Equine Paintings in "My Favorite Things" Steep Rock Benefit

The Parade Team at Pasture
Previously shown at The Old West Museum, Cheyenne, WY
18 x 24, Oil
 

In case wishes are horses, I'm including these two equine paintings in "My Favorite Things" Steep Rock benefit show.

The big Percherons ("The Parade Team at Rest") motivated me to paint them because they represent comfortable relationships of all kinds. They've been a team at work and leisure, and obviously enjoy each other's company.

"Riders on a Hilltop" sprang from my love of being outdoors in a beautiful countryside.
I liked this particular autumn day for the atmosphere in the receding hills, and the juxtaposition of big gray horse with the lighter boned paint.

The Percheron painting has been my personal Facebook profile picture for a long time, and I have used "Riders on a Hilltop" as my profile pic onTwitter and Linkedin.



Riders on a Hilltop
8 x 10, Oil

A Steep Rock Encounter with Ann and Mark

Marty's Cafe in Washington, CT will host the newly named "Steep Rock, Etc." show from December 1 through 31, 2012. It's a great venue, convenient to all Steep Rock's holdings. The cafe is a cozy place to relax, with delicious food and coffee.
A portion of the show's proceeds will go to the land trust, specifically for trail maintenance.

A chance Steep Rock encounter with Ann Leary and her horse "Mark" re-kindled my interest in painting animals and figures, so there will be assorted subjects in my benefit show.

How did I meet Ann? Lil and I were walking near the river one bleak October day, when a jaunty gray horse came striding through the shadows, his head and mane periodically catching light. I made a mental note and mashed my camera's shutter button, to save the impression.

I like to have permission to use someone's image for a painting, and introduced myself to the rider--Ann-- for that purpose. We had a brief chat, and discovered a number of common interests. The painting says more about Mark than his owner, since the light was ghastly and I had to invent almost everything, but it was his expression that drew me in. A posed situation wouldn't have been the same.

A side benefit of this meeting was discovering "Hash Hags," the NPR show Ann co-hosts with Julie Klam and Laura Zigman. It goes great with my painting sessions.

Of course, the horse is now out of the barn, resulting in an equine series. Steep Rock lanscapes may hang with dogs and ponies in this show.