Fox Play, work in progress 3.

This is where I'm at right now in this painting. And the actual painting is larger than this, I've been scanning portions of it because my camera is in the house and I don't want to go get it. At some point today, I'll take a photo of this and you can see the entire thing. It's actual size is 11X14 inches.

I've got a z composition going on in here now, your eye is lead into the picture by the grey dirt at the front of the fox hole, then it goes up the bank and across the other fox.

To the left of center in the painting, is going to be a center of interest and it will be formed by the lightest lights and the darkest darks in the painting. It's going to be kind of a straight line going down from the fox on top, to the strong colors on the bottom fox.

I'm planning for the main focal point of the entire painting, to be the expression on the face of the bottom fox. She knows from experience, her brother is likely to be up there getting ready to pounce on her, but she isn't sure. Her ears are listening as hard as they can to hear him and she's ready to play the game of pounce and wrestle.

When I get to this stage of painting, the painting itself takes over and I don't need to look at my reference photos any longer. It seems the painting tells me what it wants to become. There are times when I stare at it for a long time before I see my next step, other times I can work away for an hour before I have to stop and take stock again.

I want my animals to look "real" but I also want them to look like animals in a painting, not animals in a photo. I want them to have more personality than the photo, and more "life" to them. So I'll make expression on their faces by positioning their eyes, flattening their ears, exaggerating the angles of their feet or the tension in their bodies...Whatever it takes to make them seem more interesting and more lifelike.

It helps to have seen these guys actually playing in the wild. You have first hand experience of what they do and how they do it. You feel the intensity of their play and the strength of their interactions with each other.
donna

Work in progress, oil painting.

This is coming along, but it's giving me nightmares. I don't normally do buildings, or poles, or people, or cityscapes! Seems I'm doing more thinking than painting on this. But I think I'll get it in the long run....

It almost has an Edward Hopper feel to it. He's one of my all time favorite artists, along with Charlie Russell of course.

Can't paint much today, we have to go into town to do some things for the Studio 706 art guild, get some groceries, and Robert has therapy. I don't much like going to town. It makes me tense and crabby. :) But sometimes you have to get groceries and do business.

We'll be checking out the Heritage Museum space where we'll be showing with the Guild for the Charlie Russell show in March. The time is fast approaching for that show.

Thank you for stopping by to see my oh so slow progress on this painting and for passing the word along about my work to your friends and relatives.
donna

WIP 4th installment, thoroughbred horse. Retired race horse.

Now, I like it for sure. I added a blue shadow under the mane, brought out the light places on her face and generally reworked the body. She looks kind of alive and glowing like Class really does look. She's a gorgeous horse.

I might make several more paintings of her, as I'm working toward a show the Equine Art Guild is having featuring the artist's own horses, or horses that influenced their lives. There are other horses that have been very important to me so I'll have to do paintings of them also.

One horse I loved for 22 years was my first horse, Lucky. I was 8 years old and so was he when my Grandpa bought him for me. He was a cowpony. I'd sneak out my bedroom window at night and sleep on his back so I could spend a lot of time with him. I've been thinking of him a lot since the idea for this guild show has come up. I don't have many pictures of him, I'll have to see if my mom has some.

So, this painting of Class is finished. No more updates, I promise!
Donna

Work in Progress, pastel, suede mat

Here's a picture of my horse Class again. At this stage of the painting, I have no idea what it's going to become. I look in the box of pastels, and I touch them, pick some of them up and put them back down again....After a while, I pick one up and use it on the painting in one place or another. I make random layers and shapes while trying to keep the form of the horse on the paper.

It might seem crazy to work this way, but at some point the painting will take over and appear as it wants to be. There will come a time when I'll get an "Oh Yes!" moment and know exactly how to finish this. In the meantime, I'll keep playing with colors, layering them in, blending some, letting others become sharp and clear.....wondering if I'm crazy.....and maybe when I'm finished, this will look like something fun for you to hang on your wall.....
donna