In the Shade I

Today I wanted to finish this drawing that I have been working on for quite some time (see posts on 04 August 2013, 28 March and 28 August 2015).

First I finished drawing all the horses on the left side of the main tree.

Next I put in the fence line, the trees in the distance and the grasses at the base of the trees and some of the fence posts.












I drew in the barn and then added the shadows, windows and lightning rods onto the barn.

Lastly, I added in the large tree to the right side to complete the painting.

This original 4-1/2" x 9” pen and ink drawing when framed will be available for $95.00.

In the Shade - A Work in Progress

Today I thought I would continue with this drawing that I had worked on earlier this year (see posts on 04 August 2013 and 28 March 2015).

I started by working on the mares and foals on the right side of the main tree.













Next I added the grass beneath the horses' hooves to ground them.

I decided to add a barn into the background and put it in behind my original horse.

I will post this drawing again once I have completed the rest of the horses.

Mares and Foals I-VI - Six Works in Progress

It is another hot 84F (28.9C) and humid 94F (34.4C) day with rain and thunderstorms being a possibility in the late afternoon or evening.

Today I was driving by one of the horse farms at the bottom end of Peterborough and stopped to work on some sketches of the mares and foals in the field.

The ages of the foals varied from less than a month old to  being about three months old; with the younger ones sticking close to their mother's sides.

Mare and Foal II

Sometimes I miss having a foal in the barn and watching them grow and develop their own unique personalities.

Then I think about the flip side of the coin and even though it is worth while there is a lot of time and work that needs to be put into them on a daily basis to teach them good manners and lay down a solid foundation for their future training.

Unfortunately, at this moment I do not have the time to devote to raising a foal.

Mare and Foal V

But there are many farms in the area, like this one where I can come and watch the foals and smile at some of their antics out in the pasture.














Mare and Foal I

I also took reference photographs and some of these sketches I may develop into portraits of the mares and foals.














Mare and Foal III

While I may also decide to combine some of these sketches together for a painting of mares and foals in a pasture.














Mare and Foal IV

Only time will tell what the end result will be of these sketches, but the most important thing is that I was able to spend an enjoyable afternoon outside with the mares and foals.














Mare and Foal VI

As I develop each of these sketches into outline drawings I will post them at a later date.

In the Shade I - A Work in Progress

It is -3F (-19.4C) and with the wind chill it feels like -18F (-27.8C). Needless to say when I returned from doing the ban chores it was time to warm up with a nice of cup of tea.

I wanted to do some more work on this drawing that I had started a couple of years ago (see post on 04 August 2013).

Rather than having just a single horse in the drawing I started doodling and adding a couple of foals and then some adult horses soon I had an entire herd of horses.












Next I started adding some grass below the hooves of the horses and soon it was time for me to get ready to go out for supper.

I will post this painting at a later date as more work is completed on the horses.

Thank you for looking at my artwork.

Foals 1-4 - Four Works in Progress

At the barn where my friend Joanne boards her horses over the winter they had a couple of thoroughbred foals born early in the New Year.

It was an unexpected treat to have two foals to sketch at this time of the year while I was waiting for Joanne to get her horse ready for her riding lesson.

Both of them were colts and born only four days apart and had the same sire; but they were as different in their personalities and actions as they were in their colouration.

Foal 1

I did a sketch of each of the foals while they were in the box stalls with their dams.

After the riding lesson, while Joanne was putting Fiona away I went back down to their adjoining stalls and studied the differences between the two foals.

Bruno was a bright bay without any white markings. The other was a rich red chestnut with a lot of chrome, four long white stockings, one up over the knee, called Jimmy.

Foal 3

Just as we were getting ready to leave the stable for the night the owners of the foals came in together.

They were going to turn the mares and foals out into the covered arena for a little while to give the foals a chance to stretch their legs.

We decided to stay and watch.

Bruno went right out into the arena after his dam with no hesitation, while Jimmy didn't want to leave the stall and had to be coaxed.

Foal 4

Bruno stood quietly surveying the large open area of the arena, his ears pointed forward until his mother lay down to roll. Suddenly he burst into action, bucking and kicking on his long spindly legs.














Foal 2

Jimmy once in the arena watched Bruno's antics and decided to join in and took off as fast as his slightly wobbly legs would carry him and almost fell making a sharp turn but managed to stay upright.

