What's The Formula?

The thing about my daily painting stint is, there are a lot of variables. I had a fellow artist ask me the other day which surface I preferred to paint on. On that particular day I said masonite (a.k.a. panel or board). Then today I was painting on Raymar canvas panel - which a week ago had lost favour with me - and at the moment it's my absolute favourite ground, because today's painting just fell off the brushes. I'm fickle, am I not? But do you think tomorrow I'll be able to recreate today's success? Doubtful!

I realize such things are probably in the artist's mind - I stated in response to a comment on the Thirty Horses blog that we artists are our own worst enemies, something that is not a newsflash! Some of us probably learn to deal with criticism because we know we're harder on ourselves than anyone. And I'm not sure it's wrong to be that way, as an artist. If we were always satisfied with our work, we wouldn't bother to try to improve, would we? With every painting we hope we get closer to where we want to be as an artist, and maybe every tenth painting, I know I might feel as if I've actually achieved a tiny step in the right direction. Tonight is one of those times. I'll enjoy that feeling while it lasts, because inevitably it doesn't last long!

You can see how the above painting turned out on the Thirty Horses, Thirty Days blog.

The Birthday Boy

It was a year ago Tuesday that Leo was born - hard to believe that tiny, sleek baby is the same horse as the fuzzy young man out in my paddock today! On Monday I was over at a nearby farm to take some photos of some of this year's babies, and one always forgets just how tiny they are in those early days. Leo and Spider look small to me because the two-year-old Gracie is so tall and leggy...but they're nothing like the new little ones!

I've been working on commissions and larger paintings this week, so I thought today I was due a smaller, looser one. I was flipping through some of the reference photos I've got printed out, and came across this one of Leo when he was still tiny! This painting is 8 x 6 oil on shellacked masonite.


And now a couple of photos of Leo as he is today - one of him hamming it up, and another of him playing 'fighting stallions' with his buddy. These two have a long way to go before they can match the prowess of those that have battled before in these paddocks! And interestingly, the most noteworthy may very well have been a mare. Rest assured Gladzilla will never be forgotten around here.

Six Months Till Saratoga!

It's not really that unusal for me to be thinking of Saratoga this time of year. Let's face it, anything that distracts from the Canadian winter is a good thing. I think this time last year I was working on another painting taken from photos I shot on this same trip. Today I sat (and alternatingly stood) in front of Medaglia D'Oro again.

First thing I have to say about this painting is, I'm loving the Artfix linen. I've had my struggles with this surface in the past, but I think adhering it to masonite is making a big difference for me. I'll certainly be preparing more of these linen panels. It was so simple, now I'm wondering why it took me so long to try. I really didn't expect it to work as well, and as easily, as it did. This one is just 8 x 10, so I'll have to look at trying some larger panels.


Today I started with the horse, working up some of the shape with Burnt Umber a bit so he was reasonably established before I started blocking in some colour. I started loosely with the background, blocked in the groom, and then worked up the horse a bit further. I stopped where you see it in the second progress image. While I probably could have worked on it a little more, I was just feeling like I'd like to let it dry a bit before continuing. Because the horse is a little further along than some of the other elements, I'd like to bring some of the rest of it up to speed and that will go a lot better when things are dry.

The weather hinted kindly of spring today - though rain is predicted for tomorrow. It's almost March - the end to winter is in sight!

Comeback

Okay, I feel a lot better about today's painting than I did yesterday's, though to be fair I put a lot more time into it, starting much earlier. I've been looking forward to working from this photo, so I went back to a 10 x 8 masonite panel. After working smaller, that made things easier as well. So this is Mike Fox in the post parade before winning the '07 Queen's Plate. It was nice to do him with the sun hitting him - in the previous painting I did of him, on his way to victory, he's more in shadow so I didn't get to play with colours quite the way I did here. I still used the limited palette, however.

I forgot to mention one very important thing about yesterday's painting - I didn't have a panel prepared that was the appropriate size, so despite my complete dislike for working on a white ground, that's what I did. Can you tell? I sure could, and that contributed to my struggle - as if I wasn't having enough trouble!

How Can You Not Smile?

I've been looking forward to today's painting since I decided to do this project. I knew which photo I wanted to do of Gracie. I even posted the photo here. So here we have Twine's daughter Grace, a Thoroughbred weanling from the last, very small crop of Cats At Home.

