Dark Horse E is for Eye SOLD

'Dark Horse'  SOLD

5 x 7 inches, watercolor on paper 

E is for eye. Yes I know, not all that creative. But I love horse's eyes. I always get lost staring into their eyes whenever I'm around them. There is so much soul there. So much. More than many humans I dare say. ;) And better personalities a lot of the time too. For example:   

Straining to get right up in my face, this is Zannie, my old, sweet, little pony mare that is at my parents house. We live in the suburbs, with no land for a pony. :(  I went for a visit on Father's Day and she would not stay far enough away for me to get a good shot of her. But that's okay, I'll take sweet pony kisses over good photos any day.

Powerhouse

'Powerhouse' 

6.5 x 8.5 inches

$85 plus $7 US shipping, or $15 Int. 

I saw these horses late last summer when me and my mom and kids went to a historical farm. These draft horses were massive, with bulging muscles everywhere under their sleek coats. But they absolutely loved people. They stuck their big heads over the top rail of the fence and tried to press their soft noses into our cheeks. I think I want one for a pet. Should fit okay in my back yard I think, as long as the neighbors don't complain. ;) 

I wanted to capture some of that strength and power contrasted with their sweet personalities. Hopefully a little of their playfulness comes across in this painting. I'm so enjoying this new, slightly whimsical approach to my watercolors. It's just what I needed to break me out of a rut. 

Studio Sale - Arabian Horse Painting SOLD

'Opportunity' SOLD

9.5 x 14 inches

watercolor on paper

I have a few pieces that I painted quite a while ago that I'd really love to go to someone who would love to have them. Right now this painting is sitting in a clear bag in a storage bin, which is sad. She deserves to be loved and petted and named George. ;) 

So if you've been wanting one of my paintings, especially one of my white horse paintings (this is one of the first ones I did using my current method for painting whites, painted early 2010) then click on the link to bid. :) 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone! Huzzah! 

Sun Spots ACEO SOLD

'Sun Spots'  Andalusian stallion

ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches) 

watercolor on paper SOLD

“The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.”
― Amber Senti

  

Last night my husband and son's went to a father and son's camp out put on by our church. So I had the whole house to myself. All. Night. Long. I think this has happened about three times in the whole time we've been married. It was very. . . lonely. Although it was nice to not have to share my red vines and peppermint patties with anyone and not hear complaints about having to watch the latest Vampire Diaries. Heh heh. ;) But I would have willingly shared them to have them home. 

I did a lot of drawing for future watercolor paintings and then did this little ACEO to ease myself back into watercolor painting. That's what I told myself anyway, but when I started painting it was like I had never left. It didn't feel unfamiliar at all. Like welcoming an old friend home after a long trip abroad.

Although there was one bad piece of news that happened right before the boys left. Our dog Chauncy had been limping all day and then his front paw started to swell up HUGELY, so I took him to the vet and he's now resting and on antibiotics for a blood blister and infection in his paw. The vet says he'll be fine, but Chauncy is not happy about this. 

*pouting because mom is making me wear this stupid bandage on my paw so I can't lick it. Better than the cone of shame I guess. . . SQUIRREL! Too bad I can't chase it*

See you Monday my friends, enjoy your weekend! 

Reference photo, with thanks, by Deidre T on deviantART.

Scritchin and Scratchin - SOLD

'Scritchin and Scratchin'  SOLD

6 x 6 watercolor on paper

Another foal to add to my series of 'baby horses with itches that can't quite reach them'. I'm not married to that series title so if you have something better lay it on me. I tried asking my husband and son for another title that was similar to 'Can't Reach' or 'Almost Got It' but their suggestions were less than desirable. 'Scritchin and Scratchin' was my husband's contribution which was actually kind of a cute.

In any case, this little guy (a Gypsy Vanner foal) is so darling. I love his soft baby mane and tail, and that gesture of him reaching around to scratch his knee with his little nose is so endearing that I can't look at it without my heart melting a little bit. :) He was a pleasure to paint and is owned by my friend, Sue Niesen, of Gypsy Lane Farm.

And how about a Huzzah for Friday hmm??? Huzzah!! See you Monday everyone. :)

Almost Got It - SOLD

'Almost Got It' SOLD

4.5 x 6.5 inches watercolor on paper

Still trying to scratch that itch. :) These two paintings were so much fun. I think if I could only every paint babies, of just about any species, I would be a very happy painter.

Today's painting and yesterday's were painted close together on one sheet of paper like this:

Happy Spring everyone!! We've finally got some more sunshine today! How about you?

