Equine Trio ~ three of my recent horse portraits

 Backlit Beauty 6" x 6" oil on panel (SOLD)

 Golden Boy ~ 6" x 6" oil on canvas panel

Black Charger~ 6" x 6" oil on canvas panel

Here's a few of my recent little horse portraits. The top one sold from my Daily Paintworks page last week, I'm happy to report that the middle one is taking part in the Christmas Art Show and sale at the Quesnel Art gallery, along with my "Sunset Cows", and the bottom one is still for sale through Daily Paintworks. Stop by there, it's a steal!

Andrew -- Pencil sketch in my Moleskin

Andrew in my moleskine

I'm taking a break from the grizzly bear painting for a few weeks. I need to not look at it for awhile, so I can see it with fresh eyes. Often putting a painting away for a while, and working on other things, allows me to get some distance from it and make better decisions once I go back. Things seem clearer, mistakes seem more obvious, and sometimes I think that the problems just work themselves out in my subconscious when I just give them some time.  The worst thing I've ever done to any painting is to keep on working when I'm beyond frustrated with it, and believe me, every painting goes through that stage! I've ruined a few paintings with my stubbornness and my dogged determination to finish at all costs. So not good! 

Going back to the plain old pencil, my first love, is like visiting an old friend. No surprises, just comfort. Knowing exactly what to expect...it's nice, and safe. I can work for hours, and my mind wanders and time disappears. It's easier for me than color, no huge decisions to make, nothing that will ruin the picture that can't be fixed without an eraser. 

The wonderful reference photo for this one is from JonathanR on Flickr. You can see it, and more of his beautiful photography, here.
I've also posted about it at my Facebook page, here. Don't forget to LIKE my page if you want to see more up to date work.
Cheers!

Grizzly Bear Wildlife Painting Demo - Day 2

Okay...on to day 2. It doesn't look like I've accomplished a heck of a lot yet...just my hubby snapping pics...Like my studio? Lol! It's my kitchen. It has the best light in the house. I do have a proper "studio" set up downstairs, but I never paint down there. It feels too much like a dungeon.

This is about 2 hours in on day 2. I've layed in a mid-tone color for the water, and added some highlights. I've also done more refining on the bear. Just darkening between the wet clumps and accentuating some of the lights, trying to get that feeling of form instead of flatness...

This is about 4 hours in. So that's about 8 hours of painting so far. I've switched to oils now. I confess...I lost patience with the acrylic paint. I looked at all of that water, and realized just how much work it would be in acrylic, and with a huge sigh of defeat,  I pulled my oil pallet out of the freezer. (Yeah, I store it in there to keep the paints from drying out!) Since my discovery of Liquin, a painting medium which helps flow, and speeds drying time, I've found that I can paint wildlife in oils just as effectively as in acrylics, and I love how easy oils are to blend, and that you have time to work with them while they're still wet. 

So here I've worked the water in the whole right side of the canvas. I started picking out individual waves and highlights, trying to achieve the transparency and movement.

Stay tuned for day 3!

In Progress Wildlife Grizzly Bear Painting

The sketch--I use willow or vine charcoal to lay in the drawing...I fill in all the details because it helps me learn my way around the bear. Even though the drawing will be obliterated, my hand and brain still "remember" those little detail lines. When using reference photos and a large format, I grid the canvas and the photo to make sure I get the proportions right. This canvas is my largest so far, "30 x 40".  

This is about two hours in of painting. I'm blocking in the major lights, darks and mid-tones. I usually start with the darks, then the lights, and middle last. I follow the contours of the bear, imagining his muscle underneath and lay down the strokes in the direction that his fur would fall.

The end of Day 1. This is at about four hours painting, not including drawing the image. I've added the light on his nose and his eyes (my favorite part!) The eyes help me focus on the image and make it more interesting for the long haul. Understand that right now, this is all Block-In...every centimetre of what I've already painted will be painted over again and again...the joys of acrylic, and glazing! But it's necessary. That's what gives you the depth and realism. It's like constructing the bear, hair by hair!

My newest painting...done! Finally:) I've been dreaming a lot of grizzlies lately...I guess they're all people want to see in Bella Coola right now. 
11" x 14" oil on 1 1/2" profile cradled panel.
$600.00. Contact me to purchase.

Old Man Drawing

Old Man Drawing in my sketchbook with coffee, graphite and white chalk

about 4" x 6"

Realistic portraits are my default art. When I'm absentmindedly sketching, it's faces, always faces. Ever since I started drawing, as a child, I drew faces (and horses!)  And when I'm feeling directionless, I always go back to faces. It's what's familiar and meaningful to me. 

A human face...the first thing we see when we open ours eyes in this world. 

A roadmap of a life lived, a personality.  Anger, sadness, love, happiness, wisdom. A human being. 

A Doodle Gone Good ~ The Raven

~The Raven ~ pen and ink, and photoshop

I have to admit, I have been horribly remiss when it comes to painting...sigh...where did my discipline go!?  I've been making jewelry, and inventing recipes for gluten free, sugar free baked goods, and sewing for the local farmer's market, everything else but painting.  The business of summer has turned into the business of fall!  

Also something else is taking up a bit of my time...I confess, I got a job. One where you work for someone else, put in your hours and get a paycheck. It is only part time, because I do still consider myself a full time artist, but I needed the social fix, more so than the money. Being an artist is a lonely occupation. And the stress of depending solely on my art for finances really took away a lot of the pleasure that I used to get from painting. I'm happy to say that this year has actually been wonderful as far as my art goes. Sales every year are getting better and better, I just needed a break so that I could learn how to love it again:) I started a new grizzly bear yesterday, though, so I think I'm back on a roll. I'll post progress pics soon. And I'm hoping to get another "charity" portrait done by next week, too. 

Anyways, this painting came together pretty quickly the other day. I was actually just doodling on a random bit of paper, and my doodle looked pretty good, so I decided to add some ink washes. The kids brought home a raven or crow feather, too, and I had another bit of paper, so I sketched the feather on that piece and added some more ink. I spent the rest of the day scanning it into the computer and trying to come up with a cohesive design in photoshop since it was just two random bits. At first I thought it would look neat with just the feather and the raven, but it looked too empty and disconnected. So I added a verse from Edgar Allen Poe's poem, "The Raven" behind, and it tied it seems to have visually tied it all together.

What do you think?