I was laughing for much of the time I was working on this painting. The bottom line is, I adore little Gracie. She has oozed personality from day one, and I have to admit, she's been indulged! The other foal born this year, Billy, was very shy and took a while to come out of his shell, but Gracie came out ready to take on the world. Seriously, who could resist that face?

This is another 10 x 8 oil on panel - gessoed masonite again, limited palette. It also marks the one-third mark of my little challenge. Twenty days to go!

Chestnut Fillies Rule!

Around here, we don't buy into that belief that chestnut mares and fillies are evil. Gracie is quick to point out the likes of Ginger Brew who made Not Bourbon work for his Plate victory this year. I've done the three chestnut boys this week - Jay, Mute, and Medz - so it's time for a girl! Miss Peaks isn't on the farm right now, as she's started her under-saddle racehorse education, but I wasn't about to leave her out of my project - she's much too special! As I'm doing the horses on the farm by age, from oldest to youngest, Peaker was next in line. The reference for this painting was taken shortly before she headed to the training centre. I miss my girl!


I realised this morning that I'd forgotten to tone a panel last night. While I could have done it first thing this morning and given it time to dry, that's what I did yesterday and the tone was lifting off too easily, so I found a piece of masonite that I had prepared with shellac instead of gesso. As you can see from the in-progress shot, this means I'm starting with a ground that is dark. The surface is also very slick, and very non-absorbent. That's why this piece is more blended that some of the ones I've done this week on gessoed panel. The smoothness and the fact that the paint dried more slowly make it very different to work with.

So here we have our Miss Peaks, 10 x 8 oil on shellacked masonite, using the usual limited palette. I also forgot to clean my brushes last night, which is borderline disastrous. There's no better way to shorten the life of your brushes! What am I going to go do now? Tone a couple of panels so I'm covered for the next few days, then clean those brushes! After that, I believe I have a word count to catch up on! See you tomorrow!

And Then there are Days Like This...

I guess it wasn't a big surprise that I had so much trouble with today's painting. The shot I chose to work from was fairly challenging, but I couldn't resist the look on this boy's face. Medz is a three-year old Thoroughbred gelding, and he's still just a big baby. I rubbed bits of my drawing out a few times, and still didn't really get it right, but I was running out of time so I just went with it! There are days when drawing with the brush seems effortless, and then there are days like this where I go in fits and starts!


This painting is 8 x 10 oil on masonite panel, done with the same limited palette I've been working with for the last week.

So there you have it - week one, complete!

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!

Monday Memorial

Today's painting is a memorial to a very pretty mare named Muffin. We lost Muffin this year, and I knew I was going to paint her sometime this fall, so today was the day.

Rather than dwell on the sadness associated with this little portrait, I'm going to talk about something most artists deal with at some time or another with commissioned work, as I actually inflicted it upon myself today! We are always, always telling clients about the importance of good photos from which to create a portrait - a portrait is usually only as good as the pictures we're given, and most of us prefer to take our own when possible. To let you in on a secret, most of us say time and again that we will not take a commission based on bad photos. Not only is it extremely difficult - as much as some might expand on the artistic mystique, we're really not magicians - but we worry that the finished product will not do the beloved animal justice. We want you to love your portrait, hang it on the wall in a prominent position, not, you know, in the outhouse or some place similar!

So...my story...Muffin spent a good deal of time at my place. She was such a beautiful mare, with a very pretty face. As you probably know, if you've been reading my blog for very long, I take a lot of photographs. For some reason, try as I might, I was never able to capture Muffin with a photograph. I thought about just using the one that I posted after she died, but it really didn't do her justice. The only one I had that was remotely close to what I wanted, her nose was cut off, and she was in winter coat. Each horse does have a different muzzle, so it's not like I could just look at a photo of another horse in the same position; and some horses' colouring changes a bit in the winter. At least I have the benefit of having known Muffin, so I had to rely on my memory. Of course, these photos were still much better than some I've had to work from before!

For this painting, I went back to gessoed masonite panel. I had actually toned it with some leftover paint from Saturday's painting, which I now know is a mistake! While the surface was dry, there was obviously enough oil in that paint that I was having trouble with today's paint adhering properly. Because of those issues, I will go back to this at some point for a few touch-ups. Of course I also realised I'd forgotten Muffin's snip and the tiny strip above it. I was so focused on getting the shape of her muzzle right, I missed those things! The size is 8 x 10, and once again I used the same limited palette.

Well, that's it for today. See you tomorrow!