update on the zebra aceo card series

These zebras are starting to take shape. I still have adjustments to make. Colors to add. I'm missing some shadows where they need to be.

My mind is going crazy thinking about this, a series of the patterns on giraffes and other animals that have these stripes or blotches, alligators, large canvases that span a wall done in acyrlics...it's mind boggling!

I went to bed last night at midnight, but I couldn't sleep for thinking about these poor zebra looking so terrible so I was up at 5 am to work on them some more. They're coming along. I can't wait to add more to them.

Robert has started therapy again so we have to go to town three days a week, does that ever take time out of painting. I bring my laptop and work on my web pages while he's in the hospital. Sometimes I sit and draw the fish in the fish tanks or the people who walk by.

After therapy, he has headaches that won't quit so he's pretty quiet. Not very much fun. But we also realize there are so many people who got hurt like he did and are in worse shape so we have to count our blessings. The main thing is, we're together and we have each other.
Donna

What happens when you take the middle out of a herd of zebras?

I'm working on taking the middle out of a herd of zebras. Painting them one stripe at a time. Without drawing them on the paper before I paint. Talk about fun! This is a series of aceo cards, there are three shown here. Just to warn you, I'll probably add to this series as I'm excited about these zebras. I think they're very interesting and you don't have to have the entire form of the animals showing, to guess what they are.

You aren't seeing the finished product, I've yet to strengthen the highlights and shadows of the individual animals.

It's very interesting to me, how these animals must be standing in buff colored grasses. You wouldn't expect the warm colors to be found on the underbellies of the critters yet there they are! You see the hot light of a noon day sun on their backs, washing the black stripes into a hazey blue. The light is reflecting upward from the grass, causing the warm colors to show beneath the form of the animals.

Thank you for stopping by, hope you enjoyed what's here of my zebra series.
Donna

ACEO wolf, Montana's Bitterroot forest.

Deep in Montana's Bitterroot forest, a lone wolf checks his territory.
Donna

Small art, sunflower pods. Watercolor.

Am I ever having fun with these sunflowers.

This composition had me in a tail spin for a while as the upside down L the yellow pods formed, didn't stand on their own. I finally added the dried up pods, the ones all the stuff has fallen off of. Not good English, but I don't know how else to say it. Anyway, the little grey flat pods are holding up the upside down L so it doesn't look like it's tipping over. Or balanced precariously.

I also remembered to scan this before I glazed it with varnish and before I framed it. That helps a lot in the scanning! I can get a more accurate picture of this to post.

So much for this painting, I'm off and running to eat my oatmeal so I can paint another one!
Donna

Another floral miniature, 3X4". Watercolor.

One more small watercolor.
Donna

Floral miniature.

This is a horrible scan but I had to try posting this. Maybe tomorrow, I'll get a good photo and replace this picture. These little 3X4" paintings are cute and fun to do. I like the sunflowers, they're good, cheerful subjects!
Donna

Floral miniature. Sunflower Fun.

For years, my mom has asked me to paint flowers. I haven't been able to get into painting garden flowers, but prairie sunflowers are something I like. Consequently, here are more sunflowers for you to see! These colors are not scanning to look like the actual painting. I seem to be using colors my scanner doesn't like! This painting is 3X4".
Donna

Eyes of Equus, A poem by Donna Ridgway

Eyes of Equus

'Neath cowl of swirling ethereal skies,
Awaiting the eternal rythm of hooves,
On wings of Pegasus my spirits rise.

Earth quivers as they come,
Leaping, shimmering, sleek!
Velvet nostrils flare,
Catch my scent,
They turn to peek,
I'm captured by the eyes of equus!

Copyright Donna Ridgway 2003

Ever been in a pasture full of horses and have them running straight at you? This poem, to me, describes that feeling. The anticipation of of watching the horses come close, is almost more than you can bear. It's so exciting to see them, wild and free, yet they come thundering in, to place their heads in your hands.

They're the most amazing creatures on this earth!
Donna

Wind Dancing, a poem by Donna Ridgway

Wind Dancing

Some say it's bleak and cold
This wind that never dies.
It ages you, makes you cold,
Wears you down when you try.

This wind they hate with fervor,
Carries me to flights of fancy.
Whirling, dancing, wondering what's in store,
I give myself over to the wind dancing.

