Dressed For Success And Carriage Driving In Acadia

 

"Dressed For Success"  Casein on paper    9 x 12"  ©2014 www.kathipeters.com

 

  I would have to admit that every painting, sketch, or even an idea that I create comes from my daily life, my love of our place in time and our life with horses. The entire month of July, driving with our horses up at Acadia National Park, has provided me with so many ideas for new paintings to be done, that I will be drawing on that wealth of inspiration for a long time to come. I have draft horses paintings that I have already painted in my sleep, but need to get done on canvas….driving scenes to paint, and Maine landscape paintings that I know I need to do. I know what I am going to doing this winter!

 

The Carriage Roads of Acadia

 

“Dressed For Success”, one the latest paintings I have done, is an image that was inspired by a photo I took years ago at a sleigh rally at the wonderful Washburn-Nor lands Living History Center in Livermore Falls, Maine. I had done a watercolor of these Percheron draft pair years ago, and that painting was sold. I wanted to revisit this handsome pair again, and this time I decided to use my casein paintings with a warm background, then that warm ground appears through the cool white paint brush strokes, creating warmth to the skin of the handsome draft horses. I am very pleased with the effect I get with this approach. You can see this approach a lot in my work.

 

 We are finally back home at the farm now…our horses enjoying a respite from daily carriage driving on the wonderful carriage roads at Acadia.  August is a busy time up there and we will wait a bit before we head up there again. Now we are busy catching up on farm work……painting the house, civilizing the perennial gardens and harvesting the bounty that our meager vegetable gardens are providing us with.
 
And I will get back to the studio and paint!!!


 

New Painting Of Seal Harbor Bridge / Acadia & Carriage Horses

 

 

"Seal Harbor Bridge/Acadia"  Casein on board    12 x 12"  ©2014 www.kathipeters.com

 

The second bridge that an equine experience in Acadia provides you is Seal Harbor Bridge….a bridge that the horses actually go under and that cars drive over. This bridge always seems to me to be our portal to the magic that is Acadia. Our first Acadia drive is always under this bridge and over to Little Long Pond……So beautiful…..The air filled with the woodland scents of fir, cedar, pine and fern. The moss covered forest rug cover the landscape and the coping stones lining the carriage roads, draw the horses and carriage along. I will NEVER tire of this. Our horses love trotting along the gravel packed roads, eager to see what is past the next corner. It is like heaven. I will NEVER tire of painting this experience, and hopefully my paintings will help other enjoy the feeling of trotting along carriage roads, as if in another place and time. A slower and gentler time.  My new casein painting is now available on my website. More works to come.

 

 

 

So between carriage rides……I will be painting.  

Winter Continues And I Paint

"Ground Driving"  casein on canvas  6 x 6"  SOLD

 Each weekend of late has presented us with another major snow fall. Last weekend was no exception.But Monday morning dawn sun-filled and a brilliant white landscape delighted the eye!! I am so grateful for the sunny days where spirits are raised and snow is shoveled......preparing us for the next event!

While it snowed, I retired to my studio and I took our my casein paints and did 2 smaller works depicting scenes  from my life."Ground Driving"  has sold and been shipped to it's new home already. The second is being varnished , then it is ready to go.

"Between Drives At Acadia"  casein on canvas    10 x 8"

I love the gentle giants who pull the carriages over the carriages road at Acadia National Park.If you have been following my blog fora while you probably know that driving horses and Acadia have been a big part of my life. We are so looking forward to actually getting up to Acadia with our own new pair of  horses this spring. We are SO ready for spring!!


But until then....Nell is trudging through the snow that newly fell on our deck....wondering where a JRT can lay and bask up the sun while it is out...where?... with all this snow covering our world today!!

Nell wants sun....spring!  ©2013 www.kathipeters.com

 

And Then It Snowed

February's  Nor' Easter  the view from my studio

It snowed and the wind blew and when it was all over our early February Northeaster snow storm left us with over 2 feet of white....and in blowing, created snow drifts over 5 feet high. The horses could not get out of their stalls ......and we were facing days of shoveling to get them out. But good friends make good neighbors, and a friend ,who is also our" plow guy", showed up and punched the snow back from the sides of our barn, with his truck....sparing us the chore. So the horses finally got out to enjoy the deep fluffy snow.

A squirrel has taken up housekeeping in one of our bird houses....

