Sunday, December 18, 2011

Quick Whiteboard Sketches

Napping.
"What are you doing?"
Movie Night-The Black Stallion.
Recently I started doing quick line sketches on a whiteboard to improve my skills at seeing and accurately drawing gestures. I wanted this to be fun and fast paced, so I settled on what I call, "Movie Night". I watch a movie, with the dry erase marker in one hand and an eraser in the other and cover the board with images from the movie as it progresses. One of my "rules" is that I don't pause the movie.
When I did "The Black Stallion", I never thought that Mickey Rooney would end up with a copy of the result, but my friend Pamela Glasner had the opportunity to present him with a copy while working with him on her documentary, Last Will and Embezzlement. It is wonderful to see the expression on his face as he looks at the images captured from the movie.
I also sketched my horses, which has also proved to be great fun.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

"Blaming the Victim" Guest post by Pamela Glasner

In my sophomore year of college, I took a sociology course entitled Blaming The Victim. Exactly as the moniker suggests, the course focused on the propensity of society to take the easy way out and — rather than dedicating the manpower and resources necessary to alleviating a complicated and oftentimes insidious problem, which could very well have included going through the expense and difficulty of prosecuting those who preyed on the weak and vulnerable — instead, it rebuked, blamed, and essentially re-victimized the members of the community whose biggest crime was their reliance on a promise that help would be there if and when it was ever needed.
I attended the classes, completed the required assignments, aced the exams, received a good grade, and congratulated myself on my newfound understanding of social injustice.

Thirty-something years later, all I can say is, I understood nothing!
I found this last summer on my return trip from Florida, where my crew and I had been filming a segment of Last Will and Embezzlement, a documentary film which examines the financial exploitation of the elderly. Though the impetus behind the film was the unspeakable exploitation of my elderly parents by a stranger who managed to insinuate himself into their lives when no-one was noticing, my family’s story is just a minor part of the overall project — because the issue is much, much bigger than just my family. It’s global. Wherever there are humans and money, people who are weak and others who are strong, there will always be snakes and vultures and other creatures of prey, laying in wait for the first opportunity to exhibit the worst humanity has to offer.
While awaiting my flight, I found myself chatting with a fellow traveler and, as I’ve done numerous times before and since, I mentioned the film and the events that sparked its creation. And that’s when it happened. This man, claiming years of law school and courtroom experience, launched into a series of accusatory declarations, berating me — the daughter — for not having done a better job of protecting my parents (as if I haven’t already said that to my mirror a hundred times!).

“There’s no WAY you have a case!” he pontificated. “If you were so damned concerned, lady, where were you five years ago? How come you didn’t put their money in trust?”
The pain of self-recrimination kept me from responding. All I could do was sit there and tell him, “I really don’t want to argue with you.”
In retrospect, there are a lot of things I might have said, first among them being that the operative phrase in his diatribe was their money. Taking away your parents’ rights — and their dignity in the process — is not something lightly done.
And, of course, it didn’t help that this came on the heals of a detective’s refusal to enforce Florida law and arrest the man whose actions are at the foundation of Last Will. She, too, laid the blame every place but where it belonged: “If you’d been closer to your mother, then you’d be the one with her money, not (this man, whose name I will not print).” The fact that my 91-year-old father is still alive and the money should actually be hisnot mine, and certainly not this stranger’s — seems to have escaped this woman completely.
My second retort could have been that my family’s failure to put safeguards in place which might have prevented a theft that none of us, in our wildest dreams, would ever have foreseen, should not negate the perpetrator’s guilt, and my lack of prior planning should not exonerate him. Leaving the keys in one’s car, while careless, is not an open invitation for anyone walking down the street to slide in, drive off, and assume ownership.
But my critic was on a roll. It was my fault, plain and simple.
The elder law expert interviewed for the film, Attorney Ira Wiesner of Sarasota, Florida, made a point of saying it’s a fairly common occurrence for the adult children of elderly victims to blame themselves for their lack of foresight and their inability to prevent these types of crimes or protect their parents. We all face this, don’t we? As the generation before us ages, then becomes frail, our roles reverse, and suddenly we are thrown — untrained and unprepared — into the position of parenting our parents. And though we’ve all heard of instances where embezzlement and exploitation have taken place, it seems unreal and far removed, not something that could ever touch us directly. Not until it does.
The agony of watching my 91-year-old father, my hero, being transformed by the perpetrator from ‘larger than life’ into ‘nothing more than a pawn and a means to an end’, has been worse than what I lived through nearly twenty years ago when I was a cancer patient. At least then I had faith that everything would be okay.
But now, as a victim’s daughter, caught up in the woefully inadequate — indeed, pathetic — excuse for a law enforcement system which simply will not even attempt to make this right, there is no faith. Only loss.
Oh, God still watches over us. My dad’s Alzheimer’s has progressed to the point that he has no knowledge whatever of what’s been done. And I suppose in its own way, that’s a blessing. But it seems to me that after a lifetime of work — after having defended this country on the beaches of Normandy — my dad’s government owes him a bit more than remedy by dementia. It owes him some respect — and some justice.
Pamela S. K. Glasner is a published author, filmmaker, historian, and social advocate. Her website is www.starjackentertainment.com . She can also be found on Facebook.
Copyright by Pamela S. K. Glasner © 2011, All Rights Reserved