Before long it was time for them to return to their stalls for the night.

I will post each of these sketches at a later date once I have completed the outline drawing.

The Herd I

Today we had been planning to going to the C.N.E. in Toronto to watch the airshow but with the temperature going up to 78F (25.5C) and feeling like 93F (34C) with the humidity we decided to stay home.

Ron took me out for breakfast and on our way there we went past the airfield for model airplanes on 11th Line. Four people were there and they were flying their planes; we stopped to watch and enjoyed the airshow without having to fight traffic, heat or crowds.













Once we returned home it was a surprise to see the horses grazing peacefully on the infield of the track. I went and caught them while Ron opened the paddock gate and closed the gate to the field. Needless to say we spent the rest of the day fixing the fence where a tree had fallen in one of the storm crashed down and had broken a section of the fence.

After super I did this little 5" x 9" pen and ink drawing of a herd of horses. It will be available matted and shrink wrapped for $30.00.

Baby

I was heading to Port Perry to meet Ron for lunch for our anniversary and as I passed through Fraserville I stopped by the side of the road where a couple of Standardbred mares and foals were grazing in a field.

One little guy came right over to watch me for a little while and I did this quick sketch of him before he left to return to his mother.

Hopefully, he will mature into a fine racehorse and do well as a trotter or pacer. Who knows, he may even become a well known-stakes winner and sire many sons and daughters of his own to follow in his footsteps.

This original 4" x 4” graphite pencil when matted and shrink wrapped will be available for $30.00.

In the Shade I - A Work in Progress

I find it is enjoyable to watch my horses out in the pasture, which is why I often sketch them in the fields.

In the barn paddock there are a couple of large apple trees where often during the hottest part of the day the horses would gather to be out of the sun.














I started the drawing with a single horse in the shade of the trees and added some grasses around the base of them.

I will post this drawing at a later time once more work on it is completed.

Take Time To... - A Work in Progress

I had started the drawing for this painting last year (see post on 17 February 2012).

Using a mix of French ultramarine blue and Antwerp blue I painted in the sky.

The background trees were painted first using greens made from French ultramarine blue, raw sienna and Antwerp blue.






















Then the pasture was brushed in and some areas where I would put more defined grasses in the foreground were indicated.

Once the paint was dry I removed the masking fluid.

I will post this painting at a later date once more of the painting has been completed.

Take Time To... - A Work in Progress

Foals will often stop and take a long look at something new and different. In this case a foal about to scratch and itchy ear and noticing the opening and closing of the brightly coloured wings of a Monarch butterfly feasting on a flower.














I transferred the image of the foal, drew in a butterfly and some leaves that are against the sky and masked them out with liquid frisket.

I set this painting aside and I will post this painting at a later date once some of the painting has been completed.

Horse Sketches XV and XVI

While I was out today I stopped on the shoulder of the road by one of the farms with horses.

There were eight mares with foals and I made quick sketches of a number of them as they grazed in the field.

















Horse Sketches XV

Some of the sketches I will tighten up and may use in a couple of paintings of mares and foals at a later date.

These are two that I had the time to ink up. I will post some of the others when they are ready.



















Horse Sketches XVI

The pictures shown here are original pen and ink drawings and are available matted and shrink wrapped for $25.00 each.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at the artwork.

Storm Command

Storm Command never made it as a race horse, but he did make a name for himself as an all around English horse and was often found in the dressage ring, in hunter/jumper classes or in the season out in the field following the hounds.

This is an original 5" x 7” framed pen and ink study of a Standardbred foal and is available for $85.00. SOLD

The Herd

This is one of those small paintings I can work on while I sit at a show.

You just start by painting in the first horse and then gradually add more until you have a herd of them.










Wash in a sky behind and add some grass beneath their feet and it is complete.

The Herd is an original 1-1/2" x 3-1/2” framed watercolour is available for $65.00. SOLD

Run Appaloosa Run

This painting is one of three that I have hanging at the Kawartha Artists' Gallery in the all members' Black and White Art Show.















It is a framed 7" x 10" original, graphite pencil drawing and is available for $195.00. SOLD

Thank you for taking the time to look at my artwork and I hope you will return often.