Painted Ladies

These two lovely paints were painted as an anniversary gift from a husband to his wife. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit them in person and take a series of photos before deciding on the composition with my client. It was a tremendous help when it came to sitting down at the canvas and trying to capture their personalities. I also had the privilege of being there when he presented it to her and that made my heart sing to see the happiness in her eyes when she unwrapped it. It feels good to know you've created something that will be a treasured keepsake.
11"x14" oil on canvas, private collection

Aspen Meadow Gathering

In an earlier post, I showed you a study I did of a mother horse and her foal. Here's the final painting with mother and foal in their entire surroundings: a Colorado meadow on a cloudy summer day. Several times while painting this, I would pause and wish I was really in this spot, enjoying this scenery, breathing in fresh mountain air.

24"x30" oil on canvas, available here.

Nearby - Mama Horse and her Foal

I entitled this painting "Nearby" as you might wonder what the foal is looking at in the distance. It is actually a study for a much larger painting which will contain this same image within it. So stay tuned, and hopefully in a few weeks you will see "the rest of the painting" and what this little one is looking at. Credit for this image goes to my sister who got out of the car on a recent trip to take photos for me...and did a wonderful job, I might add.

I'm enjoying painting horses as it reminds me of how much I loved them as a girl growing up. I spent many a day sketching horses. Horses are hard!!! I remember being so discouraged. I guess the hard work paid off, but I think painting horses is easier than drawing horses.

This 8"x10" oil on canvas is now available for $135 + S/H. Contact me at fineartbymj@aol.com.

Living With a Painting

Sometimes you just think you're finished with a painting and then, after living with it for awhile, you finally get the picture in your mind of what it really needs to finish it off.

The finished painting in comparison to the previous version has the new addition (among other things) of a little foal energized by the electricity of the approaching storm. Meanwhile "mom" is calm, her casual eating of the grass letting her foal know that there's nothing to fear. Personally, I know my enthusiasm for watching an approaching storm from our porch (respectfully appreciating it's power, yet enjoying the drama and excitement) has been passed down to my children who now yell out, "Mom, come see the clouds!!" If you live in Texas, you may be more acquainted with these quick changes in weather. I never remember being quite as drawn to the clouds when I lived in California (less rain, I suppose).

"Approaching Storm" 11x14 oil on canvas,

No longer available - Private Collection - http://artbymj.com/