Should only require one more session on this one to get the saddle, rope, background, and some highlights in the horse's tail etc. I almost didn't do this one because I was afraid the space between horse and man would feel too empty, but I think it's going to be fine. The rope really holds it together and I think the horizontals of the landscape in the background will also help.
This horse is a handsome four-year-old gelding. He has very deep blue tones, but I'm told he will lighten every year until he's a gray. Interesting. His name is Concho and his trainer who is doing a little lunging with him is an up-and-coming young guy living in a tiny town in Eastern Oregon called Spray. Lot's of ranching out that way. He trains in the way of the old Californios just to keep it alive.
It's been a slow week for painting. I'm up against a deadline on an article I'm writing for a magazine, and I've had to steal time from my normal painting schedule. Actually, the photo reference for this piece was taken during an interview for the magazine piece on a colt trainer. I've also been attending some brandings to get more photo references, so I'm excited to get going on them. Not sure about the background on this piece--we'll see.
Aspen Glow 2 has all of the darks laid in. Aspen Glow 3 is the finished work. This was a very fun piece. Fall aspens are so dazzling especially with a shadowy Ponderosa behind them. This piece is 18X9 and sells for $729 if anyone is interested. I am planning to send it to Kelly's Gallery in Joseph, Oregon sometime in the near future.
Much more to say now. This is from a photo I took last fall and I'm just now getting around to painting it. Unless someone snatches it up pretty quickly it is bound for Kelly's Gallery in Joseph, Oregon. I could have finished this one in one day, but I'm having a medical procedure this week and had to do the pre-op today. Of course the rest of this week's painting sessions will be hit or miss. It's a good time to do an easy painting for a change. Especially needed after that last one. Whew!
I'm not sure I'm extremely happy with this one. It was by far the most difficult to paint since I'm not that practiced as a landscape painter. Sage brush is difficult for my style because I don't want to get caught up in detail. I had to come up with a believable gesture of sagebrush which I'm not sure I pulled off.. I think I'll vary the tree sizes in the background, like my fellow artist, WR Jones suggested. Thanks, Bill.
This one is blah, blah, blah, so I have to figure out what's wrong. I think I will add a large tree on the left side and make some green grass and dirt under it. It's just not thrilling me at this point and might just end up on the shelf for awhile if I can't get it the way I want it. I think its just really mono-tone.
This one is feeling very slow and almost tedious. I really don't enjoy working small like this. There is always so much detail to add like reins and ropes with tiny brushes. The forward horses' legs look a little weird right now, but I'll get them right eventually.
I just returned from this show in Pendleton, OR to discover that I won the "Hard Twist" Award for Trouble Brewin'! This is an award bestowed by the other artists in the show and I was thrilled to win it. This show was fairly small and took place on Cattle Baron's Weekend. We were all treated to some fabulous entertainment by singer, Juni Fisher, who won the 2010 Wrangler Award for one of her albums.
As always, I start with dark values and work my way to the light values. They are walking through sage brush, so most of the animals' legs will be hidden, so I'm not too concerned with them. The light is coming from the right and behind--haven't done much with it yet, but I will later on.
Heading for Pendleton tomorrow, then to Joseph on Friday to trade out some artwork in the gallery I'm in.
You never know what unexpected opportunities might arise while photographing a branding. This little calf wiggled under the gate and headed for the hills! Three cowpokes jumped on their horses and took out after him. I watched and waited and as they crested the hill, it looked like they were simply taking that little doggie for a walk the cowboy way.
Not a lot of difference, but I did all the things I'd said I would do. I'm not sure that the cows in the background really read as cows, so I will probably make them a little more distinct. They kind of look like rotten old piles of manure. Not appealing. Not sure I like the title, so any suggestions?
I got a lot done on this, but still have her jeans and fringe to do as well as more work on her hair and the dots on her wild rag. My favorite part of this is the way her hands turned out. I love doing hands more than anything else. If you recall my last branding painting with the two cowboys the one doing the branding has a wedding ring on. This gal will have one two. They are married to each other and have two wonderfully rowdy little boys.
