Monday, June 29, 2009

The painting adventure





Last week I went to Wyoming to attend a workshop with Cowboy Artist, Jim Norton. I took a couple of days getting there and painted at the Horseshoe Bend overlook while I was in Page, AZ. I took a detour to see Bryce Canyon, but didn't paint because of the rain. The workshop focused on really seeing color and value changes, not only in our horse models, but in the landscape as well. We spent a great deal of time focusing on anatomy of the horse and the interaction of light and shadow. I had the opportunity to paint the horse with and without a saddle, and one with a pack on. During one exercise, Jim limited us to one brush stroke per minute! I had the chance to paint the beautiful Wyoming landscape as well. One afternoon, we got to photograph Andrew Goudy, Jim's long time painting model. He was also our cook for the week. I think I gained 10 pounds, Adobe is going to think we're riding double!

On my way home, I met up with Utah photographer Gene Praag. He is truly an inspiring photographer, and has powerfully captured the life of Wild Horses. Standing in the midst of this herd, and quietly watching their interaction, was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had! My sincere thanks to Gene and Valerie Praag for their hospitality. Please visit his site for a glimpse into the life of these Wild Horses.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Horses are such wonderful creatures.

StephenieRenee said...

To call this an adventure is an understatement....you spent a week studying what you love to do, spent time with a fantastic photographer and I can only imagine the awe you must have experienced with the wild horses.

Karen McLain said...

It was a life changing week, I will never look at horses or anything around me in the same way!

Lori Skoog said...

You don't mess around when it comes to painting horses. All your efforts pay off. Nice trip....and thanks for visiting my Journal.

Candy Barr said...

WOW Karen, what a great workshop and experience. Can we see some more paintings or photos from that week? And what happened to painting under umbrellas!#@1 ..check out my 2 weeks in WET Maine... I had no choice.

Jack said...

Speaking of life changing events, for even more inspiration, I invite you to check out this short video -- ahamoment.com/pg/moments/view/4842 -- which tells the story of one fellow horse lover and painter who united her two passions after a life-changing "aha moment." I hope you enjoy it, as well as the rest of the site, which was created by Mutual of Omaha to highlight inspirational stories, good works, and "aha moments" of all kinds. Perhaps you'll even be inspired to share your own story. That would be great.

All the best,
jack@ahamoment.com