Brush Strokes - December 29, 2005

This morning, I had the great pleasure to talk art and success in art with a visitor to the gallery where I am the director. He works at a local car dealership, but makes furniture out of hedgewood and does stained glass work in his spare time. The stained glass work is something he has been doing for many years and he has many satisfied customers locally and regionally.

The hedgewood furniture is a more recent discipline, but again, he has many happy customers locally and throughout the state.

He is not looking to make a fortune from his work, though he did say he hopes to one day have his craft pay for themselves and a little extra. He's promoting his works of furniture art and has been for a long time. He does shows around Kansas and sells locally. He makes furniture and stained glass items for family and friends. If he misses a show, people ask why he wasn't there and tell him they missed seeing his new work.

It was an interesting conversation, one of those that make you think about your own goals and expectations without forcing you to do so.

Our discussion, brief as it was, made me think again about what I expect from my artistic talents.

When I was in high school, I always thought I would end up being famous and wealthy because of my art. People would flock to buy my horse paintings. I would travel the world to gather references and meet equine champions in all fields of endeavor.

So far, that has not happened. I am not going to rule it out because you just never know where the road may lead, but in the years since high school (and they have been many!), I have realized that money isn't the only measure of success. Especially for the portrait work. Here are just two examples that have redefined, at least in part, success for me.

The colored pencil portrait that currently appears on my home page, "Minna", is a horse I never had the opportunity to meet. I arrived in Kansas April 14, 2002. Minna suffered a fatal, freak accident that same year. I met her owners the following February and it wasn't until late 2004 that I found out about Minna. The portrait was a surprise to her owner, a personal thank you from me to him for all their help in getting me grounded with the horse people in my new home. His quiet thank you conveyed more than just thanks.

Another was a three-year-old racing Standardbred named "GI Jill". I met and photographed Jill at the farm where she trained. I also had the opportunity to see her race later that summer. Before the portrait was completed, Jill developed a health condition that required surgery and, although the surgery went well, complications cost her her life. Her trainer's teary-eyed response to seeing the portrait the first time upon delivery was worth more to me than the payment I had received.

There is very little that can compare with the response of a horse owner who has lost their equine companion when they first see the finished portrait. It would take an awful lot of money to replace that gratitude.

Those people who have owned horses and loved horses but have lost their equine companions are one of the reasons I have chosen to share my work. Those people whose horses are still alive and doing well are another reason. Artwork that is not shared and enjoyed by others will never reach its full potential.

Artwork that has such a special meaning to it's recipient is even more special.

Lessons from a Small Portrait

Artists, like any other professional, can become victim to their own particular habits and mindsets. It's just as easy to fall into a rut for an artist as for an engineer or a salesman or a teacher.

I discovered one of my own ruts quite by accident this past week. The discovery came as the result of a last minute portrait commission that turned into a Christmas portrait commission.

The portrait in question is of a horse named Dudley Time. It was a small one; 4x6 upgraded to 5x7. The order was placed the beginning of December and could have been started immediately but for the fact that I did not have 4x6 canvas in stock. As it turned out, it was very difficult to find that size of canvas locally and I was looking at possibly having to order and waiting a week before I could start painting. I finally decided to offer an upgrade in size rather than wait. That offer was accepted and I purchased the necessary canvas.

On Monday, December 12, I started painting. The subject was very straight forward. A head, neck and shoulder pose of a very fine Quarter Horse halter horse. I wasn't completely confident I could complete it on time, even as small as it was, but I was determined to do my best.

My method of painting is much similar to the method used by Johannes Vermeer in the 1600s. A fairly detailed drawing; a fairly detailed underpainting; layers of transparent glazes and opague passages to complete the painting. Each layer must be completely and thoroughly dry before the next layer can be applied or the painting turns into a muddy mess.

It was that dry time that had me concerned.

Mondays are my day off from the gallery where I am the director, so I did the first layer of color at about noon. An ample supply of thinner and a fast drying color (Raw Umber) meant the second layer could be applied late that afternoon. I was able to apply a third layer in the evening and, in view of the time constraints, I determined to start color the next day.

The rest of the week was officially 'work week' so painting had to wait for the evening. I'm also taking a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) class to update my website, so I had to work that in, as well. As it happened, the class was first, then I painted later in the evening. One glaze of Raw Sienna followed immediately by a wet-into-wet application of Burnt Sienna brushed directly into the freshly applied Raw Sienna. I was somewhat surprised to realize that step had taken an hour or less.

Wednesday night was a bit more of a challenge. In addition to the SEO class, there was choir practice and going over to my Mom in Law's to take care of putting out the trash and other odds and ends. It generally takes until about 10 p.m. to run all those errands and do all those things, so that meant painting was squeezed into that time between getting back home and going to bed. This particular Wednesday, about 40 minutes. I used it to apply more color and to begin adding highlights wherever necessary.

