Dec 15 - The Horse commission and an E-Vite

Quite a change from yesterday's image, and it is so far along that I showed it to the collector for her approval. I still have some more work to do on it, though.

I really enjoyed painting in the fencing behind the horse and will share with you how it was done. The first lines were horizontal, done with white and ultramarine blue. Then the sunlit portions were painted on top of that with just white and a whisper of cadmium orange. The posts were done with that same white/blue mix, and then their sunlit areas were put in with that same white.

Now, even though there is a signature on the work, I will still go in and work on some of the areas before I can truly call it finished. The distant tree needs more limbs, and there are some "issues" that artists have with their work that need resolving before it "reads right" to the originator. Sure was fun to get it to this point though! Can you Boot Camp Graduates tell what time of day it is? (Remember that the time of year also affects your decision!)

On other news, I had one of my bigger paintings accepted into the Saks Gallery Show in Denver, and we've just received the invitations. They are gorgeous! If you are in Denver during this time, please come to the opening and see some truly spectacular art. As you can see from the e-vite, there are some truly outstanding artists represented. I'm honored to be among them!
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Dec 14 - Covering the Canvas, Horse Commission

Now the canvas is 98 percent covered, and the basic idea of the landscape is in place (except for all those white board fences!). The trees have their identities, and I have managed edge control to keep your eye where it needs to go--on the horse first, and then throughout the rest of the landscape.

The source material for this commission consists of two photographs--one of the horse, which doesn't include some portions of his hooves, and one of the distant trees and pastures of the farm. Combining resources is always fun, because it allows an artist (me) to be more creative with the design for a better end result.

Now that the canvas is mostly covered, and the major color choices have been made, I can begin to add related colors to make those areas more visually interesting, and then focus on the details of the horse. Many artists might choose to finish the horse first, but in my book, that makes for really heavy head-work to complete the rest of the canvas. One must then always compare and justify the painting in the background and make a concerted effort to keep it less than the focal point. I find it much easier to make the background interesting, and then heighten the excitement in the focal point (horse) with details and sharper edges.

You can see my entire blog here.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.