Well it's a new year and this is my first blog post of 2012. I thought I would blog more often this year, but I usually blog when I have something to share. So today I am sharing my latest painting in it's phases and sharing how it came about. I have a love/hate relationship with horses. I love how majestic they are, how bold and free their spirits are, and yet I hate riding them. The reason why is, I have had MANY bad experiences riding horses, and mostly due to the fact I don't have a clue how to 'show them I'm the boss'. Therefore they always take advantage of me. But when I am not attempting to ride them I really appreciate them and have a cowgirl vibe about me that one would think comes from me being a horse girl. Wrong. I just dress the part, cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and such but just don't ask me to actually get on one of these babies...just let me stand there and look good. Anyway, that is just my funny relationship to these beautiful animals and I decided to try to paint one after I was inspired by a beautiful photograph I saw online. The horse has flowing long hair and the background is so serene it just beckoned me to paint it. I used my new "Annie Sloan" chalk paint for the first time as the palette is muted and I wanted to see how it performed on canvas. I really liked it. Here is the painting in it's various stages...
this is the image I was inspired by...
the sketch..
first layer....
more layers..
and the finished painting...
I called this "White Whisperer" and I really like it. Its one I could look at for along time and just breathe in. I am going to submit it to Arts Benicia today for the "Art of a community" show they are having soon. Now I am thinking of doing a horse series. Among other things, I am also interested in doing an ocean series, a portrait series and so on....but this is what is current for me today. I am enrolled in so many online art classes I can't possibly keep up with them all, even when it's my full time passion and I can devote most of my time to it. I have overextended myself with too many classes. But I have accepted that I won't get it all done (difficult as this is) and I do what I can in the time I have. The good news is it's all art, all the time. The more I do, the better I get. win-win. I still struggle with finding my voice, my unique style, but if I just keep doing the work it will reveal itself to me. It's important to just go with it and see where it leads. Thanks for checking in on me and I love to hear from you.....happy painting!