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Painting Picasso

Painting Picasso. There is no way to "pose" wild horses, which really puts an edge to the feel and experience of working from life.

"Picasso in the Wind"
SOLD
In July, I traveled to Craig, Colorado to visit the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area. The SWB herd is located on 160,000 acres of public land in northwest Colorado. They share the range with elk, deer and a sheep graze lease during part of the year. There are several bands that make up this herd, and during the course of three days, I was able to observe them. There were family groups that ranged from newborn foals, to long time band Stallions in their twenties. I watched as they protected their young, played and sparred, and witnessed bachelors that were trying to steal some mares for their own band.

As well as taking almost 4000 photos, I had the opportunity to paint three quick oil studies. In addition to the experience of painting the landscape from life, I find painting horses from life to be not only challenging but vital to the life that I put into studio paintings. When painting a landscape from life, we don't need to worry about the landscape moving, (only the sun moving), when painting a human from life, we can pose the model, when painting a domestic horse from life, we can tie them to a hitching post, but painting a wild horse from life has none of those constraints. Somehow, the lack of those constraints symbolizes the freedom inherent in the wild horses. That energy, freedom and life is part of what I put into those studies.

The quick studies and photo reference is what I work from when I get back to the studio. It was a great thrill and honor to be able to paint a well known band stallion, Picasso. He is an immediately recognizable stallion that has touched the hearts and imagination of people around the world that have visited him on the range or on the internet. There was certain symmetry to being able to paint the wild paint horse, Picasso. The study I did of him as well as the two other studies helps me remember the color, value and feel of what it was like out on the Sand Wash Basin. I hope to bring that into the homes of collectors that may never make it out to the Range, but will be able to feel the life, freedom and power of the Wild Horses.
I have been asked about the difference in painting wild and domestic horses from life. Wild horses don't need us and that relationship of dependence is not there. So their focus is not tied to me while painting. I am able to study their interactions without the factor of human influence. There is always a story they share within those relationships, which is profound to watch.
Filmmaker, Ginger Katherns, creator of the documentary series, following “Cloud”, the Stallion in the Pryor Mountains of Montana has years of field experience with the wild horses. She expresses so fully how I feel about the wild horses. “I think that those of us that have seen wild horses-they change you. I think they renew you spiritually. They are a symbol of the Wild West. So they are part of our history and culture.” “And to see them wild speaks to a time long ago when there was total freedom, And I think we identify as Americans with freedom and they renew us, they give us hope.”
Freedom is the essence of wild horses. There is something fundamentally pure and powerful in that. That feeling of being renewed is part of what I want to express I want to visit every HMA I can. Paint every horse until I have said everything there is for me to say, share the most beautiful thing I know in the only way I know how to share it.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Painting a Slice of Western Life-from life

Waiting to get new shoes.

