Day 10 of 30

Lean-To

8 x 8

Acrylic

One day last summer my plein air group were painting trees in a local park and as I wandered around looking for something to catch my eye I came across this scene.  A beautiful little pasture on the other side of the park, something I would never have discovered without the motivation and companionship that being a member of a group of like minded individuals brings.  I always look forward to the outings whether they are fruitful or not.  Next time I paint this I'll include the horses that were grazing there.

Day 4 of 30

Horses on Pismo study

8 x 8

Acrylic

Very rough and unfinished but meant only to be a study.  Guess I chose a difficult subject for a 2 hour practice session but I really enjoyed the process.  In the fall we explored the coast of Oregon and California and I immediately fell in love with both Pismo Beach and Moro Bay.  There is just something about the freedom to have ones dog or horse on the beach as well as bikes, cars, you name it.  I even had a semi truck drive by me one day.  So long as everyone behaves of course.  These riders were out enjoying the last rays of the sun on a beautiful day.

Year of the Horse

Running Wild  SOLD

14 x 23

Acrylic on Doorskin

We see this herd every now and then up in the hills to the west usually when we are out running the trails.  My first painting done when I was a small child was of a riding stable with horses being walked and tack being cleaned and since then I have had a love for anything horsey.  I think this is a good year to focus on them.

Day 14 of 30

Farm in the Kootenays sketch

6 x 6 

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

A quick sketch today, a scene that I'm fond of and will paint larger.

Day 13 of 30

Horse study

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Well I have given up on this one but will try again sometime as I like the composition.  Maybe it would work better with oils as I find acrylics frustrating in the blending and nailing the value department.

Day 12 of 30

Longing for Freedom

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas

Today started off with a fabulous 10 k run up in the hills with a great group of fellow trail runners and one of the highlights was coming across several wild horses.  I tried to get a snapshot of them with my phone but will have to head out there sometime with a real camera.  In the meantime I've painted this poor fellow stuck behind a wire fence. 

Day 11 of 30

High Water  SOLD

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Heading south on a birding drive I came across the most remarkable scene - the valley floor was flooded and a herd of horses was out looking for exposed grasses to graze on.  The backdrop was stunning with layers of foothills and mountains.  Some day I will paint the whole scene.

Day 10 of 30

Subtle Moves

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

I love the deep rich colors of this horse with a coat so well groomed that the sky reflects off it.  The rider gives subtle shifts in weight, a slight squeeze or maybe a nudge, barely perceptible but the horse in partnership moves accordingly.

Day 9 of 30

Calm and Collected

6 x 6 

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

This fine horse is being ridden by a friend of mine using a dressage manoeuvre called collection.  It is a thing of beauty watching the rider control the horse's centre of gravity so that the weight is carried more on the hind legs, the body shortens and the head is held high.  We used to think of it as a form of bodybuilding back when I was doing a little jumping and dressage.  A pleasure to paint especially in the good company of my plein air group who thankfully decided to paint indoors today.

Day 8 of 30 Equine

Double Up Bareback

6 x 6

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

This image is painted from a borrowed photo, the photo itself being amazing and I can't do it justice.   Somehow the boots didn't look right and it took a while before I finally realized that there are two riders.

The Ranch

Day 3 Winter Horses

6 x 6

acrylic on canvas

On my way up the mountain yesterday I passed herds of cattle out in the snow feeding on hay bales and coming up to the ranch I managed to get a quick shot of the horses out having their lunch as well.  I can see this 30 day challenge is going to require some organizational skills and time management.  I'm getting a little more behind each day and still find far too much time is wasted fiddling with details and taking and correcting bad photos.  This is all good though as I should most certainly improve in those areas if nothing else! 

Apex Guest Ranch

the  Ranch

12 x 16

oil on canvas board

Winter is the time to head up to the mountains for some skiing or snowshoeing and we pass this guest ranch on the way up.  In the summer we ride up here on our road bikes as a 20 k time trial or as part of a circle route around the Okanagan Valley.  It's a great landmark but unfortunately won't last forever.  This painting was done from an older photo and I believe part of the roof has now come down and the horses are a different breed so I will have to take some new reference photos and give it a go again next year.

My Lucky Week

Foraging

16 x 20
oil on wrapped canvas

This week started off a little rough. Cold, wind and rain were putting a damper on my Ironman training, keeping me out of my garden and deterring me from any plein air attempts. Not to be discouraged I looked forward to the workshop I'd be going to in a few days. And then imagine my surprise when the news arrived that I'd won a painting! What a shocker - I never win anything. Time to buy some lottery tickets I think! Anyway Kim Rempel in celebrating reaching 100 followers drew a name to receive a beautiful painting! Check it out and her other paintings at Eatdrinkpaint.blogspot.com. Her work is fabulous. Thanks Kim so much!
And as for the workshop it was put on by Bonny Roberts, a great BC artist. We were able to take 5 paintings that we were stuck on to be critiqued and hopefully resolved. Fix It Finish It was the name of the workshop and the above horse which I posted last year as 'in progress' is finally now finished. Thanks Bonny for putting on a great workshop.

Foraging - in progress

16 x 20

oil on doorskin

Still lots to do on this project but time to put it aside for a while and then it will be more clear which direction to go. It's rare that I feel a painting is finished but I know that when I'm spinning my wheels it's time to take a break. My first attempt at wildlife this being a wild horse and one of many encountered on the drive the local ski hill. Every time I've gone by this delapitated cabin I've wanted to paint it and then wouldn't you know a friend got a photo of this horse grazing in front and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I still seem to be caught between an inclination to paint realistically and a desire to be more painterly. I will try this one again with a looser approach.