Horses in Art Magazine Article

The Spring issue of Horses in Art magazine features my article, "A Wild Horse Painting Adventure". The article is about my trip last summer to paint wild horses from life at the Sand Wash Basin in Northwest Colorado. It also explains the process I go through when painting. It is an honor for me to be included in this issue and have the opportunity to share my experience with those that love horses and art!
For subscription information, please contact Horses in Art magazine.

Rod Zullo Sculpture workshop at Scottsdale Artists School

Rod Zullo taught a workshop on Sculpting the Horse from Life this week at the Scottsdale Artists School. I had the opportunity to help with taking care of the equine model. The horse (Huck), was generously provided by Papago Riding Stable in Tempe, and he was relaxed and friendly. I was able to assist as the Wrangler last year for the workshop, and was very inspired by the work the students did and Rod's demonstrations and instruction.
Rod's approach to building the armature and starting the sculpture is very quick and easy. This allows for easy changes in the positioning of the armature as the clay is put on. This ability to make adjustments helps in composition and accurate anatomy as well. Careful observation of the horse is essential through out the process. One of the things Rod stressed, is the importance of spending time looking at your subject. It will really pay off with confidence in the sculpture.
This year, I was able to sculpt! This is my first attempt at sculpting and I am now a 3-D convert. I worked on this for two days, and decided to leave not to over work it. I can't wait to work on more!
Rod will be teaching an Animal Sculpting workshop at Scottsdale Artist School Dec. 2012, and another Horse Sculpting Workshop in March 2013. Please call 800-333-5707 to register or for more information.

Painting Workshop with Skip Whitcomb

Last week I attended a outdoor painting workshop with Skip Whitcomb put on by the Scottsdale Artists School. The class was in Tucson and we painted at Catalina State Park,Tohono Chul Park, Sabino Canyon and the Pima Air and Space Museum.
The week long focus was on having a strong design of shapes and value ranges. We also worked on 3, 4, and 5 color pallets to increase color harmony. Every painting was started with doing three value sketches focusing on different composition designs. The first day we worked with just black and white paint to really be mindful of the big shapes. This was not as easy as it may sound, and is something I will continue to work on. Skip really wanted us to get a rich statement of values, and this is so striking in those compositions.
I had a great week, really enjoyed the other members in the class and will continue to work on what I learned for years!