Thinking Too Much

This affliction isn't limited to art, but it seems I've had a bad case of it recently. Saturday, the first painting just came together, but the next two days, I felt like I was struggling, fighting to get the paint and the surface to cooperate. So how do you plan not to think? I don't know, but that was my goal today. I toned a masonite panel last night (with burnt umber straight out of the tube and mineral spirits) and this morning printed out the photos for the next two days. I still had the image up on the computer monitor because I will often put guide lines to help me with my drawing. Today's subject has an interesting face, so I wanted to be sure his features lined up the way they were supposed to!

After lunch I roughed in a drawing. Then I had a bit of a bump in my so far smooth road to painting on schedule. I had called about an opportunity for a local gallery to take some of my work for a show, and they asked if I could bring something today, as they were hanging this afternoon! One of those things I couldn't say 'no' to! So I scrambled to get a couple of pieces together and headed out. By the time I got back I went out to the barn to bed stalls and get ready to feed, and brought the horses in a bit early so I could get back to the painting!

I expected I'd be posting this at 10 or 11pm, but things went pretty well. When I decided to do this project, this is more the kind of painting I thought I'd be producing - working with looser brushstrokes - so I am happy with the result. I made myself stop, though there are a few things I could still do...but that would be moving away from the looseness thing, so I'm trying to restrain myself.

This horse is Jay, a five-year old gelding. He's the guy that went through the colic surgery last December. He's now in the Long Run program, and will make someone a lovely horse. He was retired due to a minor soundness issue that suggested he wouldn't hold up to the rigors of racing again. In his career he made over $120,000. The painting is 10 x 8 oil on panel, again, with a limited palette of burnt umber, ultramarine blue, cadmium red medium, cadmium lemon, yellow ochre and titanium white.

On the writing front, I've written just over 7,000 words at this point - mostly of pure junk! Oh well, just going with the advice of the NaNoWriMo pep-talkers! You can follow the count on the little graph in the right-hand column of my blog. Just don't ask to read anything!