A little more tweaking on Thursday, including painting in a dramatic, white blaze, and the painting looked finished. At least as finished as I could make it. It dried over the weekend and shipped this past Monday.

No, it wasn't as polished as I like to have my portraits. But oddly enough, some of the areas I would have liked to have fussed over a little bit more were some of the favorite parts of the painting for other artists who saw it. The client is very pleased and looking forward to presenting the painting as a gift. All is well.

But I learned something in all of this.

I learned what techniques worked well and fast.

I learned one or two ways to speed up the painting process.

Most of all, I learned that I can do good oil painting work even if I have only 30 or 40 minutes of time.

You see, in the past, I have always believed I needed at least an hour of free time to even think about painting. It took long enough to set up before and clean up afterward that any time less than an hour seemed pointless.

I now see that that is not true. Even on large paintings, 20 or 30 minutes is enough time to make progress. Last night, I proved it to myself by working for 20 minutes on a large portrait that has been the bane of my existance for several months. You would have to look closely to see the progress, but I know what I did. I also know that the driver's face is now started, instead of being blank canvas, mocking and taunting me. Defying me to do anything productive with it.

And if I divide the 20x30 canvas up into 4x6 sections, it makes 25 little paintings, most of which is background. Does that sound intimidating? Yes.

Are those 25 little paintings less intimidating than one big 20x30.

Most definitely!

I'm still not thrilled with the project, but I can now see that it can be tackled more quickly in 20-minute time blocks every day, than in painting one or two hours once or twice a week (some weeks not at all, depending on what's going on in the rest of my life).

And right now, that's a lot of encouragement!

Photographs as Portrait Reference Materials

When someone considers purchasing a portrait of their horse, one of the first questions they ask is "Can you use my photographs?"

The answer, of course, is, yes, I can.

Over the 20 plus years I've doing paintings of other people's horses, I have used client photographs many more times than I have used my own. Sometimes the photographs are good. Sometimes they are not.

Reference photographs and personal observation are two of the most important tools I use in the creation of horse art. Those two tools are even more important than the type of paint or canvas I use. Any professional grade oil paint or colored pencil will yield good artwork. So will any professional grade canvas, paper or other painting surface.

But if the reference photographs are not good, the portrait will suffer, as well. If I know and am familiar with the subject of the painting, I can fill in a lot of details that may be missing from poor photographs. Even if I don't know the subject, I can often fill in some of the generic details from other sources. But the best possible portrait requires the best possible reference material at the beginning.

Whether the photographs are my own, taken by a client or are the work of a professional photographer, the look and feel of the final painting is largely influenced by the number and quality of images from which I have to work. In a day and age when many of my clients are from the other side of the country, a good selection of high-quality images is a must.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the above-mentioned types of photographs. I will attempt, in this article, to describe each and to share with you why I prefer the types of reference materials I prefer. I will then suggest some ways to help you, as a horse owner, get the best possible photographs for reference material.


Client Photographs

Client photographs are a wonderful thing. At present, more of the portraits I have painted have been created from client photographs than from my own photographs. No one knows any horse like the horse owner or the trainer or caretaker. They have the best opportunity to take the 'behind-the-scenes' photographs of horses at play or relaxation. They know the horse's personality and are usually better able to capture that personality on film or digitally than anyone else.

And they know far better than anyone else when a photograph has captured that special look or attitude and when a photograph shows true color or is distorted.

Whenever client photographs are used, I will also ask for some words about the horse. I will ask the client to tell me something about their horse. What is it like? Is it friendly and fun loving? Aloof? A companion? A champion? Somewhere in between. This information will supplement the photographs and will be incorporated into the portrait.


Professional Photographs

Professional Photographs present both the best resource images and the greatest disadvantages from an artistic point of view. The work of a true professional is always crisp, clearly focused and well composed. The photographs have accurate color and sharp detail.

However, quite often they also have been taken with the use of fill flash, a method that uses flash equipment to lighten deep shadows. While fill flash can illuminate the details in a shadowy area of the horse, they also tend to flatten and wash out the mid-tones and highlights elsewhere on the horse.

Another common problem with using the work of professional photographers is that the light source can be vague. This is less of a problem if the photographs are taken outside, but even then, the use of fill flash or accessory lighting can disguise the primary light source.

Quite often, professional photographs were taken indoors or at night, under artificial lighting. Good portraits are possible from such images, but they will not show the horse in it's true coloring or to best advantage.

The most important factor to remember in using the work of professional photographers, however, is in the need to get their permission to use their work. This is not an option for me. I expect others to respect my intellectual rights to the work I create, so I am obligated to respect the intellectural rights of others.

