Elin Pendleton - Backlit Heat, Cowboy Corrected

Remember I said that I wanted to make some value changes to this painting? Well, easy to do with Resin Gel and some glazing over the areas that needed to drop down in value. Now I think this one is finished, and holding the "punch" that it needed for this time of day.

The question to all students of the Color System--would you have done what I did to make this painting work, or would you have chosen to do something else? I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to keep those values "reading right" for the time of day. That's why we make those little value studies for you to take with you in a workshop--so the tools are at hand when you're ready to work on your own. This painting is now clearly a small light with a large dark in mostly midtones. Before, it may have had the color, but it didn't have a clear identity for the value structure. My bad. All fixed now!

This is a 12 x 16 oil which will be mounted on a rigid substrate and available for purchase down the road a ways. Right now I want to look at it, and get a really good photograph of it for the upcoming book.

On workshops, I have a few spaces left in the Maine Color Boot Camp--Fall Colors for plein air, but mostly studio work on the Color System in a fabulous location on Mt. Desert Island. Please email me if you'd like more information. This is such a wonderful vacation spot, and hardly better with fall color, with those loooong shadows and painting in a Color Boot Camp! September 21 through 25 in Bernard, Maine--totally on the island! Tent camping is available close by in Acadia National Park, and there are many bed and breakfast places as well as motels to stay.


You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Rainin' at the Rodeo

This was a fun piece to work on! Combined two photos-one of the cowboy, one of the cattle. Turned it sepia, and added some rain...

My work can be purchased on my Red Bubble site.
Donna Ridgway

Square Butte and Horses

I had this photo of Square Butte, and the old corral, but it didn't have any horses in the photo. I couldn't have that, so I added some. I had to completely change the light source on the photo of Square Butte, and the old corral, so I did a lot of digital painting.

To make the horses look like they belonged here, I did many layers of air brush colors, painting over them in places, making them fit into their new back ground. It was an interesting challenge, and very fun.

I got so absorbed in what I was doing! We planned on going to town, we got ready to go, I had to walk out the door passing my computer on the way, I was thinking so hard about this piece, I grabbed the computer and started working on it again.

After a while, Robert came back into the house, he said, "Donna, did you change your mind? I thought we were going to town." He'd been out in the car waiting for me to show up.

I have to laugh every time I think of this, maybe it isn't easy being married to an artist? I can lose all sense of time and place when I'm working!

My work can be purchased on my Red Bubble site...comes complete with shopping cart and easy viewing...
Donna Ridgway

Gypsy moon

I'm always surprised at how seldom I remember to post work to this blog. I post regularly (five images, not always art ones, once a week) to my personal blog, so I often forget that there are other places for me to post.

The nice Gypsy cob/vanner image that Heather posted (previous post to this) reminded me I have more of these myself. Here is one featuring a yearling that I photographed at a local breeder's place. These are real "artist" horses with their big hair, impressive presence, and calm demeanor. This is a photo based artwork, but as the tagline on my business card says, "reality is only a starting point".

Judy Wood

www.judywoodartphotography.com

http://judywoodartphotography.blogspot.com

Traveller Gypsy Vanner Horse

The Gyspy Vanner seems like such a lovely natured horse. There is one that comes to our local Fair each fall, and it is such a delight to give the quiet, beautiful Vanner stallion a hug. He is so gentle with everyone.I've had this image in my mind for a long time, and when I set out to finally put it on paper, I hit a bit of a dilemma. I felt I needed to do some more work in acrylic, but the thought of preparing the board and then fighting with the paint was keeping me from starting the painting. Then it dawned on me that while I want to introduce more acrylics to my portraiture work, I didn't need to use it for my scenes. Watercolour is my first love as far as mediums go, so my decision was made. I was able to leap into this painting at once, and have enjoyed every moment of painting this Vanner who so obviously loves life and enjoys his free time. The painting "Traveller" is 11 x 15.5 inches on heavy Arches hot press paper.
Posted by Heather Anderson
http://www.heather-anderson-animals-in-art.com/

http://www.heatheranderson-animalsinart.blogspot.com/

Elin Pendleton Paints a Demo for the Color Boot Camp

This 12 x 16 oil was done as a demonstration of the skies theory in the Color System during the July workshop. The theory is that there is a warm circle near the source of illumination and that it shifts to the Cool Box outside the circle.

I spent some time tweaking it a bit to bring it to this level, and might again go after it to truly finish it (getting those values right!) in the next few days. I'm pleased how the light comes through on the tail, though.

I'd like you to see that the source material is only the jumping-off point for paintings. Here's the photograph that inspired the painting. This is Frank Gerhardt on Bonus, his appaloosa gelding that he raised and trained. Quite a legend in our local area for trail riding!
I love the memories that have come out of my camera over the years. (And it allows me to deduct my horse expenses since I couldn't get these images unless I actually went on the rides!)

WORKSHOP spots OPEN! Northern California, north of San Francisco! Three days near the redwood country, and in the quaint town of Sebastopol.
August 17-19, $295 through the AWS group there in a lovely location, even if it is Color Boot Camp! Please email me if you'd like to hold one of the spots and I'll send you the contact info. If you've been too far away to do a Color Boot Camp down here in Riverside, this is your chance. I'm going east for the Maine workshop in September, then one here (Riverside) in October. As long as they continue to sell out, I know that what I'm doing has validity. COLOR BOOT CAMP!!

P.S. That color boot camp wanna-be in Scottsdale in their latest blurb is NOT an official Color Boot Camp. Only Elin Pendleton can bring you the "true" Boot Camp experience!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Elin Pendleton paints a mare in foal in a spring pasture

In the workshop I'm teaching this weekend, I had to demonstrate the Color System's morning light, so I picked up on an image from Linda Shantz, who organized the July virtual pARTy for artists to do an image from the same source.

This is a 16 x 20 acrylic done for the morning light painting in the Color System today, and depicts a very pregnant mare in a pasture. I modified the source material quite a lot and am pleased with this painting. Redesigning source material and making it one's own is the mark of a confident artist, with an arsenal of ability to make source material just the "jumping off point" for the art. I love doing this! And in front of the eleven participants of the "Color Boot Camp", I finished this up for them in record time.

You can see the source material and some of the other entries here. Mine won't be there for a while until my registration is cleared.

Congratulations to new collector Louise Sackett from Santee, California, on her purchase of yesterday's painting of the California Coast in moonlight!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

July's Virtual pARTY - Kimberly Kelly Santini

"A Full Belly (Marni in Foal)," a Dog a Day painting from the July Virtual pARTy, 8" x 10", equine painting, acrylic on canvasboard, $449. Inquiries may come to me.

 

This is Marni, who I met several years ago as part of a lovely spring photo shoot. She was days away from dropping her first foal, but nevertheless delighted to soak up even more attention (something she definately wasn't starved for!). I have a mess of photos from that evening, and chose one of them as the inspiration for the July Virtual pARTy hosted by equine artist Linda Shantz and myself.

 

What's a Virtual pARTy? It's when a group of artists collectively works from the same reference. In this case, participants have 24 hours to make art with a 4 day window of time to complete those 24 hours. All the pARTy entries will be shared on the pARTy blog later next week. But meanwhile, there's a number of us who are working away in our studios, painting the lovely Marni.

 

I'll have to hook Marni's family up with the Virtual pARTy site. I know they will get a kick of of viewing all the art their little lady inspired.

 

(Hey, if you are interested in participating yourself, there is still time - work is due by midnight on July 4th - sign up here)

 

Wishing everyone a safe and sparkley weekend. Happy 4th of July!!

Kim Santini

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com