Learning to Trust

Learning to Trust... take 2I started this painting sometime ago and wasnt at all happy with the way it was playing out.. so I decided as you do to start again...

Much happier second time around with the way the painting it is coming along..


Upon completion Learning to Trust will be travelling to the US as part of the Lamingtons & Apple Pie exhibition at the Sedona Art Centre Arizona... opening on the 15th August running through until the 29th August

Learning to Trust

10" x 14" upon completion

watercolour

 

Catherin McMillan

http://www.animalarthouse.com/

email: catherin@animalarthouse.com

Original Art Work for Sale

Commissions welcome

Gift Vouchers & Payment Plan Available

Pay Pal Accepted

Branching out

I draw and paint horses.  My business cards say "equine artist".  I consider myself an equine artist.  (Actually, I consider myself a representational/ American impressionist painter heavily inspired by the Fauvre movement, who focuses primarily on the equine form... but who's counting?)  The point is, much of my work over the past 10 years has been about horses and the world of English discipline riding.   And much of my childhood scribblings were horses as well.
Well, horses and birds.  In fact, my parents still have my kindergarden fingerpaintings, in which I did a whole series of ducks in a pond.  (They're actually a lot of fun!)  I remember an owl phase too.  But the point is, chances are, if I wasn't drawing a horse, I was drawing a bird.
I did birds for my senior thesis in college.  Scratchboard Indian hornbills, in fact - birds I love to look at.  My first published artwork was an egret.  My first professional sale was a macaw.  Birds seemed a very natural Florida thing, with their bright tropical colors, lush environments, dappled shade, and giant tree branches wrapped in moss.  Plus, I could walk outside most days and be inspired by the flora and fauna of Florida's Gulf Coast and her effortless beauty.  When I moved to Texas, bright tropicals didn't really seem to fit the landscape so much, so I put the birds away and focused on other things.
Last week, for the first time in a long time, I did (read: finished) a bird piece.  It was for a charity event here in Dallas, an exceedingly worthy cause, and I was honored to be asked to participate.  The canvas was small - 10" square, and I wanted to do something different - a throwback to some of my earlier bird work.  Plus, I've been on a gold leaf kick lately, and I knew I wanted to incorporate gold leaf into the piece.  After reviewing my reference photos, I pulled a handful of bird pics and started to visualize a painting with each of them.  One picture of Gouldian finches that I took at an aviary years ago jumped out at me, and the title of the piece practically fell in my lap.
Here is the result:

"As Gouldian as it Gets"  

Oil and gold leaf on canvas   

©Joanna Zeller Quentin 2011.  All Rights Reserved.

The floodgates have now opened.  I've got birds on the brain.  Toucans and cranes and parrots and pelicans, oh my.  I'm wrapping up a few big pieces in my studio today and then hoping to start on one of the new bird pieces this weekend.  They are fun and fancy free, and it feels really good to (pardon the pun) stretch my wings and move back into a genre I haven't worked with for awhile.
PS- "As Gouldian as it Gets" was quickly purchased by a lovely woman who planned to hang it next to a large painting of macaws she had at home.  It's always such a pleasure to be able to meet collectors, those wonderful people who allow me to keep doing what I love to do.  I hope that she enjoys the painting as much as I enjoyed making it.

Feather in my Cap

Feather in my Cap

Sometimes when you complete a work your not entirely happy with it when you come back and take a look later on.

That's been the case with Feather in my Cap it wasn't until I photographed the finished drawing that I realised there was a mark on the paper. Rather than rework the entire drawing I decided to add a back ground colour...

I think he blue back ground brings the horse and little girl more forward toward to the foreground in the drawing.. so thank goodness for that mark.

Feather in my Cap

19" x 25"

pastel

Catherin McMillan

http://www.animalarthouse.com/

email; catherin@animalarthouse.com  

Commissions welcome

Original Artwork for sale

Gift vouchers and payment plan available

Pay Pal welcome

“The Coolest Place In Town”-Bullet. Watercolor by Debbie Flood

 

Here I am, playing a little ‘catch-up’ with my Blog posts! I’ve been painting fast and furious, to capture my feelings and experiences of New Mexico! My Blog posts got a little behind.

This watercolor, here, is of ‘Bullet’. He’s the horse I rode on the Road Runner Tours in Angel Fire, New Mexico. We took a ride up into the Mountains, well, actually the head quarters was sitting on the mountain! We rode for two hours into the Forest and across a field or two. I was in Seventh Heaven!