Can't Reach - SOLD

'Can't Reach' SOLD

4.5 x 6.5 inches watercolor on paper

Spring always means newborn foals to me. Last year when my husband and I were out driving around we saw this field full of mares and foals.This little girl kept trying to scratch her belly and flanks, but couldn't seem to quite reach. I got a few different shots of her attempt. She was so dang cute, and her baby confirmation is already showing that she will be a looker when she grows up. Tomorrow's painting will show her second attempt. :) 

Truffle - SOLD and a personal request

'Truffle' SOLD private commission

6" x 9" watercolor on paper

This beautiful girl is owned by the same woman (who has become a good friend I'm happy to say) who commissioned me to paint "Twilight." I wanted Truffle's painting to have the same kind of feel as Twilight's did, as far as color scheme and paint handling. I think it worked out pretty good. But it's hard to go wrong when working with such a beautiful horse you know? I love her. :) 

I have a sick boy home today and this is the last painting I have finished for the 30 day challenge. I don't know if I'll get one done today or not, but I'm not going to stress about it or rush to finish something just to finish it. Even though not following through with a commitment (I said I was going to do 30 paintings in 30 days you know?) is driving me a little crazy.

The other day I went to the gym the morning after our big snow storm. This meant shoveling three feet of snow (I may be exaggerating a little. . . but just a little, especially since my husband shoveled the majority of the snow the day before, but I digress) out of the driveway (at least the path directly behind my car, heh heh) and numb fingers and noses and all that good stuff. By the time I got back from the gym I was s-s-s-so c-c-c-c-cold!!! 

 

I walked into the kitchen and found this waiting for me on the kitchen counter: 

My sweet oldest son had made me hot chocolate and left it out for me for when I got back along with two cookies and a little note. (And yes I did eat them, I earned them after all that snow shoveling right??) And I wasn't cold at all anymore. :) 

I mention this because this is where my personal request comes in. My sweet boy, who turned eleven in December, has been busy sculpting little dragons with me the last few days and he asked if I'd put his 'best one' (his words, I think they are all amazing) on my blog for all of you to see. Here it is: 

 

It would mean a lot to him, and me, if you guys could leave a short comment telling him what you think. :))) Thanks so much you guys, you are like a second family to us. My boys and husband know all about you (some of you specifically by name) from how often I talk about you. :) 

 

And just one more thing (I promise this time), the deadline to submit your photo to my Smitten contest is tomorrow January 23, click here to go to the entry form. I'd love it if one of you guys could win. 

 

Until tomorrow!

 

Hugs,

Crystal

Companion SOLD

'Companion' SOLD

5 x 7 inches watercolor on paper

I saw this horse at our local county fair a few years ago. It was outside in a riding arena filled with soft dirt and the sun was bouncing off the dirt and onto this horse's already red coat and it was so beautiful. Glowing! I tried to capture that look here. I loved the glow of light so much, but the horse's bridle isn't fitted quite properly so I put off painting it, but then, following my gut who has never led me astray before, I decided to just go for it anyway. 

Because the look in the horse's eye, so gentle and intelligent, and his glowing red coat was too much to pass by! And maybe the not quite perfect fit of his bridle makes him a little more endearing. I think so anyway. :) I like to imagine that his owner is a little girl who tried her best to make her horse look beautiful, even if he's not quite perfect, to her he is. 

"All horses deserve, at least once in their lives, to be loved by a little girl." - Anon

This is painting 7/30 for the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

Detonate - Arabian horse SOLD

'Detonate'  SOLD

6" x 6" watercolor on paper

$65 plus $10 US shipping, $15 International

 

Reference photo by Chunga-stock on deviantart, thank you!

The power this horse had was so compelling to me. I wanted to crop in close on his action to make it seem like he was ready to explode out of the frame, that's why I decided on the 6 x 6 size. Hopefully that's the message that comes across. :)

I hesitate to say that I'm working on a series of horses, because that's usually when I feel like moving on to something else, but just so you know that might be what I'm doing. Something like a series, but let's not technically call it a series okay? :)

And here is a photo of the beautiful ACEO that my dear friend Carol sent me. I won it from her blog and I love it so much. It reminds me of my mom who loves to garden and grows the best tomatoes
I've ever tasted.

 

Silent Night SOLD, and why I paint in oils sometimes

'Silent Night' SOLD

5" x 7" watercolor on paper

Reference photo by Elizabeth Ward Sescilla, thank you! 

