Another one - just a speed painting sketch - the Clydesdale again

Before I worked on the cyclamen, I did a 15-minute watercolor sketch in my sketchbook of the Clydesdale colt. You may be able to see how the paper's buckled, but I enjoy this paint-sketch. I love the way the green shapes his belly and legs, and I love the pattern of the white inroads into the red-brown. The area of green below the belly has edges in the wash that look kind of like pressure ridges, or concussion-wave lines - I'm not sure what to call them - echo lines? Compression waves - that's it!

I don't plan to offer my sketches or speed paintings for sale, but if you love the look of this one, let me know; I might do a bigger watercolor from it. Who knows?

A Cyclamen - not there yet...

So here's what I painted on Thursday: a cyclamen. Or, part of a group of cyclamens in the corner of our dining room. While I was working on it, I thought it was kind of pitiful - crude shapes, garish, unsubtle colors; so I only worked on it for an hour & a quarter, planning to save some of my painting time on it for some future day, when maybe I've gotten a bit more experience with plants and foliage. Getting any variation and life into the green of the leaves was a challenge I didn't think I was making any progress on, and working with light colors over the wet green paint, to try to get the details of the pattern on the leaves, was also difficult. I enjoyed it, all the same, even though I rather despised the results, and I'm very glad my judgements didn't interfere with my pleasure in the process.

About an hour later, when I looked at it again, it didn't look nearly as hopeless as I'd thought earlier. It's still unfinished, of course, and I don't know if I'll finish it; and if I work more on it, I don't know how much closer it will get to the beauty of these cyclamen leaves, and their flowers. But, hmmm.

At this point, I don't expect to sell this. But if it catches your enthusiasm, and you'd especially like me to finish it, let me know!

Two in a row! Clydesdale Colt

Oil on masonite,

Hey, hey! I did another painting yesterday. This one looks more unfinished, but I still like it. I think I wimped out a bit on the colt's face. I was painting from 5:30 to 7:30 in the evening. I really really want to get to my painting earlier in the day, but I'm glad I'm doing it, anyway. I photographed it this morning; morning seems to be a good time to photograph the paintings, good light, not direct. I left my tripod set up on my studio balcony (not the same balcony I photographed the buck from), which makes things a bit easier.

This is a Clydesdale colt who was tethered in a open shed at the Draft Horse Classic. He was so gorgeous... I love the markings, not quite like a paint horse, but the white making inroads on his red.

I don't know what else I want to say....

The official size of this is 6" x 8"; exact size is 5 5/16" x 7 15/16". If you're interested in buying this one, please email me. It's $115 plus shipping - probably between $5 and 10, including insurance. This will need about one month's drying time.

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoy these.

Available

Email me if you'd like to buy this painting.

Finally, a new one: First Young Buck

Oil on masonite, 8" x 6"

Well. I think I'll just blurt and ramble till I start to feel happy with what I'm writing. I started out censoring.

So this is my second "daily" painting, and at this rate it comes out to "Painting a Twice a Year." Or I could just say I'm starting over. Or I could just say I'm back, though I don't know if that means I'll do my third, fourth, fifth "daily" paintings soon, or after a long while. I am trying just walking forward with my eyes closed, not looking forward and speculating, not looking back and judging. I hope I'm ready to make this a habit. I want to be ready.

I did this painting yesterday in what felt like a very neutral state - not excited or pleased, not disappointed, frustrated or unhappy. I'm kind of pleased with the painting, and kind of mystified - I don't know where it came from, in a way. I mean that although, literally, it came from a photo I took of a buck deer on our driveway, standing less than six feet away from the little balcony I came out on to take pictures of him, it looks way more mysterious and moody and evocative, and kind of dramatic, than I expected, and a sort of classical lighting developed that is a surprise to me. From the mood, I almost think it could be deep in the forest.

I like the light, and I really like this buck's cocked-back ear. I think his eye could be larger and more liquid, but I think it works. I really like the angles and direction of the composition. It seems like I've made him look like a youngster, a fawn, but though his sprouting antlers are hard to see, they're there. He stayed for me for a long minute or so, before slowly moving on down the hill.

The official size of this is 8"x6"; exact size 7 15/16" x 5 5/16". It's $115 plus shipping - still haven't checked that out, but I think it will probably be between $5 and 10, including insurance. This will need about one month's drying time.

I might write more about the buck or the painting later, but I think I'll leave it at that for now.

Available

Email me if you'd like to buy this painting.