Fly and Be Free!

Fly and Be Free
18x24 · Oil
AVAILABLE ON ETSY

Proud and Proper

This is another digital painting which I did using the Procreate app and Apple Pencil on my iPad Pro. My 3 year old son sat next to me while I worked on this. He was using Art Flow on his Kindle. It's so nice to be able to create art side by side.

Proud and Proper
Procreate on iPad Pro
PRINTS AVAILABLE ON ETSY

Palomino

Palomino horse standing in a field. This painting has such a peaceful feeling.

Palomino
5x7 · oil
***SOLD***
PRINTS ARE AVAILABLE ON ETSY

Great Gift for the Holidays!

OK, I can hear you saying it "COME ON...Summer isn't even over and you're talking about the holiday season already!? You're crazy!" Here's the thing, while I may be a little crazy here and there, I'm actually not on this one.

I looked at the calendar and just about died! How do I figure? 2 weeks for holiday shipping + 4-6 weeks for drying time (most portraits are painted in oils and they take a long time to dry) + time to work on the painting (they each require several steps with drying time in between) and WOW! Here we are!

If you’ve been thinking about ordering a special gift this year contact me before September 10th and save 10% on a custom portrait!

Sale on Custom Portraits
10% off now through September 10th

Galloping in the Meadow

As a child I had a horse whom I just adored! I loved to ride! I loved the feeling of freedom when I was on him and the bond I had with him. I relive some of those feelings every time I paint one of these beautiful creatures.

Galloping in the Meadow
8x10, Oil
FOR SALE ON ETSY (original and prints)

White Horse WIP

The last of the under-paintings which I started this week is this white horse. I had hoped to get another horse started as well but I have company coming and I've run out of time. Here's a very poor photo taken in low-light with my phone.

I planted some lettuce in containers on the deck a few weeks back and something kept digging in the pots. I finally decided to move them up to the area directly outside the french doors in the family room where I was hoping the dogs would keep the animals at bay. Well...not so much...

Brave little guy getting a drink with a foot in one of the pots of lettuce sprouts.
The dogs were completely unaware on the other side of the window. Hmmmm...

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Happy Birthday Jeanmarie!!!!

Strike a Pose
11x14
Graphite

My niece turns 10 today! Jeanmarie is a fun girl who's into many things including Art, Reading, Lacrosse, Soccer, and most of all Horses! I have watched her go through my web site and pick out pieces which she likes, mostly I have seen her point to the horses. So, a few weeks ago when we were talking about what to get for this special little girl on her birthday, the idea of my doing a horse portrait for her popped up.

I had a lot of fun working on this, not the least of which was based on whom I was creating it for. It's a lot of fun to give presents from the heart and I poured my heart into this. I find that working on graphite renderings puts me into a very peaceful place, I haven't done one in a while so I was reminded of this while I worked "ohmmmm...."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEANMARIE! I hope you enjoy your present as much as I enjoyed making it for you!

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Draft Horse - Final

Draft Horse
14x11
Oil on Masonite

Detail #1

Detail #2 - Palette Knife Strokes

A while back I posted the first stage of this painting. After completing the painting I was debating about changing a section of it so I've been staring at it for a while. I have made the decision to leave it as is. So, finally, here's the final! 


I used a combination of paint brush and palette knife in this one and am happy with the affect. It was fun to use the knife as it allowed me to apply paint in larger quantities and to blend in a different way. I will certainly be using that more in the future.

Fancy Pants

Fancy Pants
Procreate on iPad
Available on etsy!

Here's another iPad painting. This one makes me happy. I had so much fun with him and I think I may paint him, or a version of him, HUGE, with oils. Huge for how I've been working anyway. I've also noticed that I need to change the dimensions I'm iPad painting at. I'd rather not have to crop off so much to get him into a 5x7 matt.

It's almost the weekend and I'm gearing up to do a lot of painting and to enjoy our new grill! The irony of this is that literally while I'm typing this post, the beautiful sun has been replaced with a black sky and the beginnings of what is sure to be a downpour. Darn it! Well, I'll still be able to paint! The grill, on the other hand, may have to wait until Sunday (though I'm holding out some hope for tomorrow).

Happy Friday!!!

Draft Horse - Work in Progress

I simply love horses! They take my breath away. Growing up I had a horse and was forced to find it a good home when I moved to Boston after graduating from college. One of life's many tough choices. I ache to own one again, in the mean time, I'll paint them!

This is of a horse I saw during a visit to Kentucky Horse Park.

A Horse is a Horse

Buddies
Procreate app on iPad

Horse in Oil Pastels - Finished

Horse

Oil Pastel

11x14

I did some final touches on this and added in the background. I think this is a wrap.

Horse in Oil Pastels - Work In Progress 2

I worked on some of the details. I used tortillons to blend the pastels. I'm pretty happy with the base wash I did as I'm not seeing any little specs of paper popping through like I did in my initial, pre-baby oil discovery, attempt.

Horse in Oil Pastels - Work In Progress

I love working in dry pastels but recently have been reading a lot about how toxic they are, especially when working in an area which isn't properly ventilated (guilty). So, I thought maybe I'd give oil pastels a shot. I haven't used oil pastels since high school, and I wasn't much of a fan of them then. My first attempt went horribly array and ended up a big mound of mud. Here's my second attempt which I'm much happier with. One of the reasons I'm much happier with it is that I did a google search and found that baby oil can be used as a solvent. So, armed with my baby oil, I started this painting. I started by blocking in areas of color, then I loaded a paint brush with baby oil and worked at making it into a wash. I left it to dry and when I came back I realized the hazard of baby oil...the grease stain! When I walked away this horse didn't have a halo, when I came back however...Oh well, guess I'll be putting a background in this one for sure! LOL!