On the ride, we came out of the Forest into a clearing that over looked distant fields, Mountains and Eagle Nest Lake. Before we stopped, for some candid photo shots, I had a Butterfly flutter up between Bullet’s ears, over the crest of his neck, the saddle horn, and into my face! Over the top of my head it went, and I warned the rider behind me to watch out for that crazy Butterfly! But before I had the whole sentence out, it veered off into the woods, not bothering the horse and rider behind me. A few minutes after, I had another one do the same exact thing!

We finished up our ride, and back at the ranch, I took a bunch of photos. I hung out in the paddock with Bullet and his friends. Bullet and I formed a really great bond, and I think of him now, often. This painting I have posted here, is after the ride and Bullet hanging out by the water trough. Titled: The coolest place in town, Watercolor on 300lb Arches Watercolor paper, image size: 11 x 14 inches. If you are interested in purchasing this painting, send me an email at debflood@debfloodart.com thank you.

The next day, after the ride, I drove to Eagle Nest Lake and the Cimarron Mountains. At a gift store there, I found a T-Shirt with butterflies all over it. With that Butterfly moment on Bullet, I just had to have the T-shirt!

The next day, after purchasing the Butterfly T-shirt, I took a day trip into Taos with CheyAnne. I told her about my Butterfly experience and the T-shirt. She had a look on her face, like, “No way!” She then proceeded to tell me the New Mexico Spiritual meaning of having a Butterfly flutter into your face.

“When a Butterfly flutters into your face, You are Blessed”.

I had two get into my face, one right after the other.

Bullet and I are very blessed.

Love and Peace to you all,

~Debbie

http://www.debfloodart.com

Technorati Tags: road runner tours,angel Fire,New Mexico,trail ride,equine,horse,quarter Horse,watercolor,southwest art,gallery,butterfly,eagle nest lake,cimarron

‘Dancing In The Dust’ Western White Horse Completed In Watercolor by Debbie Flood

Dancing in the dust. 21 x 27 inches. Watercolor. $2,500.00

I have finished Dancing in the dust. I’m very motivated to start paintings from my New Mexico adventure that I was recently on. So, needless to say, I am working to complete the works that have been in progress, and those that are waiting in the wings to be started.

I’ve created a Blog for myself and CheyAnne Sexton to post our SouthWest adventures and Paintings and photographs that we have accumulated. We took one day, while I was in NM, to photograph Taos, NM. We had such a good time, we decided to do this painting challenge: http://paintingthesouthwest.blogspot.com  I’ve got it set up so you can follow it through Google or get the updates in your email.

I’m very pleased to announce that I am now Represented by the Angel Fire ArtSpace Gallery, in Angel Fire, New Mexico. You can find my Western and Equine Genre Watercolors there.

I do hope you are having a fantastic week and staying cool if you are in any of the Summer locations around the globe.

~Debbie

http://www.debfloodart.com

Technorati Tags: Western Genre,Art,White Quarter Horse,Southwest,New Mexico,Angel Fire,Gallery,Watercolor,Paintings,Horse,equine

Gotcha

Gotcha

 

Gotcha.. the second last piece for the exhibition in Sedona.. I so love these black and white watercolours.. my head is briming with ideas for more works created in this way.

Gotcha

10" x 14"

watercolour

Catherin McMillan

http://www.animalarthouse.com/

email: catherin@animalarthouse.com

Commissions welcome

Original artwork for sale

Gift Vouchers and Payment plan available

Pay Pal welcome

‘Rumbles in the sky’ Wins The ‘Judge’s Award Of Merit’ at the Red River Valley International Juried Art Exhibition, Vernon, Texas 2011

 

I’m very Honored to announce that my watercolor painting, Rumbles in the sky, was awarded the Judge’s Award Of Merit. The annual International Exhibit is put on by the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, Texas.

The Judge for this years show was David Band.

This watercolor is still available for purchase. The image measures 21.5 x 29 inches. Framed in a heavy Gold Wood frame with an off white 2 inch mat.         $2,500.00. Shipping is separate. You may contact me for a shipping quote. debflood@debfloodart.com thank you.

~Debbie Flood

http://www.debfloodart.com

Technorati Tags: Red River Valley Museum,Texas,Western Genre,Art,Paint Horse,Cowgirl,Museum Art,Vernon Texas,Watercolor painting