Getting a trim.

The sketch.
A quick shot before I picked up the brush.

Jeremy Cluff, giving a clinic. This was a hard to catch colt that also had a tendency to kick.

This horse was new to the saddle.

Jeremy, taking his time, allowing the horse to get comfortable, gave me time for some quick oil sketches.

This is a glimpse into living with horses and the activity that is still common in rural Arizona. Whatever I'm doing I try to get out and paint it as it is happening. The horses getting trimmed, or watching my trainer work with a new horse, or the behind the scene activity at the rodeo, this is a glimpse of western life in my area.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Visiting and Painting Wild Horses


Painting Picasso, the famous Sand Wash Basin paint.


The vast area that these horses call home, is absolutely beautiful!



Being able to see the way the light effects the coat, and knowing that the horse will move anytime, really forces me to look intently and live completely in the present.


In June of 2009, I was on my way home from a workshop with Cowboy Artist of America, Jim C. Norton, when I first visited wild horses. It was the Onaqui herd located West of the Salt Lake area in Utah. At that time, I had no idea the profound impact they would have on my heart, and the important way they would change my painting.
Seeing wild horses changed me. I felt like I was a voyoueer to something scarred, almost forgotten. Watching them in the vast landscape with all of the power, risk and freedom that is inherent living in nature, not dependent on humans for anything captivated my interest. I have been drawn to seek out opportunities to visit wild horses on public and private land, each time learning something new from the way they interact with each other.
In July, I traveled to Craig, Colorado to visit the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area. The SWB herd is located on 160,000 acres of public land in northwest Colorado. They share the range with elk, deer and a sheep graze lease during part of the year. There are several bands that make up this herd, and during the course of three days, I was able to observe them.
There were family groups that ranged from newborn foals, to long time band Stallions in their twenties. I watched as they protected their young, played and sparred, and those bachelors that were trying to steal some mares for their own band.
As well as taking almost 4000 photos, I had the opportunity to paint three quick oil studies. In addition to the experience of painting the landscape from life, I find painting horses from life to be not only challenging but vital to the life that I put into studio paintings. When painting a landscape from life, we don't need to worry about the landscape moving, (only the sun moving), when painting a human from life, we can pose the model, when painting a domestic horse from life, we can tie them to a hitching post, but painting a wild horse from life has none of those constraints. Somehow, the lack of those constraints symbolizes the freedom inherent in the wild horses. That energy, freedom and life is part of what I put into those studies.
The quick studies and photo reference is what I work from when I get back to the studio. It was a great thrill and honor to be able to paint a well known band stallion, Picasso. He is an immediately recognizable stallion that has touched the hearts and imagination of people around the world that have visited him on the range or on the internet. There was a certain symmetry to being able to paint the wild paint horse, Picasso. The study I did of him as well as the two other studies, help me remember the color, value and feel of what it was like out on the Sand Wash Basin. I hope to bring that into the homes of collectors that may never make it out to the Range, but will be able to feel the life, freedom and power of the Wild Horses.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Painting Adventures

 "Monument Valley"  SOLD
 Painting at Jim Norton's workshop, WY
 Painting "Femur" at the Sand Wash Basin,CO

My trip to Wyoming for Jim Norton's workshop was a travel painting adventure. I stopped along the way to do some small paintings in Monument Valley, Bluff UT, Meeker CO, and of course the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit any of the HMA's and observe wild horses, take it! I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit several of them and I have been thrill every time. Part of the adventure is never knowing what will happen. But in my recent visit to the Sand Wash Basin in Colorado, I was able to observe, photograph and paint wild horses in the vast open space of the West. I had Nancy Roberts as a knowledgeable guide, and the company of photographer Jim Westin. These two added so much to my visit and I was grateful to meet both of them. Thanks to both Nancy and Jim for taking some photos of me while out painting!
The opportunity to learn from Jim was another excellent growth experience. In addition to the workshop, I enjoyed the fellowship of other artist as well as wonderful Dutch oven cooking. I will post more on this adventure as I have time. Since I've been back I have been busy working on commissions and getting back outdoors to paint!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Western Artists of America membership

