Today is my birthday and I'm all alone...YES!! Just what I wanted for my birthday and I'm not being sarcastic. Have you ever just longed to hole up in a quiet place and read a good book or just do what you want? I'm there, I hiding out in my studio working on stage two of "What a Drag."
    This painting is now at a fun stage! I can practically feel it's breath on my skin. I worked on the horse's head, chest, and front legs, and the man's shirt, and woohoo, he now has a head! Before I cleaned up my brushes, I had to lay in the calf.
    Now, I'm excited! This painting is really taking shape, and I love it already.
    When it's possible, I like to get permission to paint someone ahead of time, just in case the finished painting actually looks like them. Unless I'm being commissioned, I usually don't worry about making it look like my reference. If I know who my model is, I always give them a print, even when it doesn't particularly look like them.
    Funny thing, I actually ran into my model for "Last Chore" at one of the brandings. I was thrilled to get his name, and he's thrilled to get a print!

    Yahoo! I went to back to back brandings a week or so ago and now have some fabulous reference material. Finally I've started a new painting!
    I did my yellow ochre under painting and my drawing the night before. But I didn't get started on the painting until late afternoon and everyone must have known I was in the zone, because I was plagued by one phone call after another. So frustrating!
    Still, I got started laying in my darks and some mid-tones too. After about an hour of constant interruption, I finally cleaned my brushes and took off my apron. I really wanted to get my subject laid in, but he was left as the headless horseman!
    Sometimes it's better for me to stop before I put my frustration into my painting.

     Here is what I think is my final painting. I say "I think" because I may make minor changes after my critique group takes a look at it. As you can see I did a lot of work on the background, a little on the water, and horses.
    When painting water, I start by painting darks then mid tones and lights. Then, still wet in wet, I paint reflections in a verticle manner. The next step is the horizontals that go across the reflections, still wet. The last step is to let it dry then put in the final lights.
   The background needed to recede but still connect to the whole. By using some of the bright green from the foreground, I was able to keep it connected. By keeping it pretty indistinct and by using a cooler pallet, I was able to make it recede.
   As soon as this painting is dry enough to be scanned, it will be on my website under new releases. I will also have prints in canvas and paper available.
   I hope you enjoyed watching the process!