Time For A Show

 

A few weeks ago I was asked if I'd like to take part in a local show with some fellow FASM members.  Well, that show is this weekend, and yes I'm going to have work there.  It's being held at Crawford's Garden Centre in Milton, and 10% of all sales are going to the Milton District Hospital Foundation. Milton has grown so much in recent years, it's sorely in need of expansion.  Hopefully our little group will be able to help out with lots of sales this weekend!

I'll be hanging a number of pieces at very special prices in order to encourage local sales, so if you're in the neighbourhood, I hope you'll stop by!  There will also be prints and notecards available. The show runs from 9am-9pm Saturday July 5th and 10am-5pm Sunday July 6th.

And This, My Friends, is What We Call 'The Uglies'

If you listen to artists long enough, you're going to hear that term - "The Uglies." It's a stage most paintings go through - a necessary one, most of the time - and one we would just as soon no one saw. I really hadn't intended on showing the latest progress on this one, but hey, sometimes it's good to see more than just the finished work. If it turns out the way I want, you'll see it again. If not, then just don't ask!


In order to balance that piece of panel above masquerading as a painting, I'll post a couple more recent photos. I'd really like to show the whole series, or put together the gif, of what led to this one of Rupert and Leo. Leo was trying to entice Rupert to play, and Rupert kept raising his head just out of reach. He seemed to be making a point about Leo's size. Forgive me for saying that it seemed to go over Leo's head!

And now, Leo at a more serious moment. He doesn't have too many of those! He's such a handsome boy.

The next few days will be busy with horses leaving - mares going to Kentucky, layups heading back to work. After that, it will be time to dive into painting again. I have a show deadline for the end of the month - one for which I'd like to have some new pieces. Time to get cracking!

An Invitation to Dubai!

Just after this past Christmas, I was contacted by a company in Dubai about an art auction and exhibition to take place in conjunction with the 2007 Dubai World Cup. Of the artists contacted, 11 were chosen and commissioned to paint one of the past winners of this prestigious race. My assignment was 1998 winner Silver Charm, one of my favourite racehorses in his day.

The timeline was short -- they wanted the paintings by the end of January! Anyone who knows anything about oil painting knows that in itself is a huge challenge. The other challenge was the size. The paintings needed to be large, and the 30 x 40" canvas I opted for was toward the small end of their suggested sizes. I set to work, and managed to get the painting done. A deadline is a great motivator!

I won't bore you with the ordeal of shipping -- another challenge with the short timeline. The important thing is the Silver Charm painting (and two others they requested for the exhibition) made it safely over to Dubai. The paintings of the World Cup winners were photographed for a limited edition book that would commemorate these past winners.

A couple of weeks ago the Art Connection emailed the North American artists with the news that the Dubai Racing Club was going to be issuing invitations to us to attend the art exhibition and the World Cup! Needless to say, we were all stunned by their generous offer. The best news is we were all able to accept. All of us are also members of the Equine Art Guild so it is quite exciting to have an EAG contingent travelling to Dubai for an art show!

Be sure to check out these other North American artists! Tom Pauly painted Cigar(1996), Rebekah Creech painted Captain Steve(2001), and Ginger Lowry, Almutawakel (1999). The remaining artists are from overseas, and it looks as if we are a truly International group.

Above you'll see the painting -- Silver Charm and Swain battling it out. Naturally we're all hoping for a successful event, but regardless, we're all honoured to be given this wonderful opportunity.

On another note, the latest Equine Art Guild online show, The Artist's Muse, is now live! Don't miss this incredible collection of artwork, and read the stories about the horses that have inspired us. Monster and her mom are there, and in good company!!

Lara Strikes Again!

Well, the results are in for awards at this year's Art Show at the Dog Show. I was fortunate enough to have two pieces accepted this year. One was an oil pastel vignette of a crazy (the best kind!) Border Collie at an agility trial, called, appropriately, Bordering On Insanity. The other was a collection of Brittany pups, all sleeping in a heap. Amongst these pups was Lara, the puppy featured in the painting that went to this same show last year, and went on to win the award for Best Entry Depicting a Brittany.


The Brittany pups I called "Pile o' Britts" and I was very happy to find out that it was awarded the prize for Best Brittany entry this year. So here's to Lara and her littermates! Time to start planning for next year!