Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Mine was very nice, but haven't had much time to paint lately until today. I did some work on the cows and calves and might leave them as is or...we'll see. Started laying in the foliage of the trees, but it's looking a tad busy and might be fighting for attention. I want the brown and white cow to be the focal point. We'll see if laying in the sky will calm it down some in my next session.

                                                                                                                             Faye Taylor - Western Artist

I just barely got started on this one. The drawing was a little challenging to get proportions right, but finally it came together. Worked on one cow, but will be adding some warmer tones next session. The cows and calves are mixed breeds so they will be more interesting. There will be a big cottonwood grove in fall colors in the background and I'm planning a clear blue sky. The grasses will be light warm greens with some golds mixed in.

                                                                                                     Faye Taylor - Western Artist

On my last blog I mentioned I would likely add some red somewhere else to draw the viewer up to the face. I decided to make some subdued red stripes in the shirt, which I think works. I love how the horse's tail echos the feeling of the fringe on the cowboy's chaps. Still haven't landed on a name, but I'm leaning toward "Fancy Footwork," unless someone has a better idea.
                                                                                                                        Faye Taylor - Western Artist

It always feels good to cover all the canvas. Made a lot of headway on this today, but I'm still not settled on a name. If anyone has a suggestion, I'd appreciate hearing it.
I love the way the face and back of his head turned out. I concentrated a little red along his cheek to help the viewer make the jump from boots to face. Red is a powerful color that demands attention, but I don't want the viewer stuck on the boots. Will likely put a little red in other places to draw the viewer around the painting.

                                                                                                                           Faye Taylor -  Western Artist

Wow! This one is fun. It's large and I can use big brushes, yeehaw! Now that that's out of the way, there's really not a lot else to say about it yet. I started, as always, with my darks and am working to light. I like working wet-in-wet so the lights pick up some of the color beneath them. I messed up on one of the boots and started with grey instead of dark, so I have to let that dry before I can go back in with dark.

Of course the title won't be "Red Boot." I'm thinking it will be "Fancy Footwork."

                                                                                                                             Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This is another 9X18 painting that is part of a collection called Steel, Smoke, and Leather that will be going to Wild River Art Company. The gallery will be relocated from Redmond to Bend in Janurary. I love the look in this cowboy's eyes. Intense study of something. Although, I used a photo to paint from, I did not try to capture a portrait of that cowboy, but rather the expression in his eyes. That's what I want people to identify with. This is a pretty small photo of the painting, so I don't think you get the full impact of his expression. I will soon have a good scan to put on my collections site.

                                                                                                                            Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This piece is good sized 16X32 and is perfect for a narrow space on the wall. I love this format for figurative pieces...most of mine are figurative in some form. You can't tell it yet, but this cowboy has on the reddest red boots, big old Spanish rawl spurs, and lots of fringe. Love it, love it, love it. Can't wait to slop some color on this one!

This one took some time because there was a lot of detail. I can see that I don't like the constant dark value between the two cowboys. It draws my eye, so I will change that. And I'm totally satisfied with the red shirt. Sorry this is so small--it's an odd format like the last one 9x18. I would appreciate any critique anyone might care to give.
                                                                                                                       Faye Taylor - Western Artist

This is a single session painting--it's only 18x9, so pretty small. Still it makes a powerful statement. I attend several brandings every year and get a lot of great shots. I love the way the smoke curls around this cowboy. I don't know how he could breathe.

Again, I am at a loss for a title. Smoke Gets in My Eyes, Smoked Cowboy...help I need some suggestions.

                                                                                                                                Faye Taylor - Western Artist