For the most part, the photographers I have dealt with have been very cooperative. Some have required the payment of a one-time usage fee, usually $50 to $100. Most have also requested to be acknowledged as the photographer whose work was used for reference (see my portraits of "Max's Blue Diamond" and "Classical Son" for examples). I offer to let all of them see the final result of our combined efforts once the painting has been completed.

Before beginning any portrait work that is to be based on the work of a professional photographer, I must have a written release from each photographer involved. I will not negotiate on this matter.


Artist Photographs

Whenever possible, I much prefer to work from photographs I have taken of the subject. The reason for this is very simple ... I not only get a lot of pictures, but I get the chance to see the horse in person, to see how it moves, what type of personality it has. Even seeing where and how it lives or what it does for a living (racing, working horse, show horse), contributes to the final portrait.

I take 35mm photographs while my husband backs me up with video. We spend at least an hour observing the horse, gathering information and, sometimes, doing sketches. I always use at least one roll of film, quite often two or more and the photographs include not only the horse, but the horse's surroundings and detail shots of markings, coat patterns and, if necessary, tack.

One of the most notable aspects of my work is that it seems to 'live and breathe' to those who have purchased it. This is especially true for portrait work and I have had clients tell me with tears in their eyes how much like their horse the portrait is. This was especially impressed upon me once by a horseman whose horse had gone on to greener pastures since the portrait's completion.

I will be honest with you. I do not know how this happens, but I do know it does happen with regular frequency. Meeting and observing the horse allows it to happen more so than even the best photographs and written descriptions of the horse's attitude and character.

This opportunity is as valuable to the portrait creation process than the photographs themselves. It is the real benefit to having me take photographs for your portrait project.


Photo Tips for Horse Owners

Here are a few tips on taking photographs of your horse. Whether or not you are considering having a portrait painted, following these tips will allow you to take better, more imaginative and creative photographs of your horse.

TIP #1 - Carry Your Camera Whenever Possible
You never know when your horse will present you with those once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities, funny shots, tranquil shots or just those memories that you will always cherish.

TIP #2 - Use Low Speed Film
Unless shooting in extremely low light conditions, use low speed films (if you are using traditional photography, which I still do). My favorite speed is 100 ISO. 100 ISO captures good light and detail in most situations. Enlargements made from 100 speed film are crisper, clearer and better quality than the enlargements made from higher speed films.

Even for action shots such as horse racing, I generally use 200 speed film. For artsy affects, higher speeds are good. For portrait work, the lower speeds are better.

TIP #3 - Take Lots of Pictures
Even if you know that you want a head study portrait that shows your horse facing to the right, don't rule anything out automatically. Take all kinds of images. You can focus your attention on shots of your horse's head, neck and shoulders facing to the right, but also take some from the other side. Try some full body shots. You never know when an image might catch your eye afterward. You also never know when your photographs might have the eyes closed or an ear turned backwards or something of that nature.

TIP #4 - Don't Get Too Close
Do not take close up shots from very close to your horse. This will result in a distorted image. We all have pictures of our pets (maybe even of ourselves) with huge heads and faces on little bitty bodies. Photos like this are next to impossible to create a good likeness from. Some of the distortion can be corrected, but if I have never seen your horse, I will not know how much correction is necessary.

It is better to stand at a distance and use your zoom lens for those close up photos.

TIP #5 - Use the Best Light Possible
Good, direct sunlight is best. Unless you are looking for a painting with the atmosphere and mood of dawn or dusk, try the hours of 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 6 p.m. (during the summer). The noon hours are okay, but not preferred because of the sunlight is at its most harsh around the noon hour and can photographs taken at that time of day can result in unflattering shadows.

TIP #6 - Don't Be Afraid to Bribe!
Unless you want a casual portrait, be prepared to bribe, cajole or otherwise entice your horse to give you a good, alert expression during picture taking. A handful of grass offered by an assistant, a handful of oats in the bottom of a bucket or anything that grabs and holds the horse's attention are good props. I have used them all and more! I remember one very calm Quarter Horse that paid no attention to me or her owner the entire time we were taking pictures. I learned from a photographer friend of mine who had later been hired for professional portraits that someone had to 'moo like a cow' before she showed any degree of alertness. And then it was only for a short time!

TIP #7 - Don't Throw Anything Away
Don't automatically disregard those good pasture shots or those shots that have untidy backgrounds. Remember that you are taking photographs for a portrait and that the background will not matter. It can easily be changed or eliminated altogether.

And even if you are having a portrait of your horse's head, neck and shoulders, take some body shots, too. You just never know when that shot of your horse standing quietly in the paddock or pasture might have the best head and neck position of all your photographs.

Tip #8 - Be Creative
Don't be afraid to try unusual angles, lighting, settings or anything else that appeals to you. Especially if you know you want a portrait but aren't quite sure of what kind of portrait you want.