It always amazing what a photo of my painting can tell me. It's like stepping back. This painting has a real good feel to me. Neither the horse nor rider seem to be the least bit hesitant to take the plunge into what is likely very cold water. Hmmm...makes you wonder if someone was after them. Of course, it still has a long way to go, but it's coming along well.
                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

      
I just had to get my subject in before I could force myself to stop. Of course I'm not completely finished with him but you have a sense of him. This horse and rider are about to plunge into the river and there will be dust and grasses obscuring the belly of the horse.
                                                                  Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This isn't quite finished, but there isn't much more to do...a little work on the apron and some highlights in the shirt and it will be done. You'll have to check my website in a week or two once I get it scanned in. I'm very pleased with this one.

Also wanted to remind you all that I am getting ready to head out to Montana to the CM Russell auction where I have a piece being auctioned. I'm also planning to hit some galleries on the trip so hopefully I'll pick up a gallery. I'm still hoping to crank out another painting next week, but that will be challenging...we'll see.
                                                             Faye Taylor - Western Artist

I did something really weird--I started with the face and I'm thrilled how it came out! Usually I put in the darks first, but his face is really the focal point and I just changed my approach. I don't always follow the rules. In my photo he was wearing a khaki colored hat and shirt, but that is just too...not me, so I gave him this blazing red shirt instead. I didn't paint Tues. or Wed. because of other obligations, so I was so happy to spend a little time in my studio today. This piece is 24X18, so midsized. It will be priced at $1944.
                                                             Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This one is a little different for me, because he's not the working cowboy that I usually paint, but he certainly is a key part of the lifestyle. He is actually a local guy and he is stretching a piece of rawhide over the saddle horn of his saddle tree, the form he uses for making saddles. It's a little hard to see, but he has a handlebar waxed mustache.
                                                              Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This is such a wonderful scene, referenced directly from a photo. The cowboy was originally facing the other way, which is not the best composition so I made him going into the scene instead of out of the scene. I still love the light colored cow so much. Black cows are challenging, but that little blond cow takes away all the emphasis on black. This painting is 22X28, so pretty large. If anyone is interested, it is $2,772. I offer lots of payment options and would love to arrange a private viewing.                                           
                                                               Faye Taylor - Western Artist

I love the pinkish cow against all the black ones. I gave the cows some form, but not a lot of detail. The background needs to recede a lot more than in does now, so I will take care of that in the next session. There is still a lot of dried grasses and willows that need to go in too.
                                                               Faye Taylor - Western Artist

It's not often I get this much of my canvas covered in one session, but I couldn't stop. This is a large canvas 22x28. My biggest challenge, I think, will be keeping the cows in the foreground from becoming the focal point, while still creating depth. I may pull a photographic trick and blur them some. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This is from a photo reference that was not my own, which is rare for me. I never paint from photos taken by professional photographers, but sometimes with permission I use photos taken by private parties. This was a photo taken by the rancher's wife on a cold, winter day with snow on the ground. The photo was low resolution, so details are blurry, but that's all I really need. The background is a distant mountain area with big sky. It has the feel of being at the top of the world looking out over a vast panorama.
                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

All done, but I'm not sure I like the hat. Any suggestions? I think the left side needs to come down more. Other than that I really like this final painting in my cowgirl series.
                                                           Faye Taylor - Western Artist