Drawings, Watercolors and Spring Is Here

"A Fine Cob" , charcoal, 16.5 x 10.5"   SOLD

I have been drawing a lot lately.....It is always a good practice to draw...free hand ....To get your values correct before starting to paint. Time spend drawing is time well spent. It helps get my creative brain working, seeing my subject and while I draw I start envisioning how I want to approach the subject matter, what medium, what support, what direction. The charcoal drawing "A Fine Cob " was drawn with charcoal and when I finished the drawing [which was immediately sold after posting it on my Kathi Peters Art page on Facebook] I knew I wanted to try to approach the same subject with my pastels. I haven't had them out for a long time and I felt it was time to get back into pure pigment and build pure color. I am working on that now, and I am grateful for the fact that pastel is a medium sitting patiently waiting for my getting back to the painting.

 

In the mean time I have finished the two new watercolors featured below. Both of these watercolors are now available for purchase on my website. The cute colt is a Welsh Cob foal ...all legs....and foals are a sign of sweet spring. Our spring is slowly appearing here. All snow is gone from our farm, and left in its wake the season mud, that seems to cover our chestnut pair as they sleep in the sun. I captured them standing together in the winter sun in a 12 x 16" watercolor, "The Winter Chestnuts". No mud coats at that time....white snow and winter's barren trees abound.

 

"The Bay Colt" ,watercolor, 10 x 8" 

"The Winter Chestnuts" watercolor, 12 x 16"

 

On the recent days, ones where we were blessed with sun and warmth, I have been out starting the cleaning of winter's debris....stones and dirt on the lawn, stones on the grass surrounding our stone pathway to our cottage and matted leaves burying the perennial gardens. I have made some headway, but there is still lots to do. It is always a labor of love and time spent out of the studio, cleaning the creative cobwebs out of my head, is always good for my soul.  Fresh air and sunshine.

"Russet" in Winter

"Russet" , watercolor  , 8 x 13"  ©2016   Sold

Snow storms and winter's bitter chill have taken their toll on my studio time and frankly my get up and go, as far as creativity is concerned. I've taken an afternoon here and there , but I've been so tired and not able to get into anything too deep or needing concentration. Maybe it is lack of sun....or lack of sleep.....but here is one watercolor done, which was immediately sold. This handsome Morgan mare was a subject that I took photos of years ago ....and yet I only got around to painting it now. I loved how she turned her head to see my approach, as she was tied to her trailer, having just come back from a drive. Russet horse in a russet harness. Lovely.

I have been sketching a lot lately. I have started to fill up a Moleskin sketchbook that was given to me by a good friend years ago when we got our Morgan driving pair. She told me to sketch at Acadia when we go driving....but frankly  I am always too busy taking care of the horses there , or just enjoying being with the horses on a carriage drive. No time to sketch. But I did start to use the sketchbook last year on our trip to Pennsylvania and Weyth country. I am loving the paper and how it works with pencil and ink. Liked it so much I ordered a second smaller Moleskin sketch book to use with wet media. Here are  two graphite sketches done and they will each become  future paintings I am sure!

"The Colt"

 

"The Pair"

As we brace for another storm.....snow and then rain!! .....I am grabbing some studio time today. I am getting into my watercolor paintings again.... I  am painting!!

The Three P's Of Being An Artist

"Acting The Fools"           watercolor            11 x 17"  

Sometimes  life gets into the way of good intentions.....and it seems that as been my mantra of late. Maybe I have too much on my plate.....but "my intentions are good!!!

One watercolor, "Acting The Fools",  and one casein of carriage horses at Acadia's Wildwood Stable, "Between Drives" are done... Now   PAPERWORK has taken over my life, and I haven't even started taxes yet! I have so many paintings in my head that need painting, I think I will have to start getting up earlier and stay up later!!

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

So I work each day waiting for spring to find our little corner of Maine........it will I know. Ad I want to be ready for it!! So I will plug along with the paperwork,shipping paintings. But wait.............. some good news is that I two paintings headed to the American Academy Of Equine Art's Spring Invitational Exhibit "The Horse In Fine Art". It is always an honor to be invited to have work hang with the some of the best equine artists of today. So I am in the process of packing and shipping those paintings to Kentucky and shipping other works to new collectors .......and hopefully I will actually get to paint too....today!   So back to Paperwork, Packing and Painting.....the 3 P's of being an artist!