Paint Horse Studio

Alaska Highway Buffallo

2011-12-22T19:34:00.000-08:00

Alaska Highway Buffallo 15"x30"

Merry Christmas Russ!

Taken from a snapshot from my husbands road trip down the old Alaska Highway this year. This is overcast and much darker than I'm used to painting. Love to get some input or critique if anyone has any. Have a very Merry Christmas!

Whats on the Easel? Morning on Kaanapali Beach

2011-09-01T06:51:00.000-07:00

In progress... 18x24"

Here is what I've got going in the studio. Derived from one of the Maui photographs I took earlier this year. It has a long way to go so I will continue to plug away on it and I will re post when it is completed. For now I am taking off for a week of plein air on the coast of Oregon! I can't wait...

I'll post when I get back. Thanks for being patient!

Dog Portrait "Buddy"

2011-08-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

"Buddy" Oil 6x8"

This little guy belongs to some young girls who are second cousins of mine. They live down in Oregon so I only get to see them a couple of times of year. I think this painting will make a great Christmas gift.... something I am doing this year is painting small oils for family members if it seems fitting. I am finding that when I am working on a painting that is specifically for someone else, I change how I paint. I don't get experimental for starters. I follow the rules (which is great), but I also tend to paint a little tighter. Some of my family does not appreciate the looser style and wants to see more detail. This also goes for portrait commissions when the client will be most impressed with a photographic rendering of the animal. Do you paint paintings for gifts? If so does it change how you paint?

Painting at Kanasket Palmer State Park

2011-08-30T13:38:00.001-07:00

Fisherman

Oil 6x8"

Now this one was a challenge! After all my struggles I felt really happy with the results. I see what needs done to it...a little stronger design with the background rocks could lead the eye out of the painting. The value and saturation of the rock in the center needs taken down a couple of notches as it is stealing the show. But overall considering how challenging this was for me I feel good about it. This was a busy scene and simplifying is still a struggle for me.

Figures in Sunlight (or light)

2011-08-08T08:08:00.001-07:00

"Rehearsal" study Oil

I'm broadening my horizons and learning so much. Drawing and painting people has always been a difficulty for me. For some reason the human is hard for me. So after several instructional dvd's I am feeling a bit more confident. Expecting to see more like this - I am having fun! This is from a photo of my daughter (on the left) at her ballet rehearsal.

Fresh Air Art Festival!!

2011-07-25T11:29:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time between posts I know but at least I can say I've been painting. I've also been building a chute for our highland cattle with my husband but that is an adventure for another blog......

I went to the "Fresh Air Artists Festival" in Cle Elum, my second year doing this and I had a blast. Had some much needed alone time, got some good instruction from artist Jim Lamb, and had fun just driving around and painting.

A study from Iron Horse State Park. Check out my Alla Prima Pochade, that thing is a beauty! ;)

" View from High Point Rd."

oil 8"x10"

5"x7" study done on someones BEAUTIFUL ranch. Untitled. Complete with bugs, sometimes I think this adds to the sentimental value or at least I tend to view it with fondness...! My photo's are un-cropped and I apologize they also were taken "on location" and I have no photo editing software at this time.
Anyway it was really fun, and I loved seeing the artist friends I had met last year again, and I met some new ones. Thanks Carpenter House Museum for putting up with us, I can't wait for next year!

More Hawaii Art

2011-06-20T19:43:00.001-07:00

"Clouds Over Molokai" 6x8"

" Breezy Seas" 6x8

"Hibiscus in Red"

Sorry about that glare on the last pic...

"Spring Fold" Highland Cattle Painting

2011-06-20T19:39:00.001-07:00

"Spring Fold"

Oil 16x20"

Painted from life here on the farm of our spring herd. A herd of Highland Cattle is called a "Fold", hence the title.

Maui in Plein Air

2011-06-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

" Molokai From Maui"

oil 8x10

I am finally getting my photo's back online so here is a plein air painting I did while sitting on the Kaanapali beach. I did lots of paintings during my trip and broke in my new easel by Alla Prima Pochade http://www.allaprimapochade.com/ THE EASEL IS AWESOME. I don't know how I ever painted with out it. And it is made in the USA. Buy one!

Anyway this was the most relaxing trip of my life and I hope I can go back next year. I've never considered myself a tropical island kinda girl but I can sure dig it now.

I'm still here...

