"Donkey Foal" miniature oil by Kerry Nelson

close to life-size image of 4x4 inches

A close-up to show brushwork and detail

This small 4x4 inch oil study on hardboard panel is of a cute week-old spotted donkey foal. Available for sale HERE!


http://www.kerryoriginals.com/
http://www.kerryoriginals.etsy.com/
http://www.kerryoriginals.blogspot.com/

Toronto's Royal Winter Fair - Fine Art Showcase 2010!

I haven't been pulling my weight around here! It's been ages since I posted, though I often come by to have a look at the wonderful work my colleagues are producing! I've been inspired to share a bit of news, and hopefully I'll do my bit and post more often!

Last year I was juried into the Royal Winter Fair's Fine Art Showcase with my pencil drawing, "Adjustments." It was a fun experience, and the show was supported with a grant from the Government of Canada "Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage" program, which was quite exciting. This allowed the show to have a demonstration stage, and I was one of the artists asked to paint at the show. I've been attending the Royal since I was quite young - I've lost track how long - so it was neat to be part in this way.

Last week I received word that the painting I submitted for this year's show - "Ground Rules" (above), a 12 x 16 oil - was accepted for inclusion. Thursday I delivered my painting to the Royal offices, accompanied by friend and fellow artist Lise Leblanc whose lovely oil painting "Belle's Buttons and Bows" was also accepted. If you're at the Royal this year, be sure to look for the exhibit. It will be in the Direct Energy Building, Heritage Court, which is an amazing location.

If you'd like to see more of my work (and stories from my farm of crazy TBs) please take a peek at my blog. You can also catch me on Facebook, or get more information on my website.

Linda Shantz

"... a rose by any other name..."

"Only the Lonely" done- 12 minutes before the"official" deadline.  It has gone off into the wide netherworld of cyberspace in little electronic swirls and whispers, and will hopefully coalesce in the designated email inbox as a fully realized, fully articulated sweeping ode to a magnificent equine in shades of burnished grey, evocative of isolation, fragmented beauty, windswept barren plains, the essential duality of light and dark, day and night, good and evil.  Or maybe it will just look like a picture of a horse.


My bestest best friend in the whole wide world complemented me on my names today. "You always have the most clever, intelligent names..." which is high praise, coming from her.  And it is true, I spend a great deal of time thinking about what I'm going to call a picture.  If I can't come up with the perfect name for it - before a single line has been drawn - it doesn't happen.  There have been a few exceptions to this rule, and almost all of them are half finished train wrecks of ink and paint.  They lack that last little bit, the "je ne sais quoi" if you will, and I have to think it's because of the name.


A name gives purpose, direction, attitude.  My degree is in fine art, but my field of study for 4 years was Illustration, or "the visual representation of a thought, emotion, idea" etc.  The naming of a piece, therefore, captures the mindset I want to be in while working on it, dreaming about it, scribbling it out.  Hopefully, sometimes some of that makes its way into the actual art as well, but that might just be wishful thinking.  And it's fun, too.  "Office Romance" presents not only the real life love affair of husband and wife cattle ranchers, but also presents what for many of us would be an ideal working environment -  on the back of a horse with your sweetheart, breathing in fresh air and sunshine, roaming across the open country.  "Red" is not only done almost entirely in a red color palette, but also reflects the common barn name of many chestnut racehorses, including Man o' War and Secretariat.  "Lope" shows a cantering, or "loping" horse, but was done as a fundraiser for LOPE (Lone Star Outreach to Place Ex Racehorses @ www.lopetx.org).  And I must mention here that "Only the Lonely" was actually suggested as a name for another piece by my mother, but I immediately grafted it onto the then unformed drawing which was simply hanging out there waiting for the perfect name.  So, thanks Mom!


And finally, here is the newest entry in the stable.  Graphite, conte crayon (and eventually india ink) on clayboard.  My reference photo is of two sweet, gentle Belgian mares nonchalantly lounging about in their field, but a slight breeze just barely lifted tendrils of mane up at the right moment when I took the shot, and I took the idea and ran with it.  Here is the beginning of "Tempest".  (And I apologize for possibly the worst photo of artwork ever taken!)

"Tempest" WIP  

©Joanna Zeller Quentin 2010.  All Rights Reserved.  www.MoosePantsStudio.com

"Only the Lonely"

© Joanna Zeller Quentin 2010.  All Rights Reserved.  www.MoosePantsStudio.com

"Blazin' Fast!" original 16x20 oil by Kerry Nelson

This racing scene will add a blaze of color to your decor! 

Original oil painting on 2.5" deep gallery stretched canvas with black painted sides.  $599.95

Purchase Here!

WIP - New equine fantasy art by Kerry Nelson

"Braiding Mother's Hair" 16x20 oil on panel.  Work in Progress.

They're mostly horse!  Ha!  Here's a bit of background info from my blog:
"It is not my intention to mimic any one culture, rather, to create a plausible sub-culture that might exist if centaurs were real and living among human cultures of the ancient times.
This family is obviously well off with a palacial estate and many luxuries. Here, the mother is having her eldest daughter braid her mane and help her with her dressing for a night out with her husband when he returns home. The youngest daughter entertains them with chatter and play. She and her pets find the occassion very exciting and festive and as a result is always getting underfoot."



