Visits with McNeil's cows



Rekindling the Love of Painting

 

    In true Valentine's Day tradition, I have answered the call of my oil paints after nearly two years of neglect-- and I'm in love again!  It was a bit akward at first, and I had to work up the courage to actually put brush to paper, but the joy of just playing in the brand-new Georgian Oil set was amazing!!

    The pallette was limited to Phthalo Blue, Quin. Red, Lemon Yellow, Burnt Umber and Titanium White.

 Time flew by, and after a day of random sketching on paper, these two are my favorites.

Catfish completed

Here's the final piece--I'm hoping the portrait captures the gentle nature of this horse which makes him perfect for his work at Opening Gaits. He's oustanding among his kind!
In the background you can see Green Briar stables, where Opening Gaits is based.

Progress on 'Catfish'

At this point, I am laying in the foundational layers of graphite and making sure the eye is correct. I will post the finished portrait soon!



Rough for 'Catfish' Drawing

This past week I've been developing some rough drafts for a series of drawings of a Quarter horse named 'Catfish'. He is stabled at Green Briar Stables just outside of Calgary, and is an important part of Opening Gaits, a non-profit therapeutic riding society where I volunteered for a year.

I'll post more drawings as the series progresses!