Fur In The Paint

So yesterday I ran out and got a new bike. I have not been on a bike in …. well let me see …. at least 20 years, maybe more.

For years I’ve had visions of riding a bike from the farm to work each day, which is a little over 4 miles. Totally doable right? Plus as an added bonus I would get all toned and sexy and be bringing on the hotness.

Now I already have a nice mountain bike from my post college years. But of course after sitting for 20 some odd years the tires and tubes are shot. So I ran to Walmart (The land of all things cheap and proudly made in sweatshops around the globe) and I was pricing new tires and tubes. For everything I needed it would be around $70.00. I turn around and look at a preassembled bike ready to go off the rack for $88. Now I may not be a rocket surgeon but I figure even if the thing breaks in 6 months I’ll just yank the tires off and put ‘em on my old bike.

My old bike is a man’s bike and is oozing sexy warrior vibes in black with red and neon green slashes and called something The Terminator, or Road Rage. My new bike is all girlie in a soft pink-lavendar color. I don’t know what my new bike is called but it’s probably something like Summers Eve or Womanly Radiance. Get me a white wicker basket with daisies on it and I’ll totally be rockin’ the granny look.

So here’s the thing. I like to think of myself as being somewhat in shape. I currently walk 3-4 miles every day. I work in the yard and garden and regularly pitch hay and horse poop.

This bike has totally kicked my ass! I just took her for a test run to the trailhead (something like 4 blocks) and back. I actually got off the bike like 1/2 block from the gallery and walked it the final few feet because it was uphill. I was sweaty, my legs were rubbery, my heart was pounding, there was a faint buzzing sound in my ears and I think I may have blacked out at one point from the trauma.

The woman from a neighboring business popped out and informed me that I was supposed to “ride” the bike. I’m like “Ha ha very funny” and resisted the urge to flip her off. She’s just lucky I was too blurry eyed and weak or I would have gone all stabby on her butt.

So as I collapse on the gallery couch with a gallon of Diet Coke waiting for the sweat to evaporate, my vision to clear and my heart rate to slow. I realize that yeah … I am totally ” bringing the hotness” on my new bike. Just not quite in the way I thought I would be.

Blue Rhino
Oil Pastel on Handmade Paper

Remember This Guy?
So the summer art events are fast approaching (way too fast) and I though since I am not exactly putting out tons of fresh new artwork, perhaps I’ll create prints from some older stuff. Since I’m doing the profiling and printing myself this has opened up many new options.

Note: The large sized limited edition print shows all those wonderful deckles but the smaller open edition prints do not.

First let me say I’m sorry I’ve been MIA yet again. I’ve been having problems with my uploads and since I didn’t really have any text only posts … well there was a bit of a break. Also still working through my life stuffs.

Anywho, back now and with some new surprises coming up. But for today this is it.

I photographed this old Dodge truck several years back and fell in love. I wanted to experiment a little with laying down an orange base coat and putting my favorite chartruese-y greens over the top.

This piece was done on 110# Hot Press watercolor paper. I used Inktense pencil for my base orange and then used Neopastel II for the top layer.

I learned 3 things.

Make that 3.5 Things

My vision included some serious textures whether through mark making or surface paper. Neither could be achieved with this scenario. So my plan is to pick up some Cold Press Watercolor Paper next time I’m out in a city and try again. Sadly this most likely won’t be until my first art event which is like 3 weeks away. (Eeck!)

But I posted this to show that I am still trying to do something. I’ve also pulled out an old oil pastel which I plan to finish up this weekend. Will post a pic soon.

What his owners says about him.
KIRKENDAHL, is his registered Thoroughbred name. According to the owner, originally this big boy was bred and raced by “Dream Walkin’ Farms” (Toby Keith’s racing stable/thoroughbred farm). Due to some leg issues he had some time off and when he returned to racing he ran at Prairie Meadows in Des Moines then to Remington in Oklahoma City. The current owner acquired him in 2009.

Kirk’s owner says “His first crop of foals hit the ground in 2011 and this year, there are a total of 9 foals expected. 2 have been born already. He makes his foals near giraffes! Long Legged, Attitudes yet kind. The hope is for some wonderful runners.

“Kirkendahl himself is a site to behold. Kind eye, character of a champion. He loves peppermints, carrots, apples and Yes, Like Toby’ Keith’s song “Whiskey for my men, Beer for my horses”. He Loves Beer. He stands 17.2 hands tall and is built like a tank. He is long bodied and such so, that he takes two partitions in my trailer to fit. He is going to produce runners of runners. I think he will make a name for himself, and maybe even us in time. He is stunning. He certainly has personality. Nippy at times, but when he hears the rustle of mints, he takes it like a perfect gentleman from your hand.

He is an awesome animal, and at times, I am certain part human and understands exactly what we are saying to him!”

The Painting Is Finished
I sent her an email containing an image of the painting and she was thrilled.

In the immortal words of Homer SImpson “Thank you JeBus!”

So I am uploading my final adjustments to my Kirk painting and I find this mysterious photo.

Huh.

Perhaps it’s best if I don’t leave my cat and my camera alone together.

