I am working on a series, "Among the Mustangs", for an upcoming show. It is inspired by the time I got to spend with Gene Praag observing one of Utah's Wild Horse herds. One of the aspects I want to share through my paintings is the life and light that I saw in that herd. Spending time remembering the feelings I had while watching the herd, has drawn me closer to the core of what I want to express in this series. Awe of the Beauty, the peace and power, the quiet harmony and inherent risks in nature, are some of those feelings. I hope that you enjoy this series, please contact me for further information about this series, or a specific painting.