Day 15 - Lady Tex

"Lady Tex" (pastel, 16x16 inches) $950 unframed for a limited time

Day 15 of my 31-in-31... half way there!!

I had this young beauty underpainted a long time ago... decided to pastel her today (ok, and the last couple days too.)

Here are some progress pics:

 

the frame I have for her... She will be $1060 framed.

Thanks for watching! Please share!

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Ellie

"Ellie" (pastel, 8x8 inches)

The other painting I finished at the Carriage House Gallery last Saturday. Ellie will be with me at my Montreal workshop this weekend, as an example of my work!

Ellie is short for Elouise, since I painted her from another photo a while back. Such a sweet little heifer.

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Daddy's Girl (and the Large Project Workshop)

"Daddy's Girl" (pastel, 36x36 inches) $5180

So here's what I've been working on since I got back from the summer workshop trip. My son is composing a short video of the ENTIRE process of this painting, literally from start to finish, including the photo shoot of my friend's longhorns, how I combined photos to make the composition, and the complete painting process, all with voice-over description!

But I just couldn't wait to post this new piece!! So instead of the video (which is still in the works) here's a peek at a few of the still shots from the process. Stay tuned to my social media channels (YouTube, Facebook, etc) in the next week or so for the finished video.

UPDATE: Here's the video! 

 

And some still shots:

"in the field..."

 The two photos I ended up using...

Grid for the drawing:

A start on the underpainting:

Finally, the pastel:

"Daddy's Girl" finished and framed!

Sisters (and new Workshop!)

"Sisters" (pastel, 11x14 inches) $500 unframed for a limited time, or $590 framed.

I'm finally getting to more paintings! I had this one under-painted months ago, so I pasteled it today. I also got almost done with a huge new batch of little underpaintings. (Stay tuned for a peek in a day or two!)

I've been out of the studio the last little while; I've been busy getting several more workshops onto my calendar, especially this one in Gastonia, North Carolina! (Click the flyer below for a closer look.) Prompted by the overwhelming response to a (non-advertised) workshop hosted by a friend in Greensboro, an associate of hers in the Charlotte area volunteered to put together another workshop to catch the overflow! It still has a few spaces left, but don't wait on this one, it's coming up fast!

And meanwhile, here are some progress shots of "Sisters":

Thanks for reading! Please share with friends in NC!

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Magenta

"Magenta" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $300 unframed for a limited time, or $385 framed.

I had prepped up a couple more cropped half-face underpaintings after the success of Black Jack. This young heifer was one of them that I finished today. I call her Magenta for her warm rusty brown coat. I believe she's some kind of crossbred Hereford/Whiteface/etc.

I came across an interesting pdf when looking up "mixed whiteface horned female cow" (just to make sure that this one was indeed a heifer in spite of the horn...) This issue of a newsletter called The Whiteface talks about cross-breeding for healthier cattle. (Note: it is written for the cattle business, so a warning to y'all vegetarians and cow lovers, you might not enjoy the reminder of the purpose of cows...) I admit I didn't read the whole thing because it's kinda long, but I found parts of it quite interesting; it reads like part medical journal, part genetics analysis, and part business report. Which, I guess, is what it is.

I apologize if the topic of the cattle business is upsetting to anyone, but as I've said before (way back during my "beef-names" period) I find the natural beauty and charm of these furry creatures to be dimmed not one whit by their purpose and fate in this world economy. Their attraction is perhaps even more beautifully poignant because of their short lives (although I'm friends with several longhorn "pets" who will never see a dinner table!) In addition, it's the intriguing paradox that if it weren't for the beef industry, we would have far, far less of these lovable and curious critters gracing our fields and brightening our road trips.

I prefer to "live in the moment" anyway, and I just think cows are beautiful, as are all animals (and plants, and rocks, and...)

And meanwhile, here are a few progress shots of Magenta:

How Magenta will look in her frame...

Thanks for reading! Please share!

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Flourish

"Flourish" (pastel, 8x16 inches) $410 unframed for a limited time, or $495 framed.

This might be the mama from "A Future Promise" when she was younger. Can't recall offhand what folder the reference photo came from, but it kinda looks like her, hamming for the camera!

how Flourish will look framed

The Bovines

"The Bovines" (pastel, 35x48 inches) $6900

Well, here it is, the largest painting I've ever done! I've had this on my mind for years, ever since I took the reference photo, which I haven't edited in any way except for some color enhancement. These cows were a hoot! A large mixed herd on a beautiful sunny afternoon on the way to Victoria TX. The Brahman on the left was an attention hog and wanted to be the star of the show. She kept following me down the fence line, with her four friends trailing along. These five were the friendliest of the entire herd. They were so photogenic I was happy to let them monopolize the entire photo shoot.

the photo

Here are just a few of the many progress shots:

 Well, one small edit: I decided the flipped back ear was ambiguous, so re-painted it frontwards...

Thanks for watching! Please share!

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