The Final Touch

Choreographer Twyla Tharp got it right when she said , "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." As the snow piled up outside our house today my head was working out this scene in pastel of the Fryeburg Fair. We enjoy wandering through the livestock barns at the fair, especially where the draft horses are stabled. When I took this photo there were lots of people around oohing and aahing as well as the horse owners and handlers, but I was interested in this twosome who were preparing for a show. I snapped the shot before they moved.
The reflected light and shadows caught my eye and also the way the Percheron's head was framed by the barn opening across the way. This is 14 x 11 Unison toned pastelboard..It's available..
I had a reality check when the painting was finished and shoveled a foot of snow off the roof and walkways in 15 degree temps with my husband ...the painting getaway was fun while it lasted..

The Finest Pair

This pastel of a very fine pair of Percheron draft horses will be included in the upcoming invitational art exhibit, The Dog and Pony Show at Skyline Farm and Carriage Museum in North Yarmouth, Maine.
I've always loved horses and these big powerful guys really stood out during a day at Maine's largest and best country fair in Fryeburg, a few years ago. The owner was ground driving them outside the pulling arena and had taken a break so I asked if a few photos were possible. The horses stood quietly as I moved around them taking shots. Alert and attentive their ears swiveled and followed every sound made by the driver who stood behind them out of frame. As a horse owner for many years I have to admit to being completely intimidated by this breeds immense size and power. Their feet were bigger than dinner plates.
Instead of using the bright sunlit scenery of the fairground actually behind the horses I painted a swirling mixture of rich dark hues around them creating a chiaroscuro painting, which is a technique truly mastered by the Flemish painter Rembrandt. The grey horses pop out of the background and the warm terra cotta paper showing through in places makes the cool colors sparkle giving the horses the energy and excitement I felt that day..