Last 3 pieces going to the Grand National Art Show

I finally finished the work I'm sending to the Grand National Art Show. I'm sending the 2 from previous posts called Listen and Patience. I'm also sending Determination that I created for the art show called Driven in Maine the other year. I posted it below if you haven't seen that one before. They're all pastels since that's what I've been into lately.

"Determination"
There’s a strength and determination in a carriage horse. These quiet workhorses are built to willingly pull a heavy load. Focusing on the bridle, ears and legs, this piece was based on the carriage horses of Central Park in New York City.

"Landscape on Horseback"
The delicate Arabian. The strong Friesian. The aged Thoroughbred.The curious Thoroughbred colt. The horse’s back is perfectly shaped to carry their rider. There are so many variations of shape from breed to breed and the back changes with the age of the horse. Looking over the backs of these horses reminded me of a landscape. They created undulating hills and valleys. The ears of the colt like the trees atop a mountain.

"The Jumper"
Some breeds of horse are specifically talented at jumping fences. Their powerful legs catapult them over enormous obstacles. The launch, the flight and the landing require precision without which the horse or rider could easily be injured. By concentrating on the legs, this piece draws attention to the agility and power of the show jumper’s stride.

Listen - Abstract horse drawing

This is one of the pieces I recently finished to send to the Grand National Art Show. I focused on the horse's ears. There's so much that a horse tells you with their ears. You know when they're focused on you when you're riding by the way one ear cocks back to check on you. Their ears also show when they're paying far more attention to what's going on outside the ring than to their rider. There's many times when out on trail that my horse has warned me of four-wheelers, dirt bikes, bears and other horses long before I heard them approaching just from the flick of her ears. Horses also display their hostility and aggression when they flatten their ears back. Every horseperson knows to use caution around a horse with their ears back. This piece is called Listen. It was created in pastels and is 18 inches square.

After Longeing - Watercolor horse painting

This painting shows a trainer leading a horse she's just finished longeing. It's about 10 inches by 13 inches. I posted the sketches in an earlier post so you can see how this piece started and how it turned out. I still have some work to do on it but I think it's mostly done.
I started it as a piece I was going to send to the Grand National Art Show in April but I decided to go a different direction and send my abstract work. I have some pieces done that I hope to post shortly.

Abstract Friesian drawing

Last fall I went to a Friesian horse show with two other members of the Equine Art Guild to photograph the horses as reference for future work. It was a rainy day so we weren't sure what we'd get but the sun came out and we ended up getting some great pictures.
I'm working on some abstract artwork for an art show in April. I started this piece awhile ago from the photos I took at the Friesian show. Friesian horses are known for their black coats, long mane and tail and feathered hooves. They also have an intelligent, willing spirit. I called this one Patience. The stallions that posed for this piece seemed so calm and patient. It's 20 inches by 16 inches.
This and other pieces will be at Grand National Art Show at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA from April 4-12, 2008. The show runs in conjunction with the Grand National Rodeo, Horse and Stock Show.

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a happy holiday whichever holiday you chose to celebrate! Here's our card for this year. We all decided to go sledding! I hope this next year I have more time to create. Now that the wedding album I started 2 years ago is finally finished I have a lot of painting plans for the coming year.


I'm also a finalist in the monthly art contest on www.asingularcreation.com. The theme this month was Feeling Blue. I submitted one of my abstract horse drawings entitled Determination. There's a lot of interesting work submitted this month.
Check out the gallery of all of the work at the link below.
The Feeling Blue Gallery
You can see and vote for the finalists at the following link. You have to be a member of the site to vote. If you feel inclined, it's a free membership and you can sign up and vote for the art you like.
The Feeling Blue finalists list

Children's book story and calendars

So it's been awhile since my last post. I've been so busy working on things that I haven't had a chance to get back to my blog. Since there's been other things going on at home in the evening, I've been drawing on the train. I can get quite a bit done in my 45-minute ride depending on where I sit. I'm lucky if I get a window seat in the middle of the train car. There's a better chance that I won't get crowded in and my drawing hand won't bop the person next to me or vice versa. Also, the middle is a bit further from the brakes so my seat doesn't get quite as much vibration which of course wreaks havoc on my drawings. The downside of the middle is that I don't get a good view of sleeping commuters to draw. No matter! I was working on sketches for a children's book story written by Erik Soulliard about a girl that dreams of a pony. How fitting! Below are two pencil sketches. I have about 10 of the 30 or so done. Some of these may even be a part of a mural I'm doing in a little girl's bedroom in the coming months. She really liked my Cute Pony art and this is in that same style.
My art was also chosen to be in the ArtWanted Animals and Landscapes daily 2008 calendars! My art in the Animal calendar will be featured on February 19, 2008 and another piece will be featured on June 21, 2008 in the Landscape calendar. You can Pre-order a calendar at http://www.artwanted.com/ps/Calendar
It's recommended that you pre-order by November 15 if you're interested in one because they sell out of these quickly.
They also have a new widget that adds the portfolio I have on their site to my blog. Check it out at the bottom of this page!

Avalon NJ ACEOs

I spent much of September on vacation. The end of September we went to Avalon to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday. I painted some small ACEOs while I was hanging out on the beach. What's an ACEO? It stands for Art Cards, Editions and Originals. They're always 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. Sometimes it's nice working in small scale. Especially when you can so easily take your artwork with you. Since they were done on the beach there's likely some errant sand mixed in with the paint since they did try to blow away on me a few times.