Royal Gardener's Eden had a wonderful circular history to her life. Found at 2 years
old, given away to a loving home at 6, then joyously returned to her
previous owner at age 10. Her owner had almost four more years of bliss
with Eden, until, as sometimes happens with horses, Eden met a sudden,
unexpected demise.
This portrait was an effort to recapture her spirit and
personality for her human family, which will always miss her dearly but
will also now have a permanent connection to her.
This painting is another adventure in the
14" x 20" watercolor format. A golden fall scene from a field about 10
minutes from my house. I'm not sure what was growing in that
field--could have been wheat, or could have been just weeds. Whatever it
was, I was attracted to the expanse of yellow-gold cut through by the
blue-sky reflections of the stream. "Michigan Gold" is an apt
description for the blaze of yellow which graces us each fall.
Gypsy is a totally blind paint mare whose condition was caused by neglect on the part of her former owner. She was rescued by Amazing Grace Equine Sanctuary in Elkhart Lake, WI. I offered to do this painting of her and donate it to the rescue for their August fundraiser. I titled the painting "Rolling in Clover" because it just seemed so fitting that this sweet mare now has a wonderful home with all she could ever possibly need. Including the opportunity to roll in the clover!
This oil painting is titled "Ma Nature's Prism" and it's one of an occasional series that includes Ma Nature's "Carnival", "Bling", and "Harlequin". It started out as a watercolor sketch titled "Conkle's Hollow Creek" which is a scene I photographed while hiking in southeastern Ohio. I liked the watercolor so much that I challenged myself to recreate it as a large oil painting. I think I like the large painting even more than the watercolor!
This a very special watercolor version of one of the Echo Park series oil paintings, Echo Park XI. My aunt had asked me years ago if I would give her a print of an Echo Park painting but somehow time passed and I never got around to it. I suddenly felt a compulsion to at least keep part of my promise, so instead of a print I spent a couple of days on this small watercolor version.
I'm so glad I did, because I found out after I sent it to her that she has cancer and of course no one ever knows how that situation is going to resolve itself. She loves the painting, and I am so happy I could put that bit of joy into her life.
An addition to my series of small watercolors, 7" x 10", this one is titled "Dowagiac Creek". This is a view of it a few miles from my house. Back in the 1800's the creek was dammed to supply power for a grist mill, and the body of water which was created is now called the Mill Pond. Every day I get to look out my window at the Mill Pond, and appreciate how this little creek ends up as a pretty sizable fishing lake.
My friend Becca posted a photo on Facebook while she was vacationing in Pennsylvania, and when I saw it I knew I had to paint it. I asked permission to use it and she said, "Go for it!". So I did, and here's the result. Fortunately she agreed that I had done the photo justice, so we're both happy with the outcome.
I was intrigued, as usual, by the patterns formed in the flowing water. I was also challenged by the fact that I chose to paint this watercolor in a larger format than usual--14" x 20". I had gotten used to the 7" x 10" size that I had been doing, but decided that the smaller size was tempting me to get bogged down in detail. When painting larger, the work almost demands a looser approach. I like the free-flowing feeling of the brushstrokes in this painting.
A Gypsy Vanner dashing through the snow. The Gypsy, also known as the Gypsy Cob or Tinker, originated with Romani Gypsies in Europe. The Gypsies have historically been known as savvy horse breeders who kept their secrets among themselves. Interest in the horse's unique characteristics grew, and over the years breed registries have been formed in America and Europe.
Gypsy Vanners are very uncommon in the US, and I was unable to find one to photograph myself. So I purchased promotional rights to paint a photograph of this lively horse and hope you also enjoy his romp in the snow.
I had a little difficulty locating a Friesian also, so this painting is from another stock photo which I purchased. The biggest difference between the photo and the painting is that I borrowed the sky from my landscape "Old Detroit Post Road". It seemed the perfect sky to reflect in the colors of this black horse's coat. Although we of course know the horse is black, there are many golden and blue highlights in the shiny areas of his lustrous mane and the chiseled planes of his head.
