Bruce Greene workshop

Kenny, our Cowboy model.

The quick12x16 oil sketch of Kenny.

This past week was packed with intensity. The Bruce Greene workshop was full of painting, lecture and demos. Our class of 11 students, was a very talented group, yet I could see improvement in each one as Bruce pressed us to be the very best artist we could be. Working from live models, we had time to warm up with gesture sketches and follow that with quick oil paintings. Although we planned to use Adobe as our Equine Model, we got rained out that day.
In addition to improving our painting skill, Bruce really challenged each of us to pursue our own professional development at a more focused level. This involved three areas. One was to clearly define our goal. Two was to practice basic skills and develop new ones. Three was to be aware of our state-of-mind. As artists, being mindful of what it will takes to daily focus on our art and make a determined effort to keep focus despite alluring distractions or inconveniences is no small task. How do you stay focused and keep your spirit ready to create?

Up coming workshop with Bruce Greene

The week of April 19th I will be attending a Workshop with Cowboy Artist Bruce Greene. This is a juried workshop offered by Scottsdale Artist School, and promises to be a great time for learning. This week, the SAS is hosting several of the Cowboy Artists as instructors. Harley Brown, John Coleman, Mehl Lawson, Oreland Joe and R.S. Riddick will also be teaching workshops. The week will really start on Sunday with a Reception for CAA Instructors, SAS Board members and registered CAA students. It will be a great opportunity to meet these artists that I admire.
The workshop with Bruce will involve painting both horse and human models. I am pleased to be the host for the Equine Model. Bruce's top pick is my Palomino Quarter horse, Adobe. I have spent the last couple of weeks getting him used to umbrellas, being tied up, and being closely scrutinized. (For a horse that had surgery/chemo on his nose, sometimes he isn't too sure about that). I'm sure when he realizes that everyone want to portray him in all his beauty, he will quickly get used to the paparazzi!

Vibrant growth and new challenges

I made a commitment to improve my blog and make it inviting and easy to read. So I signed up for the Blog Triage class with Cynthia Morris and Alyson Stanfield. I will be posting my assignments here, so feel free to comment or make suggestions.
I would like to extend an invitation to artists, horse lovers and collectors to stick your head in and say "Hi", and to re-post to this to friends in your network. I write about my Studio and Plein air adventures to share my art world with you. But, in addition to that, I like to make the very personal connection to how I see painting and horsemanship as they reflect each other in my world. I would also like to make this a place that is interesting and inspiring for readers. So some of my future posts will be guest posts that I find inspiring and want to pass along to you as well. The inspiration for my artwork is, "The Heart of the Horse", please join me on my journey!