Morning Excercises

I have to admit I am not into morning exercises..or doing exercises anytime during the day! But when I was at Keeneland Race track I got some great shots of the horses being exercised and I did this study today from a reference shot that I might want to paint again but bigger. This painting is 9 x 12" on Colorfix paper done in casein.
I picked up my caseins today for a break from watercolor work. I think every once in a while it is good to take a break....and I am happy with what I came up with!

Her Horse Was Blue

At least that is how he looked to me.... very blue...! This casein is done. It is 12 x 9" and is painted on Colorfix paper. I finished it this afternoon as my corgi lay beside me in my studio. While I waited for this work to dry, I worked on the two watercolors I am doing, one will be going to the 'Fertile Ground' show that will be exhibited at Skyline Farm, in North Yarmouth this September. More on that later.

My bags are packed and I leave on Thursday flying down to Lexington, KY for the first book signing of "Equestrian Style", Vicky Moon's new book at Gallery B. I shipped out my papercuts on Friday that will be shown at the Gallery ...That all will happen on Friday evening , the 18th. I hope to get time to see a bit of Lexington, the Kentucky Horse Park and the beautiful farms around that part of Kentucky on Friday and Saturday.

I am going to have a vacation from shovelling horses stalls!!! YAY!!!

Taking It Laying Down

I have been very busy the last week or so......but I am almost done with a commission and some deadlines I needed to get through. It has been hard forcing myself to stay in the studio. I swear that I will get out in the sun more tomorrow ......transplant some perennials and did I see grass growing that needs mowing already??
I may even get a ride on one of the horses in!!

The 9 x 12" painting above is of one of the draft horses at Acadia National Park. This fellow is done in casein on Colorfix....a favourite combination for me.

More later.........time to feed the horses. [Isn't it always time to feed the horses ,or the dog, or the cat, or the flowers, or the husband...............etc etc....................

There Are No Rules

When I was growing up in Italy I used to beg my parents to take me on carriage rides in the livery carriages that were throughout the city of Milan where we lived at the time. For me it was important, even then, to have some kind of connection with horses, even if they were not my own and I wasn't riding or driving them myself. Before moving to Italy we had lived in New Hampshire on a farm where I always had my own horse. Actually I had gone through a series of horses and ponies by the time we moved to Milan. But in Milan I was horseless and lost without them.

When I saw this photo of a livery carriage and horse on their break, it reminded me of those times.

This is a 9 x 12" casein on Colorfix paper. I have also thrown a bit of pen and ink into it too, for definition. I am having fun with the effects that I can get with casein on Colorfix gessoed paper.
I have done quite a few of these and I just realized that I haven't even put them on my website. Add that to my To-Do list!

The To-Do list gets bigger by the day.....but "There Are No Rules "!!! ....and that is also the name of this casein.

Four-in-Hand at Acadia

Last weekend we went up to Acadia National Park carriage driving with friends. Wildwood Stable was getting ready to close for the winter season. What a wonderful time we had, with weather that was awesome. Maybe the fall colors weren't as brilliant this year as other years, but there were splashes of color that delighted the soul.



This casein painting above, done on Colorfix paper, is one of the works from the body of work that I am painting now. The four-in-hand in this painting is a team that was up at Acadia on an other occasion.

It always amazes me that these horses stand and wait , calmly, for the hitching and for the whip to take up the lines ......and then off they go! It makes me think that this is how we should approach life..............wait and then when the moment is right................off you go!!!