Warm Ups As Avoidance Behaviour

Study on Raymar archival canvas panel, first attempt, revisited.

I admit it, I started a study the other day, and I have been using it entirely as an avoidance tactic.  Big, detailed paintings are intimidating.  Little studies are easier to tackle.  If they get messed up, it seems to be easier to take.  I started this most recent study on Thursday and sure enough, I messed that up! I did something I very rarely do - I started over, on a completely different surface, abandoning the quick sketch of paint on canvas, for a new quick sketch of paint on linen.  Smaller dimensions, which, apparently, I could handle better than the first, slightly larger attempt.

Today I worked on the smaller study, and got it to the point where I'm pretty sure it's done.  Then I looked at the discarded start.  Another thing I very rarely do, is work from the same photo more than once, but as I'd let the sketch in paint dry, and ghosting isn't something I wanted to contend with, I thought I'd see what I could do with it as is.  I already had the palette set, a very limited one of four colours (and a combination of colours I hadn't used before).  So I played.  And avoided the big painting.  And now I'm writing this blog post, to further avoid the big painting.  It has, at least, made it back on my easel.  Time to pony up and get to it, I guess!  :-D

Study on unstretched linen, second attempt, ready to abandon.

Five Days In February – Days Four and Five!

"Baby Parker" 6 x 4 oil study.

Apparently I forgot to post the last two paintings on the blog!  The last two were both 6 x 4 on Raymar archival cotton canvas panel.  Day Four was a study of Parker (formerly known as Billy) as a foal, looking all sweet and innocent (yeah, right!). Day Five was a portrait of Sheldon, who celebrated his fifth birthday this week.  All five studies are now on my website in the "Studies" section, and for sale, $65.00 each including shipping in North America, until the end of the month.  After that, they'll be going to Equis Art Gallery to replenish the supply of my studies there. They seem to get snapped up there, so if you're thinking about it, don't wait too long!  ;-) 

"Sheldon," 6 x 4 oil study.

Day Three - Works Well Under Pressure

"Rachel" 6 x 4 oil study on Raymar cotton canvas panel.

So, you get in after a busy day of horse care, riding, more horse care, finally getting registration pics done of the now-yearling, a quick trip for caffeine and sugar, followed by a visit to the tack shop to take advantage of a sale to replenish necessary supplies (honestly)....it's 7:30pm.  And you still have a painting to do.

Yes, you contemplate skipping, but the whole point of challenges is to make yourself do things, even when you'd rather just spend a mindless couple of hours before going back out for more horse care, on an increasingly cold February evening. Or, you know, maybe eat dinner.  I had, at least, prepped the panel with a light tone of yellow ochre.  Small isn't necessarily easier, but the panel that was ready was 4 x 6...or, when I settled on my reference, 6 x 4.  I did choose a head-on head study, as I find these easier.  I procrastinated a little longer because, well, this is just what I do.  Picked up a brush.  Started drawing. Then started just pushing paint around to get the form.  After bits and pieces of an hour (because that's how I work - completely ADD)....this little portrait of Rachel happened. 

Again, loose and imperfect. Today I have more time, so I'll most certainly botch it up. ;-)

Sometimes, You Just Have To Give Yourself a Kick In The...

"New Digs With Toys," 5 x 7 oil study.

Facebook.  We love it. Hate it. Love to hate it.  Every so often these "challenges" come along – we've been having some fun with a music challenge, posting different favourite songs, and recently the art challenge has resurfaced.  I did it a couple of weeks ago – but it's inevitable that one will get tagged again to do it.  When that happened, I decided to make my own challenge, to do a painting a day for five days.  Having done several thirty day challenges (see my Thirty Horses, Thirty Days blog for many of them!) I figured I could pull off five, and maybe get myself jump-started back into a better studio routine.

It's amazing how much better I feel about day two's painting than day one.  I'm hoping by Friday I'll be unstoppable!  Haha....please don't let my horses hear that, they may take on a challenge of their own to stop me!  ;-) 

"Leo ('Hey, Good-Looking!')" 6 x 6 oil study on Raymar canvas panel.

Paint. Every. Day.

"Ask," oil on linen study in progress.

June.  Finally we are getting some seasonally appropriate weather.  It’s amazing what that does for the psyche.  After a difficult winter and a tentative spring, it’s looking like just maybe we might have a reasonable summer. I even wore shorts yesterday!