I rise, a leaf in the storm,
Let it take me where it will.
There'll be times when I'm not warm.
There'll be times when I'm not still.

The freedom of this effortless flight,
The heights to which I soar,
Make it all seem right,
And I'll ride the wind more and more.

Copyright Donna Ridgway 2004

I wrote this poem after I met my Robert. Knowing him is like wind dancing, you are so free in his company, to be yourself.

The poem also expresses the way I feel about my art, who knows where it will take me? But now I'm free to create all I want, the wind can take me where it will.
Donna

ACEO card. "Havin' Fun in the Sun!"

Singin', Dancin, Whoopin' it up Flowers! This is how I'd feel if I was in Florida right now!

This scan is kind of bland compared to the real painting of these happy flowers, they're very vibrant and filled with energy. This is a watercolor on gessoed mat board.

Working on this surface is the opposite of working on watercolor paper. I work from my darkest color here, to my lightest. On watercolor paper, I find the lightest colors first, then add layer after layer to create the darks. It's taken me awhile to get this way of working into my head. I create the light colors by wiping out the darks.

This painting:
"Havin' Fun in the Sun
3.5X2.5 ACEO card on gessoed mat board.
Watercolor
$35
Click the ebay link to your right to purchase.

Thanks for stopping by! If you'd like this blog delivered to your email inbox, you can subscribe in the subscribe form to your top right. Feedblitz will deliver the almost daily painting directly into your email, eliminating the need for you to find it on the internet each day.
Donna

Blaze faced Buckskins Eye, Horse ACEO card.

My cousin has a horse named Murphy. I've painted him numerous times and in many ways. This is a painting of Murphy's eye. He's a sorrel horse with a big white blaze but I decided to paint another buckskin so he's changed his colors! It was a challenge to create the rich color of the buckskin, and have that white blaze down in the left hand corner.

To counter what could have been a glaring white space, I layered blue over the blaze area, then layered alizarin crimson over that. I'm painting on gessoed mat board, using watercolor. I was then able to wipe the deep colors off the blaze and blend it into the horses coloring. I think it worked because I was using complementary colors, the yellow of the horse against the purple of the blaze.

Murphy has a slightly almond shaped eye that's Oriental and mysterious. I hope you like the way I portrayed him.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you've had a great day.
Donna

World Wide Women Artists Online

I'm proud to announce my work juried into this group and I'm taking part in this exhibit. I've sent the Rocking Horse to Florida. Hope she's arrived safely!
Donna


A WOMAN'S WORK IS NEVER DONE
Women Artists From Around the World Exhibit To Aid Czech Photographers

New Port Richey, FL – The New Year is starting off with a definite
global flavor at the Progress Art Gallery in downtown New Port
Richey. During the months of February and March the Worldwide Women
Artists Organization members will be exhibiting artwork from local
members as well as from members all across the globe in the show, A
Woman's Work is Never Done. The exhibit opens Friday, February 2 at
6:00 p.m.

This dynamic group, led by artists Laura Milnor Iverson and Teresa
Turner who created the group in May 2004, has a long history of using
art to help nonprofit organizations and charities. Ms. Iverson has
been a leader in the online art community, setting a fine example for
other artists and encouraging artists to take on the role of
philanthropist. She has been featured on the MissionFish. com website
for her efforts.

The February exhibit is dedicated to the strength, passion and
compassion of women and their impact on the world around us today.
The art collection will be as diverse as the women who create it;
with influences from all around the world including the UK,
Canada & Greace. Local members include Michelle Astuto Collins,
Paula Showen, and Toni K. "This exhibit is going to be absolutely
fantastic," says Exhibit Coordinator Michelle Astuto Collins. "It's
something I've wanted to do for a long time and now to see all of
this artwork from around the world here in our Gallery is just an
amazing accomplishment. I know the public is going to love the
diversity and quality of this exhibit."

The Gallery will be donating a percentage of all sales from this
exhibit to raising funds for the following exhibit A Czech Dialogue:
Images from the 7,65foto Club located in the Czech Republic town of
Liberec. This exhibit will take place April through May 2007 and
several of the artists will be in attendance to personally share in
this exchange of cultures.

The artists from WWAO are also going to be hosting an online art sale
during the month of March in which they will also be donating part of
the proceeds to the Czech exhibit. The online sale will begin March 1
and go through March 15. Sale items may be found at the Gallery's
website, www.nprgallery. com.