2011-03-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

I am just having computer issues. My computer does not wish to speak with my camera....which is really lame because I have some paintings to post! I did a few nice plein air works while in Maui I'd particularly like to share - but I have to wait and see if this clunker can be fixed or if it's time for a new one. Stay tuned....

Valentines Roses #2

2011-02-16T19:18:00.000-08:00

Well my blog promises failures so....
Wow, 24 hours and still no improvement! I've been reading and thought I had learned something too. Might be time to seek professional advice.

Valentines Roses #1

2011-02-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

11x14"

oil

Flowers are hard! Maybe I better try again......

Mandarin Duck

2011-02-08T08:57:00.000-08:00

"Mandarin Duck"
Oil 8"x10"
This painting is a gift for a friend of mine who keeps these ducks - they are so beautiful. I really struggled to make the colors brilliant - as colorful as this is I don't feel that I succeeded in capturing the true color and iridescence that these ducks have. Also there is enough paint on here (from me struggling) to sink any duck, lol.

Ready to Eat

2011-02-04T20:56:00.000-08:00

"Ready to Eat"
OIL 6x8"

Fruit is fun....really!

Still life with Oranges

2011-02-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Just some fun I had in the studio with some fruit I had on hand and a pretty vase. This painting is 9x12".

"Daydreamer"

2011-01-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

"Daydreamer" 18x24 oil

SOLD

Thanks Edie!

This is the large painting I've completed after painting that small 8x10 study a few months ago.

2011-01-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

"East field in Janurary" 6"x8" oil

painted en plein air

Booker - COMPLETE

2010-11-06T21:01:00.000-07:00

"Booker" Oil 18"x24"

My commission "Booker", he is the Trial Challenge Series Grand Champion at Happ's in Ethel, Wa.

Thanks to Maureen at Happ's for all her hard work putting on these shows!

Blabbing and Blogging

2010-08-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

“It’s a mistake for a sculptor or a painter to speak or write very often about his job. It releases tension needed for his work.”
Henry Moore

Something for us to all think about! I can recognize the truth in this. Can you?

I'll post art soon!

Daydreamer

2010-08-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

"Daydreamer"
Oil 8"x10"

I really felt like painting tonight but am still procrastinating about finishing the mustang painting so.....this is a small, 1 hour study, taken from a picture I took of a friends horse. I should really consider doing a larger version since it turned out so pretty. The background I completely made up so I'm a little shocked it turned out this well. Must be my plein air practicing paying off? It feels nice to have something turn out once in a while so I'll take it!
I'm noticing that I am an excellent procrastinater. Instead of painting I can manage to burn up my time on the computer searching for art, or blogging (yes, I'm procrastinating right now!), or even deep cleaning my house - which lets face it is NOT usually my idea of a good time. Maybe I need to put aside the mustang for another year - or put it in the junk pile...? As I type that I still feel that that painting can be saved and should be finished. So we'll see what happens. I do have a strong desire to paint, so if I continue to avoid painting the mustang I'm going to just paint whatever else strikes me - like this napping, black Quarter Horse.....I'm at peace just looking at him....

Remembering

2010-07-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Syd passed away today. She was an amazing artist. She loved animals. She was a very successful breeder and trainer of champion German Shephards. She was a horsewoman. She loved to read, and to learn. She was highly intelligent. I loved her. She was direct, honest, proud and sensitive. She loved life and nature and she loved to paint. She was an excellent art teacher with an exceptional eye for good art and correct anatomy. She would tear my paintings apart....but then build me up so I would keep working on them.
Very rarely do you meet someone who's friendship does not depend upon having grown up together, gone to school together, have kids the same age, you're the same age....etc. The friendship that Syd and I shared was so easy - we were simply the same person on the inside. We shared almost every single hobby, passion, and interest, and the ones we didn't share didn't matter because we understood one another.
Syd, I hope all those dogs welcomed you at the gate. When I hear thunder I will think of you yelling at them to "SHUT UP!!!" I will never forget you, and I will keep painting. Love, me

The Red Tool Shed - high key

2010-07-18T09:38:00.000-07:00

Last night the evening sun was so pretty. I pulled out my equipment and decided to do a value study while Russ was mowing the field the cows were in. I had less than an hour to work with but the kids actually cooperated and played contentedly. I painted this using high values only, and I think I should focus on my values, and how they relate to eachother, more often. I can tell now that I put more energy into mixing the colors I see, and my paintings lack in correctness of value. I read last night in John Carlsons' "Guide to Landscape Painting" that if the values are correct it really doesn't matter what the colors are. Also an artist friend of mine Kathryn Townsend documented on her blog some excersizes in black and white I found truly inspiring. And so I keep learning......and loving the process.
I find so much joy in painting outside, and I am already feeling renewed and ready to tackle those unfinished studio paintings. "Montana" and the painting of the fall pumpkins both still lie unfinished next to the easel.

