An Old New Project…

…Or maybe a new old project. It’s difficult to tell.

In 2003, my husband, Neal, and I paid a visit to Express Clydesdales in Yukon, Oklahoma. Express Clydesdales specializes in black Clydesdales, many of which they purchase for rehabilitation after bad experiences.

Hitches have made appearances all over the United States and have been featured in the Rose Parade.

The horses are wonderful. Big, personable, people friendly.

The personnel at Express were also very warm and welcoming and, during each of our trips to the farm, have been very helpful in allowing me to take photographs for future artwork.

The horse in this photo is Joker, who was born in England and had been imported as a yearling. He was three-years-old when this photograph was taken.

This particular image was taken during a turnout period for Joker. He trotted around his paddock for twenty minutes or more, providing all sorts of great shots and good angles. But the entire time, his eye was on his handler and when she gave the signal, this huge horse trotted to her and dropped his head into the halter. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.

Shortly after getting the photographs back from the developer (yes, I do still do things the ol’ fashioned way!), I chose this one for a painting. It was going to be a colored pencil piece and was going to be the first full body image of a draft horse I had done in some time.

I worked on it regularly until the underpainting was nearly complete then grew dissatisfied with it. The angle wasn’t right. The head was too big. The shadows were too dark and vague. The reasons were endless and the painting languished while I worked on paid portraits.

That was in 2004. 2004 ended and 2005 began. 2005 ended and 2006 began and I barely looked at this painting, let alone worked on it.

And, were it not for my husband, it would still be gathering dust.

But Neal loves the big horses and really likes this painting, no matter what I say. He even took it to hang in his office a couple of weeks ago, so I have agreed to finish it.

I don’t have any images of the early stages of the process for this one. However, in the interest of providing motivation for myself, I have decided to not only scan the steps, but to post the work in progress on my web site.

So here is what the painting looks like right now. This represents the finished underpainting plus about 2 hours of work. The two hours involved darkening some of the shadows on the horse and filling out the sky.

For further updates on the progress of this colored pencil painting, visit the Black Clydesdale work-in-progress page on my website.

Portrait References & Artificial Light

In the past, I have shied away from using photo references taken in artificial lighting. Whether it's overhead lighting in an arena, lighting at a race track or flash equipment on a camera, artificial light distorts color quality and color temperature. There are no exceptions.

But a growing number of my portrait customers are wanting their horses painted in competition. I am seeing more show ring images, night racing shots and similar images. Some of the basic photographic rules apply to this type of photography, but there are also some special factors to keep in mind.

Composition of the photograph is not as important as the content of the photograph. Backgrounds can be changed or moved around in most cases, but I will need to see the horse in a position that is pleasing to you and that you want to see in an enlarged and enhanced form as a painting.

No matter where or when the photograph was taken, make sure there is enough visible detail to translate into a believable portrait. This is no different for artificial lighting than natural lighting.

Some of the important additional factors you will need to consider are:

Contrast between the horse and the background. A dark horse against a dark background is difficult even in the best lighting. Picking out the details in a photograph of a dark horse at night with artificial light are impossible. In many cases, the only way to handle a situation like that is to avoid any detail at all in the dark areas and rely on the highlights to identify the horse.

Also in the contrast category is the range of values in low-light conditions. The better the light, the wider the range of light and shadow. That range, known as a value scale, is what gives the horse shape, form and dimension. In order for a horse, or any object, to appear three dimensional, it needs a sufficient range of values.

In low-light situations, the value range is greatly reduced and tends toward the dominant color. For example, dark horses in low-light look all dark, with very few highlights. Light colored horses in low-light look all light, with very few dark darks or highlights.

Action. Even the best film cannot completely stop action under artificial lighting. I am thinking particularly of racing scenes and night-time competitions, but this also applies in arenas that might not be especially well lighted. Sharp focus cannot be achieved from an image that shows blurred legs or a bobbing head.

Image quality. It is not uncommon for night or low-light images to be grainy when enlarged or lightened. A consequence will be loss of detail and the loss can be substantial.

Color. Your horse does not look the same in natural light and artificial light. Colors are muted or washed out. Dark bays look black. Chestnuts look brown. Whites take on the dominant color in which they were photographed. It is next to impossible to paint your horse as you would see him in the pasture using a photograph taken at a night-time event or in low-light conditions because of the difference in color.

Does that mean portraits cannot be painted from night-time or low-light references?

Not at all.

What it does mean is that if the primary references are low-light, the finished portrait will also be low-light. Low-light paintings can be full of mood and atmosphere, but they can also be full of vague detail and not much excitement.

If your ideal portrait is full of light and color, your references will need to also be full of light and color.

If you envision that painting as your horse crosses the wire in a night race, then those types of reference materials are what you need to provide.

More information on photography for horse portraits is available on my web site. "Photos For Horse Art" includes information on taking your own reference photographs, as well as the photographic services I provide and the benefits of each.

Additional information on portrait work in general and on the different types of portraits is also available on my web site.

Four New Works in Progress

For several years, I have shared with portrait customers the process by which paintings are created. Regular email updates are the best way I know to ensure a wonderful portrait. It gives horse owners the opportunity to not only see how I develop and create paintings, but gives them the opportunity to participate.

Now visitors to my website may see the same process unfold before their very eyes.

Two paintings of horses and two new landscapes are being featured on my web site.

The first portrait, Dudley Time #1 is an actual portrait that was ordered as a Christmas gift this past year and which his owner and family has given me permission to post. Dudley Time #1 is a 5 x 7 oil painting on stretched canvas.

The second portrait is also a portrait of Dudley, but Dudley Time #2 is a portrait I am doing for myself. The reasons are many, but basically are these: Dudley Time is a gorgeous horse and a delight to paint; and I wanted and needed a sample of a miniature portrait. Dudley Time #2 is a 4 x 6 oil painting on canvas panel.

Next is a landscape painting of my favorite part of Kansas (so far), the Flint Hills Region. Flint Hills in Oil #1 is a painting from memory and imagination and is an experiment for me, since it will be the first time I have painted a landscape using the underpainting and glazing technique that works so well with horses. It is also unusual in that it is a miniature landscape and that it measures only 2 inches tall by 7 inches wide.

The final painting is also a landscape and also features a scene from the Flint Hills, this time a known location along Camp Creek. I am also experimenting with the underpainting and glazing technique with this painting, but am also working from photographs as well as my memory. Camp Creek in Oil #1 is also a miniature landscape and that it measures only 2 inches tall by 7 inches wide.