I was tempted to do another Thirty Horses, Thirty Days to jumpstart myself this month. It’s been a while, and I have enjoyed the ones I’ve done in the past.  What holds me back is, well, reality, basically.  For one, getting a painting done every single day with everything that’s going on at the moment would be extremely difficult.  Then there is the fact that I have many small paintings, and I really don’t want to accumulate another 30.  So, what I decided was to commit to painting something each day.  It might be working on one of the larger WIPs, it might be a new study/sketch.  As long as the brushes and paint make contact with some ground or another at least once, that’s the deal.  The other motivation for not doing a Thirty Horses is that I don't want to limit myself to just horses, so we'll see what else I come up with along the way.

Sunday, (June 1^st) I started a small oil on linen study (above).  Yesterday (June 2^nd) time was tight and I was literally picking up a brush at ten to midnight.  I wiped out what I did, because I wasn’t happy, but I’m going to accept that's the way things are going to be some days and just go with it.  Today might be another one of those days, but we'll see.  Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have a few new small paintings, have finished some of the larger WIPs, and maybe even have started some new ones.  Bottom line is, I need to get back into some kind of routine to get past a particularly dry spell. I should be painting almost every day anyway, so this needs to carry into July and beyond!

"Victor," a start that I ended up wipng off.  Perhaps I'll try again today!

 Just.  Paint.

Face Lifts, Everywhere!

"Joy! II" featuring the one and only Jubie.  11 x 14, still available on the Thirty Horses, Thirty Days blog

In the blogosphere, at least!  I decided to update my blog to a new template today - not drastically different, just trying to bring it up to speed to see if that helped with a few little issues I've been having with Google + . Then, because I really liked the look of the dynamic templates here on Blogger, but didn't feel it fit with this particular blog, I updated my Thirty Horses, Thirty Days blog as well, using the dynamic template.  I also added a couple of pages, which is something I haven't done here yet!

The new template for the Thirty Days blog better showcases the paintings I did for the project, especially if viewed in the Flipcard format.  Have a look and let me know what you think!  You can change the format from the drop down menu on the left hand side, under the blog title.  And if you're in the mood for some shopping....a number of the paintings are still available, for very reasonable prices.

Thanks for putting up with me while I slog through these changes!

This one I'm keeping....this is Monster's mom, Sass

An Anniversary, of Sorts!

I'd originally planned to do this painting this past Wednesday, but I got a little confused.  You see, I shared the reference with a group of very special artist friends, for our own little pARTy.  Fellow pARTy conspirator, Kim Santini, is going to post all the images together, and had set a deadline for next week, so I had it in my head that I would do it next week.  Anyway, a couple of our 'members' have done their paintings and posted them, so that inspired me to get it done today!  I was careful not to look at what they had done, as I didn't want to be influenced at all.

This is my buddy Hugo - the two-month old colt who a week ago reared up and clocked me in the nose, breaking said nose.  So, happy one-week anniversary, dear Hugo!  To celebrate (still being here to paint, haha), this is an 8 x 10 oil on canvas.  I was tempted to use some nice, bright red, but as you can see, I refrained! 

Keep Your Eye on the Ball!

Okay, this painting is not finished.  I decided to be okay with that, rather than rush it, because I think it has potential.  Trying to get it done tonight would most likely lead to me completely messing it up.  Today didn't exactly go as planned, so I actually didn't start working till around 5pm, and this composition was just a bit too involved to whip off quickly!

This is 9 x 12 oil on canvas, and my model is the other yearling, Stevie (Steve McQueen!) playing a newly developed sport, widgetball!  Of the three boys, he showed a particular aptitude for it.  I will continue to work on this one, and post the completed piece!

Somebody's Watching You!

Today was a busy day.  I've had a break from doing stalls lately, as my barn helper started back last week, but she needed to get her car fixed today, so wasn't able to come.  Twine was ready to be bred, so I had to get her all prettied up and put her and her colt on a van to Aurora.  I'm also dog-sitting a friend's dog today.  I decided to work with a different reference for today's painting than I had initially planned, instead going with a simpler option, something that hopefully wouldn't take too long to complete!

Sooooooo......I give you Sheldon!  Sheldon is Twine's yearling colt by Einstein.  This painting is 6 x 8 oil on canvas.  There's quite a bit of glare coming off the still-wet surface, so my apologies for that!  Also, I think my photo is a bit crooked!  The fence rail  is closer to horizontal! 

Paint Now, Think Later!