The Progress Energy Art Gallery is a community gallery which was
opened by the not-for-profit organization, Greater New Port Richey
Main Street with a grant from Progress Energy, to encourage the
growth of art and culture in our downtown. All proceeds from sales go
toward keeping this valuable asset to the community operational.

The Gallery is located at 6231 Grand Boulevard, downtown New Port
Richey. For further information please call 727.848.6500 or see our
web site at www.nprgallery. com.

Black paint by the hay feeder. ACEO horse art.

When we bring firewood home, we drive by this paint horse. He's always standing beside his hay feeder. It's always full of hay. It's a wonder he isn't fat!

He's a nice looking horse and I also liked the way the red of the feeder stood out against the green of the hay.

You can shop for these aceo cards on my website and use handy pay pal buttons for your purchases.

Thank you for stopping by! Donna

Spike, a buck deer, ACEO card. Ridgway.

"Spike"
This little buck deer has a story behind him. Robert and I stopped one day to photograph a herd of deer. All the deer herd except one, woke up and stood up to run. One doe was sleeping so hard in the warm sunshine, she didn't wake up as we watched them and I photographed them all. This little buck, went to the sleeping doe and reached out to touch her on the cheek with his nose. She was sleeping so soundly she still didn't wake up!

He then reached out and nudged her with one front hoof. It was the most amazing sight and I have the sequence of photos on my computer. When this buck nudged the doe with his hoof, she woke up, she had such a sleepy look on her face. She realized there was danger and she jumped to her feet and she and the buck joined the rest of the herd. This painting is of the buck as he ran off.

I'm in the position of needing inventory for a show, so I'm not posting much on ebay at the moment. In fact, the Christmas cow sold last night and I was especially thinking she'd be nice for two upcoming shows. I sure can't complain when I sell something though! So if you see something you like, don't hesitate to let me know.

You can sign up to receive this blog in your email each day by scrolling to the bottom of this page and signing up at the box there.

Thanks for stopping by!
Donna

Fido, fire hydrant aceo.

I have to laugh when I look at this because it reminds me of a dog. That's why I named it Fido. It's sort of in the same shape as the face of Huckleberry Hound. When my daughter was small, she called these "fire dehydrants". I thought that was cute. So I painted this in memory of her saying that also.

The original is much brighter than this scan.

Remember, my websites are set up for your shopping convenience with pay pal buttons.

Thanks for stopping by!
Donna

Buckskin ACEO on colored background

I turned my horse Class into a buckskin again. I wanted to play with the background and have this nice purple color behind her, so you can pretend it's a sunset or something if you need to name it.

I tried for two days to do this painting as an oil painting and couldn't make anything happen so I switched to watercolors and it worked the first try. I guess I'm in the mood for watercolor!

Donna

Draft horse aceo. Watercolor horse art.

She's finally finished. I think she's kind of cute too. She was a lot of work, maybe I'll just put her in my ebay store and go on with life. :)
Donna

Sandy, draft horse, ACEO. Watercolor, work in progress.

I've done several paintings of Candy, a Belgian draft horse that lives near us. Today I decided I needed to do some paintings of Sandy as she's just as beautiful as Candy is! This is watercolor on top of gessoed mat board. The mat board with gesso is a slick, hard surface. I probably have three layers of watercolor on this and it's only at this stage! How ugly!

After I put on about 20 or 30 more layers of color, it will start to look like something. Every time I start one of these, I wonder if I'm crazy or not? It's a lot of planning and thinking and doing and I'll probably sell it for $10.00 on auction at ebay. If it doesn't sell the first time around, I'll put it in my ebay store for $35.

I give my collectors one chance to get a bargain, after that, my work is full price in the store. It might seem idiotic but I know when I was a horse crazy kid, I couldn't afford anything to do with a horse, let alone purchase original art from an artist I liked. That's why I like to offer these, one time, at $10.00 before they go into the store.

Back to painting, we have to go to town today so my time will be limited in my studio.
donna

Thanks for visiting my blog, bookmark it and you can find it again, or at the bottom of this page, there 's a link where you can sign up for this blog to appear in your email inbox.

My work can be easily purchased with paypal and your credit card from my websites.

Glass insulator, ACEO card.