This is the doorway looking out from the indoor ring at Fox Valley Saddle Association, which is one of the venues where I regularly set up my portrait booth. My booth is at the other end of the ring, and when I look down the length of the competition ring, the doorway makes a nice frame for the view outside. This was painted from a photo taken in early fall when most of the corn was already harvested. I think it was probably feed corn, which would account for the stalks still standing...
Royal Gardener's Eden had a wonderful circular history to her life. Found at 2 years
old, given away to a loving home at 6, then joyously returned to her
previous owner at age 10. Her owner had almost four more years of bliss
with Eden, until, as sometimes happens with horses, Eden met a sudden,
unexpected demise.
This painting is another adventure in the
14" x 20" watercolor format. A golden fall scene from a field about 10
minutes from my house. I'm not sure what was growing in that
field--could have been wheat, or could have been just weeds. Whatever it
was, I was attracted to the expanse of yellow-gold cut through by the
blue-sky reflections of the stream. "Michigan Gold" is an apt
description for the blaze of yellow which graces us each fall.
Gypsy is a totally blind paint mare whose condition was caused by neglect on the part of her former owner. She was rescued by Amazing Grace Equine Sanctuary in Elkhart Lake, WI. I offered to do this painting of her and donate it to the rescue for their August fundraiser. I titled the painting "Rolling in Clover" because it just seemed so fitting that this sweet mare now has a wonderful home with all she could ever possibly need. Including the opportunity to roll in the clover!
This oil painting is titled "Ma Nature's Prism" and it's one of an occasional series that includes Ma Nature's "Carnival", "Bling", and "Harlequin". It started out as a watercolor sketch titled "Conkle's Hollow Creek" which is a scene I photographed while hiking in southeastern Ohio. I liked the watercolor so much that I challenged myself to recreate it as a large oil painting. I think I like the large painting even more than the watercolor!
This a very special watercolor version of one of the Echo Park series oil paintings, Echo Park XI. My aunt had asked me years ago if I would give her a print of an Echo Park painting but somehow time passed and I never got around to it. I suddenly felt a compulsion to at least keep part of my promise, so instead of a print I spent a couple of days on this small watercolor version.
An addition to my series of small watercolors, 7" x 10", this one is titled "Dowagiac Creek". This is a view of it a few miles from my house. Back in the 1800's the creek was dammed to supply power for a grist mill, and the body of water which was created is now called the Mill Pond. Every day I get to look out my window at the Mill Pond, and appreciate how this little creek ends up as a pretty sizable fishing lake.
My friend Becca posted a photo on Facebook while she was vacationing in Pennsylvania, and when I saw it I knew I had to paint it. I asked permission to use it and she said, "Go for it!". So I did, and here's the result. Fortunately she agreed that I had done the photo justice, so we're both happy with the outcome.
A Gypsy Vanner dashing through the snow. The Gypsy, also known as the Gypsy Cob or Tinker, originated with Romani Gypsies in Europe. The Gypsies have historically been known as savvy horse breeders who kept their secrets among themselves. Interest in the horse's unique characteristics grew, and over the years breed registries have been formed in America and Europe.
I had a little difficulty locating a Friesian also, so this painting is from another stock photo which I purchased. The biggest difference between the photo and the painting is that I borrowed the sky from my landscape "Old Detroit Post Road". It seemed the perfect sky to reflect in the colors of this black horse's coat. Although we of course know the horse is black, there are many golden and blue highlights in the shiny areas of his lustrous mane and the chiseled planes of his head.
This is the doorway looking out from the indoor ring at Fox Valley Saddle Association, which is one of the venues where I regularly set up my portrait booth. My booth is at the other end of the ring, and when I look down the length of the competition ring, the doorway makes a nice frame for the view outside. This was painted from a photo taken in early fall when most of the corn was already harvested. I think it was probably feed corn, which would account for the stalks still standing...