church was awesome this morning

We went to the early service, the chorus sang better than ever, everyone was baptized.  Hallelujah!

Horse Portrait

Annie, 7x5" acrylic

I paint small portraits for a local veterinary practice (Rocky Bay Equine) of client animals that have died.  They often give a gift certificate to their clients as a gesture of acknowledgement of the singular bond and special value of an animal and it's caretaker.  As a painter, it's satisfying to do, but I don't always have the best reference material to work with.  Even so, sometimes I like the gestural sketches that result.  This is one I like much better than the photograph.  The client is happy, so apparently it also serves its intended purpose of reminding them of their friend.  The whole process seems to be a win for everyone, even in the face of loss, thanks RBE :)

Evening Calm

Here is the first sketch inspired by our kayak trip to Bella Bella, in Canada's middle BC coast.  It's also called the "raincoast" or "the Great Bear Rainforest"... and for good reason!  I got my fix of summer rain.... but you'd never get this special kind of calm without the storm so it works for me! 

On a Roll

acrylic painting, 5x7"

Looking forward to some kayak time chasin' seagulls, maybe sea otter, a seal or two, if we're lucky some whales cruising the shoreline.  Heading north to Bella Bella in the middle of the Great Bear Rainforest and source of oh so much painterly inspiration!  See you when I get back, cheerios! 

Evening Falls on Summer Pasture

It has been a welcome break in the heat around here.  True Northwesterners are flapping their webbed feet in excitement to see some rain!  With all the fires the sunsets are spectacular.  Field hay has already been cut once, may get a second cutting if it rains enough to keep the grasses alive.

Portrait Documentary, Fox

This is a portrait documentary.  Fox, I don't know a lot about him but I believe his resume included teaching quite a few people how to love horses and dressage riding.  I met him briefly when this portrait was commissioned, unfortunately he unexpectedly moved on to greener pastures since then.  I never got to see him perform, but I'm so glad I got to meet him because even brief impressions are incredibly helpful in creating a portrait painting.  He didn't have ideal conformation and his joints were getting creaky but my clear impression was that of a dignified gentleman.   The series above shows developmental stages of this representative style portrait.  Although I didn't stray far from the structural detail of the photo, maybe you can pick out a few changes I made, keeping in mind that my goal is to capture a presence even more than just a likeness.  Below is the completed portrait.

"Fox"  20 x 24" acrylic on canvas

Resting in his field of dreams

This is Floyd in retirement, a portrait I did recently.  The monochrome view was a preliminary sketch to figure out what to do with the busy grass & flowers background in such a small space (6x8")   Which one do you like best?