I wanted to do a Madonna and child type of painting this Christmas, using horses running through the snow, and this is it. I realize this would have to be a very late (or early) foal to be this age and running through the snow, but. . . I thought it was such a lovely, peaceful image that I decided to exercise my artistic license. ;) 

 Here's a pic of the painting in progress. :)

We're knee deep in Christmas preparations around here and I'm so excited!! I love Christmas. I love seeing the magic of this season through my kid's eyes. It's one of the best things ever. 

The boys and I have been making some Christmas crafts including these Santas above. This is what happens when you have all boys. You get one normal, jolly Santa, and then. . . his evil twin brother. Don't ask me, because I don't know how they came up with that idea. 

And Katherine asked if I'd post a pic of our decorated Christmas tree so here it is. :) Most of our ornaments are homemade and all of them are very sentimental and I love it that way. It's not a fancy tree, but our kids think it's magical, and they are in charge of decorating it themselves. Brodie and I just hand out the ornaments.

I also wanted to give a quick shout out to my dear friend Carol Blackburn, who sent me the most lovely little ACEO that I adore. Thank you so much my friend, I treasure it so much! I'll post a pic of it in my next post so you guys can see it. :)

And now, to of why I wanted to paint with oils. I've gotten a little bit of feedback that people are sort of disappointed that I haven't been painting in watercolors so I wanted to let you all know that I will never give up on watercolors. They are a part of my soul and I LOVE painting with them. I suspect that is where I will always feel most at home, but sometimes I just need to try something new. 

I was starting to dread every time I sat down to paint with my watercolors. I don't know why, I think I was just feeling a little bit burned out. I wasn't excited to paint anymore. And I HATE feeling like that. Art is what heals my soul, you know that quote that says art washes away the dust of every day life? That is exactly how I feel. I'd be lost if I couldn't paint every day. Any time I go a few days without painting I start to feel like I'm not myself, I feel restless and anxious. But as soon as I pick up a brush or a pencil I feel whole again. 

So whenever I start to feel burned out I get a little scared. Because painting is something I HAVE to do, and I have to enjoy it. That sounds a little selfish doesn't it? But it's the truth. Also I have just felt drawn to oil paintings lately, they're what I look for in art magazines, what I search out when browsing online. I try to dissect them in my head, mix the colors and visualize how the artist laid down the brushstrokes.

And that's when I started to feel excited about painting again. I LOVE the rich, buttery colors of oils, the visible expressive brushstrokes, and the simplification of details, and I really, really love how quick they are. I want to be an expressive painter, and while I don't think it's always important to paint quickly, right now when painting time is so scarce that's really important to me. 

So that's it in a nutshell of why I like painting in oils. I will still mostly be painting with watercolors, but sometimes I may go on an oil painting binge again, because it's what I have to do to feed my creativity. Does anyone else ever feel like that? I'd love to hear your story too. 

Thanks for reading this epic post. Huzzah my fellow rock stars!! :)

No Words Required - sold

'No Words Required'

6" x 9" watercolor on paper

sold

reference photo by the amazing Elizabeth Sescilla

 

A new addition to my 'Smitten' series of love, and this is the first non human one. :) This is 'Son of Lloyd' (the grey stallion on the left) romancing one of his mares. Special thanks to Elizabeth for the use of her reference photo, she take gorgeous photos, of gorgeous horses, and is so generous to share them with me. Thank you!

 

I wanted to emphasize the dreamy mood of this painting by using a background that simulated sunset colors. At first I was going for less variety, but then my brush and instinct took over and my brilliant idea got left behind in the thrill of the watercolor wash! ;) Love it when that happens.

 

And thanks so much to fellow artist Maria Reichert for the title! I posted a WIP of this on facebook asking for title suggestions and I loved what she came up with.

 

In other news this morning when I woke up it was oddly very bright outside. I got out of bed and looked out the window and saw the cause of all that brightness. Snow!!! All over the ground. Can you believe it?

 

Craziness.

 

Littlest Cook was very excited about this.

 

 

After we dropped his brothers off at school we came home first thing and built a snowman, followed by another snowman after he decided to smash the first one to smithereens, had a serious snowball fight (he won), made snow angels, then came inside for hot cocoa.

