The Budweiser Hitch made an appearance at Country Thunder in Florence, AZ. I did not want to miss an opportunity to paint these incredible, beloved horses. These are the two paintings I did from life of the Budweiser Hitch and their handlers. This was an energetic and thrilling morning. The paintings were completely spontaneous and done from a distance to avoid interfering with the tasks of preparing for their public hitch appearance.
When I arrived, two handlers were each walking four horses around the grounds to allow them exercise. I followed and quickly set my easel up and sketched the gesture as they were returning to the stalls. They had 10 horses on this tour, and 8 were past the point to capture in this pose. I was lucky that another handler took the remaining two for a walk. While they were heading out, I quickly found a place out of the way and set up to paint. When they walked past, I further defined my sketch, then completed the painting from memory. The second painting, "Bath Time", I was afforded a relatively stationary scene. Editing out everything but the essence, the composition tells the story of getting ready for their public appearance.
The quick gesture sketch.
Getting as much information as I can, then working from memory.
The 2016 Wild Horse Painting trip is over and I am back in Arizona. It was a wonderful trip to see herds of horses that I have visited every summer as well as the first herd that I ever saw. The light was stunning and the weather was perfect.
Painting from life is the best way to learn and grow.
Meredith Hudes-Lowder of Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography chronicled the trip with short videos in addition to teaching a workshop and taking amazing photos. During the trip, Meredith played her Harpcile Harp, which was delightful for myself and our friends.
It is always a treat to see Picasso.
At the end of the trip, we drove to Las Vegas for the Star Trek's 50th Anniversary.
During the last six years, I spend time each summer painting different mustang herds. Every year, I strive to visit new herds and learn more as I observe and paint. This summer, as I have done in the past, I am pre-selling paintings that are based on this adventure.
Pre order a 9x12 painting and receive 30% off my standard price.
I will travel to the Sand Wash Basin, McCullough Peaks, and Pryor Mountain, with additional stops at the Great Basin and Cold Creek herds. During this trip, I am meeting Meredith Hudes-Lowder of Equus ferus Wild Horse Photography.We will present a free open photography workshop at Sand Wash Basin July 27, 2016.
Painting at Sand Wash Basin, 2015.
I am leaving in July for the range to paint as many field studies of the horses and landscape as I can. When you pre-order a 9x12 painting based this trip, I will take 30% off my standard pricing.
How it works:
Original 9x12 oil painting $225.00 Quantities limited Pre Order Price: $157.50 plus shipping. Two payments of $78.75 plus shipping. Payment on the first installment needs to be made before I leave, and the second payment is made when I return and you choose your painting. Choice is awarded in the order that you take advantage of the offer. (So make the first payment now!) You will be able to choose your painting in August. If you want to make other arrangements for payment, please email me.
Offer ends July 20th.
Join my e-newsletter and hear about my adventures, sign-up here.
I am thrilled to have five pieces included in the "National Treasures: Art Celebrating the National Park System" show at Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park! These are based on my Artist in Residence at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and Assateague Island National Seashore, sponsored byAssateague Island Alliance (AIA). This is the National Park system's 100th anniversary and it is a pleasure to celebrate the beauty with this exhibit. The show and sale is July 1st-31st. Please call Cultural Arts Center of Estes Park, (970-586-9203), for purchase inquiry.
"Assateague Island Wild Horses" Sold Oil on Gallery wrap 24x36
The horses that call McCullough Peaks their home are stunning. Most are large-boned and range from bay, to black, duns to paints. Last summer, I was struck by the beauty of a stallion as he watched his band. He had a classic mustang appearance and I knew I would paint him.
The horses of Assateague Island were inspiring to watch and paint. During my visit, I was able to photograph and paint in different atmospheric and light conditions.
"Assateague Treasure" Oil 14x18 $500.00
"Beach Run" Oil 24x30 $1,500
"Paint in Moonlight" Oil 9x12 Sold
Please contact me about the availability of these paintings.
My favorite quote from 2014:"Don't be afraid to wipe that off and start over." --Ned Jacob.
Challenging myself and learning are two of my favorite things. This past year I focused on simplifying form and expressing as much as I can clearly and simply. Additionally I continued to work on accurate gesture sketching and studio painting with energy.
"Value Study-The Chase"
"The Chase"
"Stallion and Sage"
"Morning Dust"
"The Stallion Returns"
"Watercolor from life"
"Making Tie-Dye"
"Cityscape 5"
"Cityscape 7"
"Finger drawing on the iPad in Wasabi Paint app"
Approaching painting with inspiration and energy is my continued goal for 2015.
Following the theme of beautiful light of the setting sun, I wanted to express that beauty I see at the river. One of my favorite wild horses was the model for this painting. "Robin" is a stallion that I have enjoyed following for years and I have learned so much from him about the world of wild horse relationships.
While visiting the Pryor Mountains I was blessed to see Cloud's band every day that I was there. Cloud has an amazing presence, combined with the beautiful setting, it made for an extremely moving experience. Watching Encore, Cloud's filly was so much fun. This painting was inspired by her desire to play with a colt one afternoon.
"Let's Play!"
Oil on linen
9x12
Sold
Please enjoy a tour of the four areas I visited and see some of the amazing horses. Cloud and Encore make an appearance!!
There is something that is so inspiring about being able to watch and learn from wild horses. This summer was my first time to do that with the McCullough Peaks herd. These horses tended to mass together in the day as they grazed and napped. Since I was there for several days, I watched them thunder into the waterhole and amble in as well. There was time for a dip in the water after a drink and a good session of play after that.
But one of the more peaceful and beautiful things was watching the band Stallions take up the last position as they headed out for the the evening. Watching for predators and keeping everyone together his strength and watchfulness are what defined him. This painting was inspired by that.
"McCullough Peaks Stallion. As the sun set, he followed his band over the ridge."
Looking for a light weight, easy to use Plein air box? Recycle a broken laptop for the job. When I am in the field, I often carry 100 ounces of water and walk 2-4 miles, so I carry the minimum of supply's. I had made an 8x10 box, but wanted something larger. A friend gave me a broken laptop for the project.
**Please use eye protection and gloves when working on this project.
1. The first step is to remove all the screws, (there are going to be a lot of them), and separate the shell from the components. Save the screws and set the shell aside.
2. I used a Dremmel to cut the extra plastic out of the mouse area, and filed the edges.
3. One of my criteria was for it to be a light as possible, so I removed as much of the plate in the screen area that I could. Cutting and filing again.
4. I like to use glass for my pallet surface, since the bottom is not flat, I found felt washers to rest the glass on. Cork would work well too. I gessoed the bottom of the glass and used clear epoxy to glue it in place. Around the edges I used thin plastic to make more of a complete box for the painting area.
5. At this point I reassembled the box. The sizes I usually paint on are 6x6, 8x10 and 9x12. So I placed my hooks, clips and one hook with a spring in such a way to hold those sizes. Some were held with the screws that held the back plate on, and some were held in place with wire.
You are now ready to take your new box out and paint!
Last May, while I was touring Monero Mustang Sanctuary, we spotted a new foal. It always amazes me how long their legs are! When I started working on this piece, I wanted to express a couple of things. One was the feel of movement in the foals legs, and the other was the relationship of the foal to his mother. I made use of value contrast and brushwork to define both of these concepts.
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