Turkeys In My Garden

They are everywhere....under the crab apple and marching down the path to the barn...and in the distance to the left they continue to march into the woods. Our pooches sit on the back of my living room chair and watch them, growling and sputtering at them. The big 'ugly' birds remind me of a bunch of church deacons walking with their hands behind their backs. Thank goodness Ben Franklin didn't get his way in having the National Bird be a Turkey.....!

So ...I have finished this casein painting and I am undecided as to where the work should go. It is always a dilemma deciding what work goes to which gallery, which show...but I guess I should be grateful that I am burdened with this "problem"!

In the mean time.....This is a 18 x 18" gallery wrapped canvas and the painting will be put up on my website in the Equine & Domestic Animals Collection.

Award

Okay..so I have been awarded a blog award…by a fellow artist and friend Sheona Hamilton-Grant.

I accepted this award last week [?or two?] and I am flattered to say the least!…and with the award I am asked to list 7 things that I love… AND to pass the award on to seven of my favorite art related blogs. Here it goes:

1. I love eating tangerines and then eating dark chocolate.
2. I love seeing the beautiful sunrises on the farm... but like to sleep late.
3. I love to read a book and eat a crunchy apple at the same time.
4. I love smelling the smell of dirt and composting leaves in the spring…and getting my hands into the dirt.
5. I love to sip wine and talk art, horses, dogs, life experiences.
6. I love laughing with my sister, Sonj.
7. I love my family, my horses, my dogs and my gardens…they give me life! I love life!

And here are the blogs I nominate:

http://pettengillart.blogspot.com/

http://bethcarlsonportraits.blogspot.com/

http://deborahparis-apaintinglife.blogspot.com/

http://thecolorist.blogspot.com/

http://theextraordinarypencil.blogspot.com/

http://lechevalthehorse.blogspot.com/

http://theletteredcottage.blogspot.com/

Well..I have passed it on....and thanks again for thinking of me!

Now back to the painting at hand!

Knee Deep

The snow keeps coming. I am doomed to days filled with shoveling, I think! But I am getting snippets of time in the studio and am finishing up a watercolor commission and working on two new caseins. I will be having a show in Lexington, KY. in May, but will write more about that as the time gets closer!

In the meantime, I am posting these snowstorm shots…so you can feel sorry for me!

And will sip more hot coffee before I trudge back to the barn, dogs in tow,

to get stalls done so I can get back to my studio!

The Cob mares just eat and eat!!
Enjoy my Narnia world in Morrill, Maine!

Cruel Mother Nature

Today the sun shines brilliantly onto the snow...it feels so warm out, that the dogs and I sat on our deck just drinking in the sunlight, bathing ourselves in the promise of spring. But then the weatherman says we will have a winter storm tonight that will dump up to a foot of white on our already white landscape! I'm sorry..I don't think we need this! I prefer the warm sunshine thank you!!

I did take advantage of some good weather to shot some paintings that are done.. ..before the snow flies. These are two new caseins just finished. [Titled: "Shades of Black-Winter" are #1 and #2 ] and they are each only 4 x 4". I am thinking I might redo the same composition bigger. The abstraction of them attracts me!

But in the mean time, these little 'masterpieces' will be put up on my website. I am planning on making a separate collection of just my smaller works. Check it out......!

Now maybe I need to walk the dogs in the sun while we still have some!!

Nell's New Coat

This afternoon I was working in the studio on the two small paintings that I had started yesterday afternoon, when I heard someone in our front deck. By the time I got downstairs I saw a neighbor walking back to her car parked in the driveway....I called out to her...invited her in, but she said she was in a hurry....and she had left something for the puppy in the basket on the deck ...a early May Day present?

Actually it is Nell's birthday.five months old!!! .or very close to! How neat!

So the canine girls and I inspected the basket of goods....a squeaky hedgehog with bow, a blue rubber dumbbell and a fleecy faux sheepskin coat for Ms. Nell...the Florida girl! She had to model it and we have sent photos to Robyn to thank her for her gifts!