After painting so many animals, it's kind of fun to try painting something that doesn't have four legs. This is one of the old glass insulators that used to be on power lines. The scan isn't quite as bright as the original but it's close.
Donna

Free art lesson 1.

Creating Equine Art

The first things you need to know about becoming an equine artist are some basic rules about image use. As an artist you must learn to work using live subjects, capturing your scenes, or using a camera to take your own photos. Your unique way of seeing the world of the horse shines through when you use your own reference materials. Another way to create an image, is to call upon your imagination. Let it flow and see what appears on the canvas or paper.

Artist's also find images, by purchasing the rights to photos or pictures that belong to someone else. It's perfectly acceptable and legal to use images if you purchase rights. You may also ask permission when you find a photo you like, some people will allow you to use their photos for free. Becoming a member of certain organizations and contributing to their member reference libraries gives you the right to use other members reference photos. Two such art related organizations are the Equine Art Guild and Wet Canvas.

There are other sites on the web, where you can receive help in your quest for learning to paint, these two above, happen to be the two I belong to at this time. At both organizations, you'll have help with any problem that arises. Artists there are happy to assist you with information about supplies, mediums, techniques and encouragement. There's a fee to join the Equine Art Guild, Wet Canvas is free at this time. Both organizations accept you at the skill level with which you paint at this time. You don't have to be famous or skilled to join.

If you choose to paint human subjects with famous horses, be sure to obtain a model release. Images of some people and horses are legally protected against use. It's wise to ask permission before you begin to paint these subjects.

Copyright law might seem complicated. It becomes very simple if you remember this basic rule. Don't copy another person's work. Use your own reference materials! You'll hear from some sources it's permissible to copy a work if you "change it 10%". Don't do it. It isn't legal. Use your own materials! I can't stress this enough. Think of it this way, would you want someone else copying your work? You won't be considered a serious artist, if you don't gather your own sources for your work.

You don't have to own a horse to become a great equine artist. Perhaps you work with horses and have endless ideas coming your way for your art. Many artists I know go to the track, parades, rodeos or other equine events to gather material for creating their paintings. Perhaps you have a friend or neighbor who's willing to allow you to photograph their horses. I like to drive around the countryside taking photos of horses I find along the way. I'm careful not to disturb the horses or try to get close to them, I take the photos from a distance. This method gives me natural looking poses of horses in their environment.

Many factors enter into becoming an equine artist. First and foremost, is the image you create and how you come upon it. In following articles, I'll post lessons, with examples, on how to draw and paint horses.

The support under your painting.

Black Labrador, portrait, Oil painting.

This is an underpainting for a black lab portrait I'm working on. So far, it has a soft feeling to it that I like. I started this a long time ago, just decided I should finish it! There are about 5 or 6 paintings around this studio left over from last year that need to be finished. I'll post them as they get painted.

This is almost totally burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. One of my favorite combinations of colors. I did use a little cobalt blue in some places as it gave this dog something it needed.
donna

Leaf in the forest, aceo.

This photo isn't the best of this painting but you can see the general idea here. The wind is blowing to hard outside to photograph this out there, and inside the light is poor so this is a washy version of the real aceo. The paint on this is so thick I can't scan it. I tried and all I did was smudge everything so I had to repaint it...

I've been wanting to paint this dead leaf for a long time. I like the way it contrasts with the living forest all around it. It was also a good "loosening up" excersize because all I did to paint it, was to lay paint on in random patterns, then blend it together.
Donna

Antelope oil painting, wildlife art.

I keep hearing people say, you are to start the new year the way you intend to finish it so I have my little painting finished up by 8 am today. This herd of antelope was near Billings, Mt. You might wonder if the rocks are this weird any place on earth, but they are like this near Billings. Strange colors, strange shapes and it makes a fun landscape to paint.

One of my goals this year, is to improve on landscape skills and to do more and different animals than just horses. So come back to this blog in December and compare this landscape to one I do in December. You'll be able to tell if I reached my goal or not.

Don't worry, I'll still do plenty of horses! In fact I think I hear one calling me now, begging for me to put him on a canvas.....

My wishes for you, are the best for this New Year.

Donna


Purchase info on this painting:
Name: Antelope near Billings
Size: 8x10 on canvas board.
Medium: Oil Painting
Price: $100
Contact me: montanahorsegallery@earthlink.net