A little bit of information I didn't disclose yesterday - I got a pretty serious club in the face by one of the foals (the oldest) on Saturday, enough to break my nose.  I don't think my nose really hurts as much as a broken nose should, but my head and neck have been aching rather consistently since.  Yes, I went to the hospital and got checked out, so don't be too worried!  What I have been doing is blaming every little brain blip since then on the incident!  Tonight I was hoping it would help me not overthink this little painting, because I was certainly doing that last night with the one of Brigitte.

Other than the sketch (directly on the panel), which came together quite quickly (10-15 mins) I probably completed this 5 x 7 oil on masonite in just under an hour.  I'm pretty pleased, all things considered.  This is Twine's colt, who is the only one who didn't seem to have a name right from the get-go.  I was calling him "Zip" or "Zippy" for a while, because he has some pretty funky cowlicks on his neck that make it look like you could zip him out of his fuzzy little coat.  But yesterday, he came up to me with his lower lip sticking out, one of his little quirks, and I thought maybe he should be Elvis.  What do you think? 

Again, I used a very simple palette for this one.  Burnt umber, Cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre and titanium white.  This is now the second painting I've done of this little guy.  Below is the first one, about 8 x 10 oil on linen, of one of his leaps in the air!

Reassessing

If you are a regular visitor to this blog and have been checking up on me, I'm sure you've noticed there has been no new baby girl painting since week twenty-four. The filly herself is alive and well, so no worries there, but I'm admitting I have reassessed my decision to do this project for a year. The last painting marked the six-month point, and I've decided not to continue, because believe it or not, doing a daily painting once a week, for me, is much tougher than doing one every day like I've done with my Thirty Horses Thirty Days projects. I've found it doesn't have the same benefit, artistically, and I haven't been happy with the paintings themselves. I've been fortunate enough to have sold a number of my larger paintings in the last few months, so I'm finding myself in an inventory deficit in that department! This winter I need to do something about that! Never fear, there will be more Baby Girl paintings, and definitely photos. The one above was taken yesterday, when the sun decided to shine! She is very fuzzy and sweet right now.

I think we may have finally decided on a barn name for the little girl. While "Jelly Bean" was contemplated (her mom's nickname, Jubie, is shortened from JubeJube!) and in her tough-girl stage I thought about Zena, Warrior Princess :-D , I think it will be "Polly." That actually came about when she first had to walk across mud and wasn't too impressed with it - I told her it was okay, she would be running at Woodbine and it's Polytrack! I think Polly is a pretty cute name though. They may very well end up calling her Jelly Bean at the track though. Mom's reputation precedes her!

Tomorrow is closing day at Woodbine, and we're holding our breath and hoping good things for the final start of the season for the first UnStable homebred, Peaker. C'mon Peaks! After that the gang will go on holidays for a couple of months. Here on the farm, we'll be counting the days till foaling season. First mare is due in early February, so it's not far away. In the meantime, I have a Christmas commission on the easel, and half a dozen WIPs in the wings. One of my favourite comments? Sleep is over-rated!

In the meantime, if you are looking for any holiday gifts, be sure to check out my Etsy store for some ideas, or visit my online gallery, Red Willow Gallery. And, if you haven't seen it already, I have some of my daily paintings for sale on my Facebook page for very special prices. Tomorrow, December 5, is the last day.

Okay - back to work!

Week Twenty-Four: Kinda Sweet

Late again - bet that's not a shock! This week's filly painting is 4 x 6 oil on Raymar cotton canvas panel. I used only three colours: burnt umber, gold ochre, and titanium white. Just a quick little head study of our girl. She can be quite the little sweetheart right now, but when turned out she reverts to her well-known wild woman status! Where does a baby learn to rear like that? It's the most impressive part of her freestyle repertoire!

Week Twenty-Two: Who Said Life Was Fair?

Yes that's right, it's not even Wednesday yet! Here's the painting I meant to do for last Wednesday. This is the hairy eyeball Baby Girl gave me when I took her momma away from her! She was not a happy camper, to say the least, to graduate to weanling status.

This painting is 4 x 6 oil on Raymar cotton canvas panel.

Week Twenty-Three (Yes, this is out of order!)

