Uncategorized

Day Off, From the Cold.

Hello Everyone,

I thought all of us want a day off from the cold and was looking for a warm looking painting to help you. I immediately thought of this painting, Day Off. This freezing cold however makes it very pleasant to stay busy painting in my studio. I have been painting a lot of sheep for my new children’s book that comes out in July.

I love painting animals and I work hard to make my brushwork support the underlying muscle structure of the animals. This is easier to see on a horse as their hair is thinner than a sheep’s wool. I do spend a lot of time drawing the animals out. Then when I paint on them I move my whole arm with the brush as if I was painting directly on the animal. This makes the brushwork not only interesting but supportive. I think you can see this best in the dark horses that are simplified in the distance.

I went to where my friend Sue Spingler keeps her horse. She brought her horse Tribble out for me to get a close up look. (Sidebar) That is a good trick if you want your horse to be dominate in a painting. Tribble is the white horse in the foreground. Tribble also dominates as it is the largest of the repeated shapes and contrasts the most from the background.

The original of Day Off is at the Jamestown Medical Center, Jamestown, ND . If you ever happen to be there look out for it!