 

 

"Warning Signs"    charcoal & Conte Sketch on paper 

 In between shoveling snow and shoveling stalls, I did a conte and charcoal sketch of "Warning Signs" ....I just needed to get away from the paint for a good bit. It always jump kicks my muse to change medium....change method. It was fun and I have added the sketch to the Sketches and Studies page on my website. And then I got out my watercolors and I did a painting of the Morgan boys acting the fools....a scene that presented itself when the horses were turned out  after the big storm...... "Acting The Fools" , a  11 x 17" watercolor, will be up on my website as soon as I get a good photo of it.....but here it is in it's last stages.....all most done!!

"Acting The Fools"  , watercolor , 11 x 17" © kathi peters 2013

Holiday Greetings....from Us !!

The farm waits for the winter snows....all is calm.

And in the studio Nell and I are busy getting ready for Santa.....Merry Christmas All!!!

Nell has been a good girl, Santa!!!

Painting , Still Painting

When it gets too cold for me outside......I am inside.....painting.

It has been very cold of late....and this time of year, I am so grateful for a cozy warm studio where I can work. I may do a landscape or two using my trusty laptop with photos as inspiration...and so here is how I started a small oil on copper substrate using my Guerrilla Thumbox ......getting the feel of painting plein air, but inside and cozy. I know....."cheating!!" 

Devon......one of our new boys.....

I have also finished a few new works.....some equine....some not....and some are up on my website ....and some are not yet. I have to admit to being a bit distracted lately with the arrival of the two new Morgan boys to Cob Cottage Farm. And then the decision to get a new carriage for the two new horses....and on and on! 

I was invited back for a second  art show with Colouer Collection in Falmouth, Maine. Their holiday show is open now, and will be having 3 afternoons of "Meet the Artists" on December 7th , 8th and 9th. It is always a fun show in their fab gallery/store!! I also have work hanging with Chisholm Gallery that is now located in Wellington, Florida. I have been represented by Chisholm Gallery for ions.... years...!! It is always a wonderful gallery, with wonderful work ......and a strong equestrian following .I have work with them that is equine and floral...something for everyone!

With that being said....I guess I need to get back to work...pretending I am painting plein air!! Wink Wink....

Two Small Casein Paintings & Horses Running

"Equus #1" casein on Claybord   6 x 6"

 Two small casein paintings have been added to my body of work on my website, in the Small Works Collection. There is something about a white horse that thrills me and then add the conformation of a baroque type horse and I HAVE to paint it.......and I was happy to get some time back in the studio,as I seem to be a bit distracted with our new equine boys. But I am sure that this is a good thing!
 

"Equus #2" casein on Claybord   6 x 6"

Danny and Devon.....acting the fools!!

But what I really need to do is hurry up and catch up!! 

So many paintings to do...so little time!!!!

Maine's Fall Colors And Change



"The Fall Farm"   Oil on gallery wrapped canvas   24 x 48"

 It has been a time of change..... and growth. As the seasons have been changing the colors that surround our Maine farm, Les and I have spent more time with friends, enjoying good times and carriage driving. In between the fun filled days I painted in my studio and worked around the farm. I finished the above oil painting of our farm in fall..... But as the days waned and winter draws near, Les and I arrived at a decision that we sorely missed our driving pair, missed spending time with like minded horse lovers and driving the carriage roads in Acadia. So began our search for a new carriage driving pair....and soon our search lead us to a handsome chestnut Morgan pair who were in Ohio. After anxious days of working out the details ........and the  unsettling distraction of Hurricane Sandy....the Morgan boys are here on our farm. So Cob Cottage Farm has again grown to be home to 4 horses and my days are filled with farm chores and the joy of learning the ins and outs of the new redheaded boys, Danny and Devon.  

Devon and Danny and our first snow fall......

I now find myself spending time watching the new boys as they eat their hay on our newly falling snow or are out grazing in the fields, glowing with the low light of late fall warm  against their auburn coats. I see so many new paintings there.Our older geriatric horses have accepted them. Life goes on.

 

Last night we had our first snow fall. It started as a wind whipped big flake blanket and we awoke to a  farm covered in white. It was lovely with the freshness that the first snow always brings. I know we are so soon jaded and as the winter drags on, the snow isn't quite as welcome. But this first fall of white brings discoveries....like how my small Japanese Maple's fallen leaves have covered the snow beneath its bows have tinted the wet snow pink and it makes me wonder if the leaves could be used for a dye?  

 

 

 

And how sweet is is to watch twin fawns and their mother eat under our orchard trees.....All from the warmth of our cozy cottage. The snow is melting now with a chilly rain falling.....I think the horses would be happier in their cozy  stalls. Time to head to the barn....and after the horses are warm and dry in their barn, I will head to my studio....it is time to paint.