Addie is not very impressed....she says" Silly old JRT.....she does not have a beautiful three layered coat like I have!!!"

Turkeys

This was the day the turkeys came out! They are everywhere! I just walked the dogs and the woods sounded like a turkey farm! Spring must not be far behind!! [Fingers crossed!]

My “big” painting is done. Finalmente! [As THEY say in Italy! ] So now there are 3 paintings in the “From The Loft” series. The first two done are on my website. This one is 30 x 40” and is drying now, standing up against the cupboard in my studio space. I wish I had more space so I could hang it here!!! I will be getting a better shot of it to put up on my website for your viewing…but not today.

I talked about the use of black in a previous blog-post. Yes…I do use black. I know a lot of painters say black should not be on your palette. Well it is on mine. I use white to make colors lighter, and black to make some colors darker. I am in good company…. because even the Old Masters used black. And with casein, black makes a lovely glazing to darken shadows.

And I am not a purist by any means! I find that the more “mature” I get... the less I can confine myself to traditional methods. I use anything to get the look and affect I aim at in any work I do. Brushes, pens, knives, charcoal, pastel, toothbrushes, sticks…AND EVEN TURKEY FEATHERS!!! So those turkey in the woods better be careful!!

Monday Morning "Blues"?

I am seeing lots of blue in this winter painting...and purple and gray. I have gone in with my casein and worked on the shadows and the sunlight dappling the snow. I have put more of the darks that will show up in the hay littering the paddock and the dark on Ms. Vicky...our cob mare.

All that is needed now is for me to hone in on the detail of hay and the highlights on the mare. I have checked it all out upside down and mirrored....

It seems that the days are flying by and I never finish my lists of to-do's. I supose that is a good thing??

Wildlife On The Farm

This was obviously not from a current photo..but we have deer all over the farm...and this young buck is seen often around the pastures....and I am sure this will also be painted at some point. Now it is a graphite study, 8 x 10".

Work In Progress

Work in progress.....I write that and I think. “My goodness…I am a work in progress!!!!” :-)

Anyway…here are two “From The Loft “ shots as she stands today. I will do more this afternoon…. while I wait for a watercolor to dry.
Since the last time I posted I have gone into the painting with Titanium White casein mixed with Ultramarine Blue Deep casein and a bit of acrylic thrown in to the mix. I find that makes the casein dry a bit faster and glazes it so that it doesn’t give up so much of the bottom color as I brush through. My shadows are started to get where I want them and the darks are reaching the depth that I want. I have started highlighting the reflected light…and did you notice there is a lot of gray in white snow???

Here is a close up of Miss Vicky...there is Shiva Violet added to her body and glazed on the shadows. The hay will be the next project.

And then here is Nell! …Waiting for popcorn! She barks at the microwave. I think she thinks that makes it POP faster!!! Silly little JRT!

Now back to the drawing board!

Urban Cowboy Updated

I saw it sitting here and saw what it needed and "got her done". The image of a very urban cowboy and his horse was given to me years ago by a local artist friend....she gave me this shot saying......."It looks like your kind of angle"...it was and is........and it is now done the way I wanted. This is a 14 x 11" casein on canvas board, not varnished, so it has the lovely matte finish that well-dried casein imparts.

Today I am going back into the 'From The Loft' painting that I have been showing as a Work In Progress.It is so amazing how much time is lost walking dogs and shoveling stalls..not to mention then snow of late. But I have also been busy finishing commissions and working around the farm.

And then today I also have been reading the new Western Art and Architecture magazine that arrived from Saks Gallery of Denver, CO. ...the magazine featured my painting "From The Loft- Winter" in their article about the WAOW show that is hanging there now. I would be lieing if I didn't say I how stoked I am about having my painting chosen to highlight that show!

I AND I have also started up a Facebook page..or what ever it is called. I think I named it "Kathi Peters/ Cob Cottage"...?? See if you can find me??