Better late again this week, though technically this one is early (and week twenty-two is very late!). A few weeks ago, Gracie was my excuse for lateness when she injured her eye and required a couple of vet visits and treatment; last week she managed to cut the back of her pastern somewhat significantly and the vet was out to visit her again! Either she was missing the vet, or perhaps the Baby Girl is hogging the limelight these days. Rest assured, Gracie, you have my attention! So this week's painting feature's Gracie in her official capacity as babysitter/weaning buddy, a job she is not fulfilling at the moment because she has to stay in her stall for a few days with her injury!

This painting is 8 x 10 oil on panel, prepped with Gamblin's oil ground. I admit I sketched the horses quickly over the weekend, hoping I'd get some time to do this, but didn't manage that till today. The colour work took about an hour. I tried not to think too much or obsess over the inaccuracy of my sketch! Just a little early fall morning scene.

All right....let's see if I can get *last* Wednesday's assignment done *this* Wednesday!

Week Twenty-One: Weedeater

Better late than....well, you know. I dashed this one off very quickly! Wednesday is coming around yet again and I really wanted to get this done before then. This is 6 x 8 oil on Raymar cotton canvas panel. Just a little nibble at the remaining bit of grass in the paddock, and the odd sampling of weeds!

Week Twenty: Last Call!

I've actually had to put off Baby Girl's weaning because her weaning buddy-to-be, Gracie, has had a bit of an issue with one of her eyes that has required a couple of vet visits. Until I'm satisfied Gracie's eye is right - and I don't have to pull her out of the pasture for such vet visits - Baby Girl gets to stay with Jubie. Each time I see her nurse, however, I think, "Enjoy it while it lasts, Baby Girl!"

This is 11 x 14 oil on canvas.

Twofer!

You were all very kind to me, overlooking my letting last week’s Baby Girl painting slip in my Studio Tour prep stress! To make up for it, I did two paintings today.


The first, featuring our girl at just over 17 weeks, is 4 x 6 oil on Raymar cotton canvas panel. The reference photo was taken that first day she was out with Aunt Gracie, so that’s who she’s eyeballing!


The second is 7 x 6 oil on unstretched linen. Last Friday, I took advantage of a couple of visitors to snap the filly’s registration photos. It was a rather death-defying feat, as she put on a show for us, demonstrating her repertoire! Once she settled I snapped the photos so fast that I neglected to make sure that on the side views, she was standing with all legs visible. Somehow I managed that on the head-on and rear photos, as notoriously those are harder to capture, but I’m going to have to re-take those side ones! Ah well…Here you have her head shot, though I will be submitting an earlier one for the Jockey Club’s records, as she’s sporting a kind of scarred hairless look at the moment. I wanted to paint this though, because it just screamed TEENAGER! At me! She is just over eighteen weeks here.

Both these were done with a very limited palette of Red Umber, Yellow Ochre, Vasari Adobe, Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White.

Week Sixteen - Wheeee!

At sixteen weeks, Baby Girl is looking quite grown-up. Her foal coat is just about gone, with just a bit of light hair remaining on her legs - such that I can't do her official registration photos yet, because she has some rather ambiguous markings on her left hind. I want to get them done before she starts to get fuzzy for winter!

This past weekend's show at the Schomberg Village Street Gallery was a success. The weather cooperated, and lots of people were out. In a week and a half it will be time for the Milton Area Studio Tour, so I'll be busy getting ready in the upcoming days!

Week Fifteen: Itch

This *is* from a different photo than last week, believe it or not! I'd started painting it before I clued in how similar it was...oh well! It's been a weird week, full of minor irritations, so I haven't spent much time in the studio!

The painting is 6 x 6 oil on canvas. Today the filly is sixteen weeks old - four months! Where does the time go? Time for her first vaccinations!

This weekend I'm taking part in the Schomberg Village Street Gallery - if you're in the area, or out for a drive, come by and say hello. There will be a great selection of artists - something for everyone!

Ten Weeks: Bugged

Baby Girl was not very impressed with me when I took off her mask last week in order to get some photos. I think her look says it all - this is *not* acceptable for The Princess! This week's painting is 6 x 6 oil on canvas.

She's in for another rude awakening - today the *original* princess came back from the track for some R&R. That would be Gracie, of course! Gracie left a week after the new filly was born, and I do admit having the new foal to dote over helped me deal with my separation anxiety for Gracie. Miss Grace will get the rest of the year off to grow - she is such a big, tall filly, and still growing. It was good for her to get into Woodbine and see the sights, but physically she still needs some time. Of course it's anyone's guess whether she'll actually make it to the races. Such is the game! I'm happy to have her home.