"Magic"

2010-02-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished portrait of "Magic" a very talented medicine hat paint gelding. He has the honor of taking the Grand Champion title at Happ's 2009 trail challenge series! What a good boy! Congratulations Judy!! Special thanks to Wendi Ross of Blue Ribbon Photography for providing the photograph used to paint this. See her work at www.blueribbonequinephotography.com .

"Cupcakes"

2009-09-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well hello! Here is my painting submission for Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks blog http://http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/

What a fun subject to paint! It started off quite easy and fun - then I got to the frosting, lol! I didn't want to spend too much time on this as I should be working on the painting of Jamie's mustang "Montana" but I could not pass this up. Thanks Karin! A joy to paint and so fun to expand my subject matter. An excellent challenge.

Still life in progress....

2009-08-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

This is a still life I am working on of vegtables taken straight from my garden. The wine is a riesling and I will taking both the wine and this painting to an Art/Wine party tonight. How fun, huh? I think I will call it "Art with Wine" for the party. Luckily I scored this gorgeous gold frame from Good Will for $8.99! So I'm all ready to go.....once the painting is done that is! Better keep working on it! I'll post it when it's done of course.....

Partners

2009-07-08T10:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a painting "Partners". This painting has been accepted into a juried Art Show in Enumclaw, wa.! Special thanks to Charles Brooks for so generously allowing me to use his photography as reference. You can view his work at http://www.brooksphotog.com/ . What excellent work! And of course thanks to Wylene Wilson - a talented rider, trainer, and beautiful cowgirl! Check her out at http://www.wylenewilson.com/ - she is an extreme trail competitor and the cowgirl model. Thank you both!

Backroads....

2009-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, my latest painting is a commission I'm doing for a wonderful lady who run a horse facility in Ethel, WA called Happ's. They have a magnificent facility and host multiple Trail Horse Challenges, Combined Driving Events, Gaming shows, and training opps. all year long. The painting still needs a little cleaning up but all in all is done. Happ's is purchasing prints of this painting for awards to be given at a Combined Driving Event. I'm so honored....visit http://www.happs-inc.com/ to learn more.

My mothers day was fantastic! My girls bought me flowers and we went out driving around...ate lunch...it was a really nice day. The weather was so beautiful - it's days like that, that make western Washington worth living in. But not today - it's back to the rain! Thats ok - hopefully my pasture grass will grow, and grow, and grow....

Sun and Silence...ahhh

2009-05-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it's 7:04am right now and it is actually a gorgeous day. I am also the only one out of bed which make this almost heaven. Times like this are very rare. So I get to actually drink my coffee and relax...
So...my second painting this year....it's actaully a portrait of a beautiful Tennessee Walker gelding that my art teacher owns. I put some training on him earlier this year and fell in love with him. What a gentle, quiet spirit, with a strong desire to please! Apparently Walkers have this reputation - I'd call him the ideal "husband" horse, and if I ever buy a second horse for the kids and my husband to ride it will definitely be a TW. My art teacher Syd, actaully took a picture of him while I was working him under saddle and this is the painting of that picture..you can tell he looks very like he's focusing very hard and absorbed in whatever we were learning at the moment...hence the title "In Training".

Painting Away....

2009-05-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

So here I am trying to paint between meals, dirty diapers, and endless homemaking tasks! I currently do have a community artists webpage but am not happy with the fact that viewers cannot comment on my work or just post me a hello! I hope this is a more family and friend friendly page.

This painting is titled "Crawfish Lake". It is a painting I started almost 2 years ago and did not finish. This year upon deciding my New Years resolution was going to be to start painting again, I decided finishing this was my first task at hand. This is an actual scene taken from a personal family camping trip at Crawfish Lake in eastern Washington. This is our boat in the picture. My husband loves this painting - so not for sale!