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My art has always been inspired by the beauty, personality and spirit of horses, first as a very young girl reading, drawing and dreaming of them and then as a teenager finally owning, caring for and riding them. Now, I also have had a special place carved out in my heart for the wild horses that reside in the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, one my favorite places to visit. I started out photographing the horses for reference material, and eventually got to following some of the photographers and organizations that have been involved with the wild ones for many years and know their history better than I do. Through them and my personal observations I have also come to know these horses, in a sense, and have been fortunate to have seen firsthand how they interact with each other within their family groups and between opposing bands. Its better than a TV soap opera, following their dramatic stories of being born, growing up, switching bands, having babies, fighting, and finally dying, all as Nature intended, good, bad and otherwise. So there have been several of the most popular horses that have sadly passed on in the last year or so, the most recent one being band stallion, Cocoa portrayed here, who made his final stand at the age of 18, protecting his family to the inevitable end. It's not as if you have lost one of your own horses, but its still sad and a bit shocking to know they are gone. He was a strong, proud stallion for many years holding a lovely band of mares so his strength of spirit and legacy will live on for many years to come. I am grateful that I have such wealth of inspiration in these horses.

 

Visit North Dakota Badlands Horse website or on FaceBook to follow their stories.

 

 

 

 

 

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Although there are horses, hills and sky in this painting, the subject is really the late afternoon light and the colors it brings to the scene. Late afternoon and early morning are usually a favorite time of day for painters of the outdoors for this reason. The shadows are longer, providing interesting shapes to explore and for me, a chance for me to apply the luscious violets and blue shades that I love. On the other hand some painters love the subdued, indirect light of an overcast day which can inspire a calm or even melancholy mood. For myself, I am inspired by bright sunlit colors. To each his own!

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I am pleased to announce that this painting, "Bronc Explosion" was awarded The Diane Townsend Award at the 35th Annual Juried Exhibit - "Works Of and On Paper," at the Waterworks Art Museum in Miles City, Montana! It was also one of the FAV 15% in the January 2013 BoldBrush Contest. I am honored!

The exhibit runs through March 8, 2014.

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Autumn is the really the most colorful and glorious time of year. It's easy to be inspired to paint landscapes with subject matter such as this so conveniently nearby. This year seemed exceptionally beautiful as the leaves turned and remained on the trees for weeks, allowing for some spectacular fall scenery at the Yellowstone River.

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This special small format exhibit is entitled "Tight Focus" with all of the pastel paintings being limited to a 6 x 6" image size - good things do come in small packages! I will have one painting, "Buck in Velvet" in this exhibit which is sponsored by the Pastel Society of the Northern Rockies and Blake G. Hall Gallery in Idaho Falls, Idaho. You are welcome to stop by if you are in the area!

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This pastel painting went through a bit of a metamorphosis as it was developing. Originally I had planned a somber background like a subtle greyed-down yellow ochre-ish wall of some sort. Since this subject was mainly in shadow, my aim was to pop out highlights on the outer edges of the vest, shirt and saddle, etc. As things developed, I became disenchanted with that idea - the painting was speaking to me - "I need a hot, sunlit dusty background!!" - it was shouting to me - so I listened and agreed. The highlights ended up blending off with the background. I also had fun trying different color combinations within the shaded areas to enrich them.  

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I am trying out some new Terry Ludwig pastels - they are very soft and a blast to use on Wallis paper. They are darker than what I am used to and really help the lights pop out. I also got a set of ultramarine blues which are handy for skies and shadows. It's like Christmas all over again!

We have been treated to several days of foggy, freezing wheather, very cold and very beautiful. This painting is of a grove of Russian Olive trees dressed up in their winter finery. These trees have actually been classified as a noxious weed in Montana and North Dakota, but they sure are pretty right now.
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