Saturday, March 14, 2009

Taking time to see




It was a beautiful morning for Plein air painting. In the first group, was a handsome Peruvian Paso with a long forelock and a sweet face. His name is "Quito", and has a mischievous personality. When I went over to visit with him, he wanted to play with my hat! (I was told he probably would like to make one or two new creases in it!)


The next horse I painted was a Clydesdale. Seven year old "Tucker" has one blue eye and steady personality. During the gun fire, (western gun fight re-enacting), Tucker did not even flinch!


The horsemanship connection: I have heard a saying, "The fastest way to train a horse is very slowly". The meaning is to take training slow enough for the horse to clearly understand each lesson before moving onto the next one. Having a solid foundation that the horse understands pays off when things speed up or something unexpected happens. When I am painting, I start with a small thumbnail sketch, defining values and composition. Then, when drawing the sketch on the canvas in a thin wash, I focus on accurate drawing. When I take my time at these early stages, it always pays off as the painting progresses!
"Quito" is available for $40.00, plus $4.80 Shipping






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