A Soft Place to Land

36 x 30" oil/linen

Finally! Its done!

And with 5 days to go before the Russell Auction deadline.

Wheez! Wheez!

Gosh! Maybe I try to squeeze in another while I'm fresh! (I'm being sarcastic here... : )

I ended up going Olive Green as my dominant.

I usually avoid this color because of its black tendencies. But I was reminded by my artist friend L. A. Stevens what a wonderful color it is for snow scenes.

Painting progress...

Heres one of the larger paintings I'm working on for entry in the upcoming C.M. Russell Western Art Auction.  Its a take on "A Soft Place to Land", a painting I did this past April.  This one will be a bit less stylistic then that last one, a bit truer to my style and much LARGER.  30 x 36" Well, bigger than what I've been doing for a while now.  Its so nice to get back to these larger supports.  I love to stand while I'm painting, and also just the physical act of being able to step back to see how its progressing helps me stay alert and focused.   I hope to finish it here in the next few days.  Below is the start which took about an hour to draw and lay in the basic color values.

"Filly" - continued....

Here is the next session in my painting of "Filly."  As you can see I've blocked in the color now. I will continue working off this same value study, below.  At this point I am starting to worry about a middle ground.  I will need to add something there to add depth.  I've added some red compliment around the tree tops to create an under-painting.  This will help the trees come to life later on when I put in the sky.  I continue to draw the horse back in, as I paint around it.  Holding on to my first sketch outline.

"Paint That Ain't"

8 x 10" oil - canvas panel

For purchase information click here.

This title most likely needs an explanation...

This bay horse is actually a registered paint.  His mother was completely black and his father a flaming red sorrel Overo paint.  Some call this result, a "Paint That Ain't."

I've been training him for the past few years and he's really coming along nicely.  His name is Buddy and he really is!!

A few changes...

...before

...after

8 x 8" oil/canvas panel

sold

Hi everyone! I'm back from Minnesota and after a few days of playing catching up, I'm finally back to the quiet and comfort, of my studio.  Whew!  I must say that whenever I travel outside Montana, I just can't wait to get back!  It was an adventure though, since we traveled by train and I've got lots of material for future paintings.

Anyway...

This painting had been bugging me, with all those busy shadows, etc.  So I decided to remove all that stuff and get down to some basic shapes and values.  Often times its what you leave out that can make a painting better.

Oh and Happy 4th of July everyone!

"Yellow Slicker"

8 x 10" oil/canvas panel

sold

I've been working on my brewery painting for the past few days now and thought I'd take a break and loosen up some. I love realism, but it's so exacting that you must lay down cautious, thoughtful brush strokes. So I decided to have a little fun this afternoon and throw some paint around. I really like how this one came out. Its colorful, but the rain and mud give it an edgy quality of emotional contrasts that I wish I could get in all my work.

"Filly II"

10 x 8" oil/canvas panel

sold

As I mentioned earlier, this horse belonged to my cousin and died this past winter.

This is the second painting in this three part series.  She is older here and her muzzle is starting to turn white.  The final painting will be a full figure and a bit larger than these last two.

"Filly"

10 x 8" oil/canvas panel

sold

My cousin had this bay horse for 25 years. Unfortunately she died this past winter.
I think its very special when I horse gets to live with the same person all of their lives. So many have a hard time finding a good home. Anyway, she asked if I would do a grouping of three paintings, two smaller and a large main piece.
This is the first of the two small ones.

"Day Ride to Pretty Prairie"

10 x 8" oil/canvas panel

For purchase information click here.

Each year I get together with a few of my girlfriends and take a horse trip to the mountains. Something we started several years ago.

Whats neat is we are all artists AND have horses! How great is that? To say the least, we have WAY too much fun, but thats the way it goes when you leave your kids and husbands at home!
Unfortunately we were unable to go last year, because of all the wildfires here in Montana. So heres hoping we get out and do a little horse camping this summer girls.

This is a painting of myself on my horse Bones and Christine McKay riding our little Spanish Arabian mare Amy. We are heading to Pretty Prairie in the Bob Marshall Wilderness.