Pony Team

The above painting ended up as  total experiment in painting more monochromatically  and including some white paint. Ohmy! There are parts of it I like and other parts I can’t stand.  I was totally inspired by an artist featured in the Watercolor Artist Magazine this month by the name of Anni Crouter.

Unfortunately, the article only gives a summary of how she uses the medium so off I go exploring. I was not brave enough to black out the background for fear I’d lose the whole image, so opted for dribbling white and sepia through it. I think I needed to use more colors to achieve the deep browns and blacks in these ponies. I did like that I had to concentrate on shape and form and the twist and turns of the leather on them.  I even enjoyed frisketing the buckles and bits and other hardware on the bridles and harnesses.

Anni Coulter works on that new Arches Oil paper called Huile. I ordered some of that but have not tried it as yet. Will let you know what I think of it when I do.

One of these days, I’m going to get brave enough to black out a background and just leave hints of the shape.  I thank Watercolor Artist Magazine for the subtle pushes it offers to try something new.

Thank you to Wet Canvas for the image of the pony team.

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The Dock: Another Masa Paper Painting

There was no other reason for trying this image than to see if I could paint these detailed shapes and capture their reflections. This was painted using a reference photo from “Artist’s Photo References Buildings and Barns” by Gary Greene.

The most difficult part of this entire piece was trying to decide what to include and what not to.

Old Railroad Bridge

The above painting was painted from a reference photo book for artists. These old railway bridges dot our landscape in the midwest. Many of them are not in use any longer and are chained off and have signs warning people not to walk on them. There are others that are still kept up and used daily. I remember a time that I could lay in bed at night and hear train whistles in the distance. Once in awhile, in the wintertime, I can still hear that occasional train to the east of me. It is quite distant. It requires that winter “hush”, when snow covers the ground, in order for the sound to be carried here. It always takes me back. This also reminded me of that movie “Stand By Me”.