I am privileged to announce that I am a member of Western Artists of America. This prestigious group of professional artists is dedicated to the genre of cowboy, Indian, pioneer, cattle and horse subjects. It is an honor for me to be part of this talented group of artists that I respect and admire. The annual exhibit at the Pearce Museum in Corsicanna, Texas will be next Spring, and I hope to see collectors and friends at the reception.
As I get ready for my trip to Wyoming, via Colorado, I will be looking for place to paint along the way. I know some of these small paintings will be sources for inspiration for larger works that will be destined for the exhibit. I look forward to sharing my adventure with you!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Wildest Dreams-Painting and Wild Horse Adventure

Salt River Wild Horses, NFS
During the past two years, I have been living my dream. In June of 2009 I was returning home from a workshop with Cowboy Artist, Jim C. Norton when I visited the Onaqui Mustangs. While observing and photographing this herd I was deeply touched, and knew I would paint them. This series, “Among the Mustangs”,displays these iconic symbols as I saw them, thier interaction with each other and the land. This series began a soul-searching quest into each horse's spirit and relationship with the herd, allowing an intimate glimpse at the powerful, yet peaceful existence of wild horses in their natural environment. I began a quest to see as many of them as I could and express their beauty through paint. Some of the paintings from this original series are still available. Several are at the SunDust Gallery in Mesa, and several are on display at the Apache Junction City Office Complex.
This July, I am returning to study with respected artist Jim C. Norton. The intensive workshop, "Learning to See", will focus on painting the horse, landscape and figure from life. Norton describes painting the horse and figure as some of the most complex and challenging this to paint accurately. Therefore learning to paint them from life is one of the best ways to see what is happening with shapes, light and color in the subject.
Fulfilling one of my dreams, I will be stopping in Colorado at the Sand Wash Basin HMA to observe, photograph and paint this popular herd. I will be painting throughout this trip, capturing on canvas the inspiration and beauty. During that trip I will be meeting up with Nancy Roberts who maintains an insightful and informative blog about this herd. If you are on facebook, check out the variety of photos and stories posted about the herd.
"Making a Splash"
$275.00
Through my paintings, I hope you feel as if you have experienced the freedom and beauty of these iconic symbols of the American West.
Living my Dream. Thank you for your support!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Painting Horses from Life


Koda SOLD

Belle
Oil
6x8

$40.00

Zoom and Luke
8x10 Oil study

$75.00
It was a beautiful day, with the temperature near 70, perfect outdoor painting weather. So I grabbed my gear and headed out. Koda is sold, Belle 6x8 is available, Zoom and Luke 8x10 is available. I didn't have much time with Zoom and Luke before they left, so at some point, I will do a painting in the studio based on this and the photo reference I took.
Seeing the subtleties-Small works from life.
I recently began a personal challenge paint the landscape and horse from life on a small scale, with a focus on seeing subtleties and expressing them in a painterly style. These paintings are on Fredrix Canvas pad and are offered for sale at reasonable rates.
These small works will be sold to the first person that contacts me about them. I will rely on email for that information. They will be priced as marked, plus $4.00 shipping.
Email: karenmclain@Qwest.net

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Painting the Landscape and Horse

Seeing the subtleties-Small works from life.
I recently began a personal challenge paint the landscape and horse from life on a small scale, with a focus on seeing subtleties and expressing them in a painterly style. These small works are offered for sale at reasonable rates.
"Sunday Morning String" Oil on Fredrix Canvas pad 6x8
SOLD

I wanted to capture the feel and attitude of the horses standing at the hitching rail with the morning sunlight hitting their coats. Each horse had it's ears, tail and body positioned in a very expressive way.
"Superstition Mountains-West End"
SOLD

The West end of the Superstition Mountains holds an air of mystery with the large spires reaching out. I wanted to catch the cool colors in the morning light.
SOLD
These small works will be sold to the first person that contacts me about them. I will rely on email for that information. They will be priced as marked, plus $4.00 shipping.
Email: karenmclain@Qwest.net