Longhorns and Haflingers and Travel Dreams, Oh My

These are some reference photos I took on my travels to deliver Cracker's portrait. I am not forgetting to take my camera as much now, like I used to, whenever I drive someplace. I will show you some more in future posts. Saw the babies in the Haflinger herd from the road, had a nice chat with owner after asking permission to come on the propertay to take some photos. I just stopped the car on the sider of the road and walked along a fence to take the longhorn photo.

A few weeks ago I saw this artist's blog with writings about the workshop she was conducting in France. I love her descriptions of the food they ate. I dream of taking a trip to France and eating and visiting the art muesems. I also dream about taking Rosetta Stone French lessons before I go (a big pile of pennies). This artist, Margaret Dyer is doing the workshop again next year. I am trying to save my pennies.

I am going with a friend to a nearby wildlife preserve for an overnight stay in the yurts that were recently opened for overnight stays there. The preserve is called The Wilds. It was built on reclaimed coal strip mine land (I remember the horrible devastation strip mining did all around where I grew up). While I was at The Wilds site, I saw that a wildlife artist, A.E. London, was doing a two day workshop at The Wilds (I would like to do that, too, but may opt to not get rid of more pennies after spending some to go on the overnight with my friend). Her promotional video, filmed at The Wilds, is great, check it out!

I am busy working on my future pet portrait sketches. I had one discouraging day -- thinking there was just too much to "make-up" and maybe I should not have taken this on, but with doubled effort, all is going well now.

Sunny Bay finished

I finished this piece Friday and entitled it "Sunny Bay". It is 16x20 in colored pencil. I took it and two other pieces, "Lean on Me" and "Land of the Free I, to an intake for a local juried exhibition on Saturday.

Also, on Saturday, I met with an individual who had picked up my card from one of the post offices where I had placed cards in conjunction with the release of Ellen DeGeneres helping shelter animals stamp release. He has ordered 7 (!) 9x12 pet portraits. He would like the first one before July 4th. I could use an order this size every month! I am supposed to call him Wednesday about the progress of the first one. Luckily, the first one has the best photo references. A couple of the others do not have the best references and will be quite difficult, I fear. I hope he is pleased with them all. Will ask him for permission to post WIP/finished pieces here when I speak with him on Wednesday. For now, I better get busy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Foal WIP 2 & 3

Here are two more images showing the work in progress on the foal. I hope to get to work on it a few hours today and probably will bring it to a finished point or a point where I need to contemplate whether it is finished or not. I am enjoying working on the contrasts in the piece.

The weeds growing profusely around here are needing work is getting me down, don't get much done on these hot days.

I need to finish applications for shows yet this season. Then I am thinking of expanding my internet presensce on Facebook and perhaps Etsy or some similiar site and E-Bay. My "freedom" from nonart jobs is here (for the most part, except some need to take some classes here and there) for the next six months and I want to really start to make the most of it with some steady working time and perhaps some branching out in media.

Thanks for stopping by!

Lean on Me

This piece, entitled "Lean On Me" is 16 x 20, colored pencil. Though, there are some things I would change -- as is often the case, it seems, I had a great absorbing time working on this one. I have entered it in the 11th Annual FMP Membership show on Ann Kullberg's site. I have ordered some prints and am looking forward to seeing how they look.

It is scorching hot and time is flying. Trying to decide what to start as a demo piece. Lots of things I could work on, but not all of them do I want to do as a demo.

Hope your week is going well. Thanks for stopping by!

Beautiful Horses

Tuckered Out by Mona Majorowicz



Colton by Mona Majorowicz



I just got these two love prints of Mona Majorowicz's wonderful work framed. My picture taking skills do not do the images the glory they deserve, so please go to Wildfaces Gallery to see them more accurately. I do feel very lucky to own these prints. The prints in person are even more beautiful than the computer monitor views. I can only imagine, at this point what Mona's original work is like when viewing in person.

I framed them to match as much as possible, while still flattering each piece individually as much as possible. I hope you find them flattering, Mona.

I am way too busy preparing for a college course I am teaching spring quarter in the human services field. I do hope that I can get down the road a ways and then only devote a very limited amount of time weekly to the teaching leaving clear time to work on art. That plan and my anxiety about being fully prepared has kept me from working on my art ever since I completed the Precious Bullie Baby series.

Teaching is a process much like art -- ideally alot of thought goes into how to convey ideas in an interesting way which is effective in engaging the student/viewer. At this point in my life, I find it difficult to keep this thinking going simultanwously with teaching non art related things with my own art production. Like I said, I hope to get down the road a little more with the teaching creativity and then hopefully put it into a mental compartment which does not interfere with my ongoing art process.

I am sorry that I did not post any of the Precious Bulloie Baby completed work yet. I decided that it would not be fair to the exhibit to do that. I will do so as soon as the exhibit goes online on April 1st. The trio is being framed at the present time.

I am working other jobs right now in order to have extra cash to buy the rest of my art fair display. I am continuing to apply to art fairs for the summer and fall. So far I have heard from two. I am on a waitlist for one near Cincinati in May and am accepted into the Zanesville one I did last yer in August.

Raining too much here now, Hope you all are dry and happy! Thanks for stopping by!

New Computer - WIP 3

Last Saturday my old computer finally died. I was not looking to get a new one just yet, but like TV used to be (maybe still is), -- can't live without it, it seems. It is taking me some time to get used to the new features and to the loss of some programs that I no longer have because they are incompatible with Windows 7. At least the timing of the need for a new computer has allowed me to skip Windows Vista. Also, quite luckily, I have been able to save most of my documents and photos. I have lost some in the previous crashes of my old computer. I am hoping I don't have to mess with this one for quite awhile!

Here is the latest WIP for this portrait of Buddy that is awaiting the name of "Contemplating Winter" or "Indian Summer". I have cropped it, the flank area was too close to the edge (I know better, but plunged on for awhile) and thus not working in the compositition. I have a ways to go on the background. I hope to tie in the yellow foliage better but still leave it as a symbolic halo for Saint Buddy. This is a quick shot from my drawing board, so the details and colors are not as clear as they could be with better lighting and a tripod. Getting a good photo for exhibition entry/documenting will be the next challenge. The deadline for the exhibition is November 15 -- I don't know whether I will make it or not. I will be working furiously the next few days to try to, though.

Thank you, very much, Donna B and Erik, for becoming followers of this blog. I am looking forward to taking some time really soon to visit your sites and learn a little about you.