This painting is nearly finished, just awaiting a little more detailing.   Please visit my blog to see the complete session-by-session posting of this work from concept and drawing to the present stage of work with many detail close-up photos that can be enlarged by clicking on the photos.   See it here:

http://kerryoriginals.blogspot.com/search?q=Braiding

Day Eight: A Horse a Day for 30 Days

Around here, we don't buy into that belief that chestnut mares and fillies are evil. I've done the three chestnut boys this week - Jay, Mute, and Medz - so it's time for a girl! Miss Peaks, a yearling Thoroughbred filly, isn't on the farm right now, as she's started her under-saddle racehorse education, but I wasn't about to leave her out of my project - she's much too special! I welcomed Peaker into the world one very cold February morning in 2007.


I realised this morning that I'd forgotten to tone a panel last night. While I could have done it first thing this morning and given it time to dry, that's what I did yesterday and the tone was lifting off too easily, so I found a piece of masonite that I had prepared with shellac instead of gesso. As you can see from the in-progress shot, this means I'm starting with a ground that is dark. The surface is also very slick, and very non-absorbent. That's why this piece is more blended that some of the ones I've done this week on gessoed panel. The smoothness and the fact that the paint dried more slowly make it very different to work with.

So here we have our Miss Peaks, 10 x 8 oil on shellacked masonite, using the usual limited palette. I also forgot to clean my brushes last night, which is borderline disastrous. There's no better way to shorten the life of your brushes! What am I going to go do now? Tone a couple of panels so I'm covered for the next few days, then clean those brushes!

Please be sure to check out the other horses that I've been painting as part of my project this week. They're on my blog: www.lindashantz.blogspot.com Thanks!

"Man on a Mission" 5 x 7 Oil on Raphael Linen

Man on a Mission 5 x 7 Oil on Raphael Linen Panel, by Linda Shantz

I just dropped this little original oil painting off to be framed. Fellow Equine Art Guild member, Kat Moore, has shared a number of photos of her Shire horses, including the one that inspired this painting. This is Shine, and it looks to me like he's trudging through that snow with purpose, hence my chosen title!

Typically I paint Thoroughbreds, because I'm surrounded by them every day, but the Shire has always been my favourite draft breed. I really enjoyed doing this little piece. It's on my current favourite surface, Raphael linen panel. I am making it available as either a collector reproduction at $30.00, or a giclée reproduction on either canvas or fine art paper ($60.00 canvas, stretched; $45.00 fine art paper). The original is also available. Any inquiries can be directed to me at lmshantz@lindashantz.com

"Footbath" Oil on Linen

This is a little 8 x 10 oil on Artfix linen. This surface is incredibly smooth and the finished painting looks as if it should feel like velvet. I really enjoyed working on it for this little piece.

The painting is done from reference photos I took a few years ago at Saratoga. Saratoga Springs in New York is the place to be in August, if you're associated with the world of horse racing. This is another familiar scene on the backstretch - after training, each horse gets a bath and then walks to cool out. Before going back into the stall, the groom will wash the dirt off of the horse's feet and dry the legs. I know from my days as a groom there's something satisfying about a horse with nice, clean feet!

This painting is available. If you have any questions feel free to email me at lmshantz@lindashantz.com. If you'd like to see some of the in progress shots of this painting, be sure to visit my blog!

A Quiet Moment on the Training Track

While racing scenes are always exciting, I think I enjoy portraying the quieter moments on the backstretch best. I took photos of this Thoroughbred and rider one morning at Woodbine when I was filling in for my trainer friend while she took some time off. Often a rider will "back up" before galloping - this just means he or she will jog the horse on the outside rail going the "wrong" way (clockwise) to warm up. After backing up it's customary to turn the horse in to face the infield and stand a moment before carrying on with the morning gallop. This horse looked relaxed but ready to proceed. There's something magical about the light this time of day. Mornings at the track are filled with hope and promise.

This painting is an 18 x 14 oil on Raphael linen board. It was the first oil I did on this surface, and I quickly fell in love! The original is framed and available for sale, and giclée reproductions can also be ordered. For more information, just visit my website, or send me an email. The working title for this piece was "Pause" but I'm not sure it has stuck yet. If you have any thoughts or ideas, I'd be happy to hear them!

If you're interested in seeing some of the progress shots of this painting, have a look on my blog. You might have to go back a few months. As a bonus, I've got some pretty cute foal photos up there as well!

Linda Shantz

Black Snowcap Appaloosa by Kerry Nelson

This little 4x6" oil painting is just one of several small oil paintings I currantly have for sell on ebay. These tiny oil paintings make excellant christmas gifts for the horse art lover on your list. This little painting is ideally sized to fit on the wall, desk, or, bookcase, and, it has the added advantage of being in a flat, collectible format that will also fit into standard 4x6 photo albums. Just follow this link to see more details about this painting, including close-up detail photographs: SOLD

See new work and works in progress at www.KerryOriginals.blogspot.com and see works for sale at www.KerryOriginals.etsy.com .

John Henry Oil Painting by Kerry Nelson

This is a small 9x12 oil painting on 3/4" gallery wrapped canvas and is a portrait of the great thoroughbred racehorse, John Henry. It has the sides painted and comes already wired to hang, so, you can display it immediately as is, or, if you prefer, you can buy any standard 9x12 frame (not included). This original oil painting will be carefully wrapped and shipped by priority mail with FREE SHIPPING! (US only).

AVAILABLE FOR SALE  $249.
See new work and works in progress at www.KerryOriginals.blogspot.com and see works for sale at www.KerryOriginals.etsy.com .