Spring 2009 Apples ‘N Oats is Here
The latest issue of Apples ‘N Oats is now out and available. The magazine seems to grow a little bit every issue. Of course this is the big one that goes out to all the horse expo’s.
I’ve included the excerpt below from my article in this issue.
Equine Paparazzi
However, it is the random quiet moments that go on behind the scenes that hold the most allure for painting. It’s in these moments that occasionally, if I’m very lucky, I catch a bit of magic that will later work itself into art. I wander the barns breathing in the heady aroma of fly spray and horse. The sounds of creaking leather, jangling chains and whinnying horse fill the air.For the most part, people are so busy bustling about in preparation for the event that they take no notice of me.
Then when I see something interesting, I pause and take a few pictures. Occasionally I stand around and wait to see if more interesting things will happen. Only when I find a horse that just really grabs me by my “artistic juju” do I follow him around like a groupie.
This is also the point that tends to “weird people out” a bit. I mean they are used to having photos taken when they participate in these things. But when I find an animal that I think I want to paint, I take an obscene amount of photos, wildly snapping pictures as if I were some sort of strange equine paparazzi.
Tags: AnO
LOL — I love it. Equine paparazzi — yes, I can just see it. And just see the confused reactions of any human celebrities and big shots when you walk right past their famous faces and go snapping the horse of your artistic dreams.
It completely makes sense to me and reminds me of the way I stalk my cat. He has been my favorite photography subject since he was a six week old kitten and he learned that he could get a reaction by dodging the camera. As a kitten his favorite thing was turning around and showing me his butt.
I had hundreds of tail shots when he was tiny and very few of the front end of the Adorable Ari. Then he got older, I got a better digital camera, it had flash and he decided he wanted no part of it.
Sometimes though, if I sketch him sleeping he won’t move even though he hears the pencil and opens his eyes a little to see what’s going on. But he demands lots of loving and scritching after the session. The picture is not more important than the warm living purring cat.
Hey Robert, Ari sounds like a hoot.
Good for you for committing your cat to art. Budda has no fear of the camera but my previous cat Oliver didn’t like it much.
I really need a better camera (and learn how to use it!) - not just for photographing art but for reference photo’s too. Trouble is, I fancy making an elephant and we don’t have any that live locally
Maybe I should take a trip to a zoo.
Yup, I’d say a trip to the zoo is definitely in order. African or Asian elephant?
Hmm.. not sure. I think I read that the Asian elephant is endangered? I might have to look into that a bit more. I fancy doing a few endangered animals. I saw a fascinating program on telly about elephants in Africa a few weeks ago. Apparently they are losing access to their migration paths because of those nasty humans who keep claiming land and setting up villages. Then they wonder why they get elephants strolling through where they live…