So I had been sitting around thinking the Kirkendahl portrait was “fine.” (And by “fine” I mean okay.) It’s a perfectly adequate portrait and since it’s my first horse in God only knows how long … well, it was fine. Rather illustrator-ish but in general fine. (Do you think I could squeeze the word “fine” in any more?) However I had this niggling feeling every time I looked at it. Something wasn’t right and I needed to figure out what that something was. I had plenty of tweaking left to do but I knew whatever tweaks I had planned wouldn’t change what was nagging at me.

I tend to prop a painting up somewhere when I’m trying to figure this kind of thing out. That way when I’m going about my gallery business I can stop for a couple of minutes and ponder it. Also it helps to sort of “come upon” the painting. First impressions of the first glance, kind of thing. In the end I decided it was the mane that was the problem.

Well perhaps not the mane alone. But the fact that the mane was by far this big darkness that didn’t really have any balance anywhere else in the overall piece. Everything was so bright in comparison. So I imagine what the piece would look like in grayscale. Trying to suss out tonal value of the piece on the whole.

While I didn’t actually do a grayscale check in photoshop I decided I’d darken much of the background and some of the horse. Create more richness as well as contrast. I increased the shadows along the neck and shoulder.

At this point I am much happier with the piece. There is still tweaking to be done but I can look at it with a certain amount of pride now rather than feeling squeamish like I hadn’t put my whole heart and soul in to the piece. Honestly though only the first couple of days I found painfully boring. About the time I started the neck I was getting into it. This is only the second time I have worked off a photo that was provided rather than one I took myself. It was a good challenge for me.

So I know I have said this before but hopefully tomorrow I will consider it finished. Sign it and email the owner. Or I may delay everything and “live” with it for a few days.

Almost But Not Quite Done
Still working out the kinks of the background as well as trying to get the horse to feel like it’s a part of the scene not just cut and pasted into it. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get it finished up. I figured I’d have it done by now but I’ve been working on creating a page for the website that deals with commissioning a horse portrait in between painting stints. (and by “creating” I mean building the page from scratch.)

I learned HTML for my blog. (and by “learned” I mean I have a tenuous grasp, but it’s enough that I can manage the basics) I’ve learned CSS for squidoo and now I’m learning to use PmWiki for my website.

Turns out I’m not just a pretty face with an awesome rack … but I also have a brain too. (Okay that sentence right there is why I’ll never be taken seriously as an artist.)

At any rate the Kirkendahl horse portrait is coming along. I may even be content with it when it’s done.

Maybe.

I was really hoping to be able to finish this piece off today so I could start a new “something” tomorrow. But nope. I’m spending way too much time pondering and puzzling over all the minor details and mental minutia like “Do I have enough shine on his face to match the shine on his shoulder?” (not yet but close) or “Do I include the lead chain or pretend he’s at liberty?” (liberty)

The mane is just washed in to give me a feel for it. Next the background … Uhg!

Yeah I know right? How many decades of my life will I continue to dread doing the background. You’d figure someone who has done as many paintings of horses as I’ve had would have it pretty well nailed down by now. Part of the problem is I rarely do what is in the photo for backgrounds so it leaves a lot to figure out. Colors to be used, whether I want dramatic lighting or just some sort of soft wash.

And to top it all off I’m hungry. I don’t do my best thinking when I’m hungry. Fantasies of pizza’s and cheesy poofs are floating through my head. I may have some strawberries for desert because I’m all up into the healthy like that. Hmm … perhaps a quick grocery store run is in order. You know, just to get the creative juices flowing because right now all I can concentrate on is the gastric ones.

What? Too much information?

Have a good weekend ya’ll. Here’s hoping come Monday I’ll have the piece done and then will finally tell you all about the model like I promised to do half a dozen posts back or so.

Well this piece has been a challenge. Partly because it is so terribly portrait like. (I seriously don’t know how you portrait artists do it.) Of course the great appeal of creating this piece was all his fluttering mane and that is yet to be worked in.

I set myself the challenge to make him as realistic as possible. And I clung to that notion for quite awhile. But today some violets, periwinkles and cabernets began showing up. Very subtle but his lower neck is a veritable rainbow. Still reads realism though.

I am getting close enough to finishing the horse itself to begin sweating the background. I had a plan but as things tend to go for me … I am beginning to doubt my plan. Maybe I’ll just put in a color wash or maybe I’ll try for that blurred tree look of photographers. I guess I’ll know it when I get there.

I’ve yet to send a WIP to the owner. Partly because an unfinished piece leaves a lot to the imagination. And partly because I could ruin it at any moment and am willing to wait until it is finished before I connect with them. Of course they could be privy to the blog. So that whole mental argument with myself may be for naught.

Some Bunny Loves You - White Rabbits Magnet by WildFacesGallery
More Bunny Magnets
$2.85

Bunny Joy
Oddly enough this image was never one that I was overly fond of in print but for some reason I am loving it on my zazzle products. I’ve slapped it on everything from t-shirts to puzzles, coffee mugs to magnets & stickers. And I even made a gallery card of it with and without the “Some Bunny Loves You” text.

Happy Easter White Rabbit Mug by WildFacesGallery
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$15.95

White Rabbit Pillow by WildFacesGallery
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$59.95

Happy Easter!
I’m heading to MN to spend Easter with a dear friend. So here’s wishing you all the warmest Easter Blessings.