Favouritism?

Honest, it really isn't but a while back I asked if anyone would mind me using their horse photos for paintings. By a complete fluke that I have painted another from Red Hot Ruby.


Chestnut Mare. Copyright A Cairns
www.equineartportraits.com



This painting looks nothing at all like I thought it would when I started. Realism is not really my natural style, but the watercolours and I had an argument into the early hours of the morning (watercolours don't really like to be overworked!) and by the time I looked at it again in the morning it was either this route or get the charcoal  or acrylics out and start to really muck about.

So the former route got me something finished, I think, although I am in half a mind as to work in a background, but has also left me a more than a little confused.

If it was hanging on a wall in my house, I'm not sure I would recognise it as my own....very odd.

All part of the journey though. I expect it might well push my next painting further in the opposite direction.

Carmargue Horse Painting: Ink and Watercolour



Carmargue Horses (watercolour and ink)
copyright  retained A Cairns 
http://www.equineartportraits.com/

Still no canvasses.....watercolour will be the medium of the week, I think.

Riderless horse sketch

Its just a sketch, have a notion to do a piece on dressage, and I keep coming back to a sketch on a lunch break I doodled a month or two ago, which in turn prompted me to start on this. I was in half a mind just to add a rider, but didn't as the horses head would then be too far tucked in. Its a starting place for now, so I'll just see where this starts to go over the coming weeks....time for a bit of research, I think.

watercolour sketch of riderless horse
copyright  retained www.equineartportraits.com

As ever if any of you have photos of you and your horses doing dressage that you would allow me to paint from, send a link.  I got a lovely great photo to work from Red Hot Ruby's blog a few months back, always on the hunt for something that sparks off an idea....

Mother and I: Mare and Foal

I have been working on a watercolour for which I am just putting a few more touches to later today. It is of a lovely a Shire mare L.A. and her foal Maverick for CedarHills.


Mother and I: Watercolour Painting of Mare and Foal
copyright a.cairns http://www.equineartportraits.com/



  Painting it makes me rather wish the pair were mine!

Sam: not giving me an easy ride...again

 

My lovely Sam has been giving me a rough ride on the painting front, and I had to start him again. I am roughly back where I was a few days ago, although I hope with a little finesse. I now need to keep a nice light seat until the finish line. Please Sam, give me a break and let me finish in a little more style than last time I rode you!

Sam stands: Painting of a Thoroughbred started today

This is a new one I have just started....based on Sam, a beautiful sweet natured horse I loaned about 13 years ago.


Copyright EquineArtPortraitscom


He was such a handsome fella, a 16 hand Chestnut Thoroughbred, a retired racehorse who was a little out of condition when I began riding him, but soon much too fit for the relative novice that I was. 

I adored Sam, until such time as I broke my arm jumping off him at a gallop. Then I still adored him but was in no fit state to ride even a bicycle for more than a year after. He passed a few years after our short dalliance.

I have no photos of him....not one. I guess I was too busy riding him to think of a camera, after all, no phone cameras back in the days! Although I don't have a picture, I do in my head, and having leafed through my books I found his horsey doppelganger and set to work adding some background in keeping with the Mugdock surroundings that I associate with the lovely Sam...

To Sam, you handsome big horse. I hope I can do you some justice with this one when I finish.....and I forgive you your love of the grass under your toes.x

Friday night art (with wine)

I am working on this lovely big horse at the moment. His name is Hudson, and he is only part done at the moment.....needs a bit of detail work on him but I am happy with this for an arty evening in front of the TV with a nice glass of red wine!

Watercolour of Hudson (in progress)
copyright EquineArtPortraits

Much better to do the detail work in good light and with no wine, I find!

Monty in Watercolour and Pencil



Monty, Watercolour
Copyright EquineArtPortraits



Here is Monty with a bit more work done to him....I am swithereing over whether I have to do a bit more of his neck (which is not visible in the photo) or darken the background to avoid any dismembered head effect!