The Giant

If I was going to pick the Plate winner this year on looks alone, it would be Eye of the Leopard. He's big and handsome, everything you would expect from a royally-bred Sam-Son runner. He's the one you'd think had 'destiny' stamped all over him. His downfall is he's lightly-raced, and probably just beginning to come into himself. He kind of makes me think of the kid who's gone to a private all-boys school and has just entered the next level of education where he's bumping shoulders with the 'common people.' It could mean he gets his butt kicked tomorrow, or he could prove he is everything he's supposed to be, given that privileged status.

Eye of the Leopard was expected to be favoured for the Plate after his Trial win, but the appearance of Milwaukee Appeal dislodged him to second choice. After painting Ziggy yesterday, I could have written a David and Goliath comparison today. It's not that Ziggy isn't well-bred and good-looking, but he does come in as the 'little guy' longshot next to the big-time outfit and breeding of Eye of the Leopard!

This painting is 8 x 10 oil on panel, and it kind of painted itself, much like Ziggy's painting yesterday. That's the last of the Plate hopefuls I'm going to paint, at least before the race, so we're just about ready for the big day! Post time is 5:30pm and CBC is broadcasting this year, starting at 4:30pm. I will have a post tomorrow, but I'm not guaranteeing a painting! That will depend on whether or not I'm able to get a second one done today, because tomorrow, I'll be kind of busy!

Famous Blue Raincoat...

I seem to have a secondary song title theme going on this month. Wednesday night CBC had a Leonard Cohen special on, and it happened to be raining today, so as I was putting on the girls' "raincoats" this morning I decided I should paint one of them with that title in mind! No horse painting binge would be complete without a painting of Gladys, especially as I already have a photo picked for Monster (though of course I reserve the right to change that!).

So, today's painting is a 5 x 7 oil on masonite panel. The panel was toned with Williamsburg Terra Rosa, and I will never do that again! I toned a couple of panels this way so I think I will be either trying to wipe off or at the very least putting a nice layer of something Old Holland on that one! The Terra Rosa has changed consistency since I bought it - a quality control issue I'm not all that impressed with! It took more effort than I like to get coverage - the surface was too slick. Not a good thing with a daily painting! Guess my relationship with OH is not in jeopardy!

The camera never really does these little paintings justice - for one reason, because they're still wet, so the reflection affects the saturation. I was kind of going for the appeal of complimentary colours here - blue, and orange, and they are very rich in this painting.

To tie in the blogging theme...Gladys has some serious growing up in store! She will be bred this year, and we've been working on her to that end. It's hard to imagine Gladys as a mother, but actually I think she'll be okay. And I'm couting on her giving us a baby with a little more flash than we're used to around here!

Please check my Etsy store if you are interested in purchasing this painting. Thank you so much to the purchaser of yesterday's painting! And yes, it is just the painting, not the horse, though he's looking forward to meeting you!

See you tomorrow!