Tennessee Walker Horse Portrait in Pastel

I have just received approval tonight from the client in regards to this commission! I will be busy securing and packing the artwork so that it is ready to ship tomorrow. All of my artwork is shipped flat... the portrait surface is protected with a sheet of glassine paper and then carefully sandwiched in between several layers of cardboard. Then, I use plastic wrap to "waterproof" the artwork before securing with an additional layer of cardboard on either side, which is taped and sealed shut with clear packing tape.

The Tennessee Walking Horse featured on the portrait is described as dark bay. The original photos were not really good and so I had to use several different shots that the client gave me to come up with this composition.

Tennessee Walker
Pastel
14x18

To read more about this painting, visit my website http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/paint1description/Tennessee_Walker_Horse_painting.php

Weekend Workshop and Horse Portrait back on the easel

Workshop at the PAClubhouse

Beautiful work from the participants!

Last weekend I spent 2 days teaching a workshop demonstrating Graphite Pet Portraiture Techniques to members of the Porcupine Art Club in Timmins, Ontario. It was fun to meet artists old and new and judging from the results, it looked like everybody enjoyed themselves!  I look forward to traveling to Timmins again for yet another workshop...

 After a stint with a back problem,  I am back at the easel working on this gorgeous Appaloosa Portrait.  I am really enjoying painting the rich colors of his coat using my pastels; mostly Rembrandt's, Carbothello's and Nu Pastels.

La Cloche Juried Art Show 2010

I was at the Opening Reception ceremony last night at Whitefish Falls, Ont. for the 33rd Annual La Cloche Mountains Juried Art Show. This is my first time entering the show and I was very pleased to have had all three of my submissions entered into the show. Shown above with my entry of Daisy, entitled "Her Soft Gaze" I was very thrilled to have received an Honorable Mention Award for the pastel category!! My other entries included a colored pencil piece of a cat entitled "The Gazer" and a pastel piece of a male peacock entitled "Jewel of India".

To view the entries, please visit:
http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/paint1description/Horse_eye_reflection_painting.php

http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/petdescriptions/cat_portrait.php

http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/paint1description/Peacock_pastel_painting.php

The La Cloche Art Show can be viewed at the Whitefish Falls Community Centre (Main St. beside the fire hall), Whitefish Falls, Ontario from July 3rd through July 11th 2010, 12-6pm daily (closes 5pm on July 11).

To view a list of winning entries and artists from the Sudbury Art Club, visit http://sudburyartclub.blogspot.com/2010/07/sudbury-art-club-members-at-la-cloche.html

Horse eye painting

pastel on sandpaper, 8.5" x 11"

I'm proud to announce that I've completed a painting!! This is a close up of "Daisy", one of our lesson horses my daughter and I use for English Riding courses. Daisy Duke (The Dancing Queen is her show name) is described as a gentle giant who's patience and calmness makes her an ideal teaching horse for riders.

When I took the photo, I loved the reflection in her eye which showed the white fence jump that my daughter had been practicing that day. I knew I had a perfect reference for this painting.

I haven't decided on a title yet but two that I was thinking about are "A Gentle Soul" or "Her Soft Gaze".

Horse pastel painting update

The most challenging aspect of this pastel painting is blending the hairs into the fine sanded surface to create a fine, smooth line. Perhaps, ArtSpectrum Colorfix paper should not have been my choice for this piece since it is taking me longer to achieve the results I want with the fur.

I have just ordered some Wallis very fine sandpaper (museum grade) and it is suppose to be able to handle up to 25 layers of pastel. I can't wait to try it and see the results for myself if it holds true to the manufacturer's claim. I hope that the 800 grit is fine enough to allow the pastel to fill the tooth without too much blending.

Back from painting weekend!!

After 2 days of painting, drawing and sketching with members of the Sudbury Art Club at Fielding Park, I feel exhilarated and refreshed. Two of us also spent many hours walking the woodland trails, photographing any bird, animal or scene that caught our eye.

The lighting this time of year is fantastic for capturing beautiful shadows and that golden glow. On our last day, we managed to get some so-so shots of the elusive hooded mergansers. Without the advantage of hiding in a blind, the birds would disappear within a blink of an eye at the least bit of movement as we tried to approach them. But, before the end of the day, our patience and perseverance rewarded us by spotting a graceful lone swan who happened to be very photogenic! I will need to upgrade my hard drive soon to make room for all those photos.

The work in progress below is what I started this past weekend. I know some of you will frown; starting yet another painting when I have so many to complete! I do have a good reason...due to lack of working space at the painting retreat, I could only bring something manageable in terms of size...since I only have larger paintings at the moment to work on, I had to quickly sketch something much smaller.

8x10, pastel on sandpaper; 2 days work

Horse portrait of mare and foal, update

Close up:

Click image to enlarge

Well, after a busy week (and a half!), I pushed myself to work a bit more on the mare. Today I mostly worked the face and mane. I know there is not much left to do so I really should get this portrait done!!

Pastel Horse painting-update

I took advantage of my creative energy and continued to work on this pastel painting tonight. I'm not certain anymore if I am going to add the background as on the mock as I kind of like the darker simple background...which would be less work for me!! I tend to not want to do backgrounds that much unless they are necessary for the composition.

You can view a larger image on my website here:

http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/paint1description/mare_foal_painting.php

Mare and foal pastel painting

This is my first try using my new Rembrant's soft pastels set and I LOVE them!

I am using dark grey suede board for this horse pastel painting. Pastels on suede are perfect for horse compositions as I am able to achieve the soft velvety appearance of their short fur. I enjoy using darker suede colors for white horses because of how I lay down the pastel. It is almost like working backwards because you can remove (or add) more or less white pastel to create the various grey tones that form the shadows.

The reference photograph was taken from inside a barn while the mother and her 3 day old foal were standing in the doorway. It was raining that day and to my surprise, the lighting on the photographs I took turned out very nice. I had many refs to choose from but decided that this one of the foal suckling and the mother nuzzling her new baby was the perfect choice!