 

I'd say it's been a pretty good day so far. :) How about you guys? Huzzah for snow before Halloween! ;)

Generations - sold

'Generations'

6.5" x 10" watercolor on paper

sold

A few weeks ago me and my mom took my three boys to a historical farm. There were people in authentic clothes, with authentic tools and wagons and animals all over the place. The kids rode ponies, tried old fashioned horehound candy (blegh!), rode a train and panned for gold (their favorite) It was so fun. :)

 

And I do have to add that if I am ever in a situation where panning for gold skills would come in handy I think I could make a killing. Not to brag or anything, but I was pret-ty awesome. ;)

 

My favorite part was, of course, the horses. There were these massive, beautiful draft horses, and this one brand new little foal. He was only a few days old and he was completely darling. I was tempted to carry him home.

 

My mom reached out a hand when he wobbled over to the fence to greet us, and he stood so still just waiting for her touch. He leaned in to her hand and flicked his little wispy tail, then slowly closed his long-lashed eyes. 

 

I loved the contrast of my sweet, and gentle, mother's older hand on this brand new babies velvet soft face. :)

 

How bout a Huzzah for that? Huzzah!

Sir Barrington - sold

'Sir Barrington' sold

61/2" x 8" watercolor

private commission

 

I absolutely fell in love with this big beautiful horse. He is so powerful, and just gorgeous! He is a beautiful example of a Gypsy horse stallion owned by Sue Niesen of Gypsy Lane Horses.

 

I'm working on incorporating more emotive (?? for lack of a better word) backgrounds in  my paintings that really complement the subject. I don't want to get into super detailed backgrounds at this point (or. . . ever if I'm being honest) but I want the background to contribute to the feeling I want to convey with each painting. At least, that's how I hope it's coming across!

 

In other news, I am at home with a sick boy today. There is much juice drinking and Lego building going on here. Only been in school a week and already he's sick! It's nothing serious, just a cold that then lead to an ear infection which always makes me paranoid since my son has unilateral hearing (he only has hearing in one of his ears, he was born with it).

 

So every time he gets sick I usually run him to the doctor, just to make sure all is well with his ears. And wouldn't you know it, when I took him in today the doctor said he had an ear infection! Just as I suspected. Mothers know all I tell ya. :)

 

While waiting for his prescription to be filled at the pharmacy we stopped at a local bakery and got these cute owl cookies. Because everyone knows when you're a kid and you're sick your mother should spoil you. Right? Right. ;)

 

 

 

Have a great week everyone! Huzzah!  

 

Twilight SOLD

Twilight

6" x 6" watercolor SOLD

Sunlight.

+

Pretty horse.

+

Glowing colorful whites!! (Huzzah!!)

+

Windswept mane.

+

Fluid, splashy watercolors.

=

Heaven. :)

(go on admit it, you were secretly hoping thinking I was going to be talking about Robert Pattinson weren't you? ;)

And I am slightly uncomfortable admitting this (tooting one's own horn is not something I normally like to do) but I am in LOVE with this painting.

That is all. :))

Salvation - SOLD

'Salvation'

6" x 9" watercolor

SOLD

Once upon a time there was a girl who loved horses. She loved them so much that every waking moment was spent reading about them, drawing them, and tracking them down wherever she could find them, just so she could be near them and twine her fingers through the tangles in their mane and hold her palm under their velvet soft lips to feel the blast of heat from their sweet scented breath.

Then one day the girl received a horse of her own and they grew up together. She taught him to follow at her side without a bridle or lead, and to stay in one spot, like the most obedient dog on the planet, until she called  for him.

He learned the sound of her footsteps and the call of her voice and waited at the gate for her every day after school. He pressed his face close to the fence, leaving behind a trail of long white and red hairs from his forelock, waiting for her to come home.

She learned empathy, understanding, compassion, love, and finally how to deal with the grief of losing your best friend when he died.

They were each other's world, and salvation. He was my best friend, and I still miss him.

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,
Friendship without envy,
Or beauty without vanity?
Here, where grace is served with muscle
And strength by gentleness confined
He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent.
There is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.
-Ronald Duncan, "The Horse," 1954

In honor of Skye, my niece's horse in the painting above, who was rescued from slaughter by my sister and her family, ten percent from the sale of this painting will be donated to an equine rescue group. 

Painting this piece stirred up a lot of emotions for me as I reflected back on the relationship I had with my horse growing up. The story is about me, the painting is of my niece and Skye, but it feels like it could have been me as well. :)

Right Beside Me - SOLD

Right Beside Me

5" x 7" watercolor

SOLD

My two oldest boys are back at school and the house is unusually quiet today. It's just me and my little one and the unlit Christmas tree that still sits in the corner because I'm hesitant to pack it away and say goodbye to all the good times we had together this holiday season.

Maybe that's why I chose to paint this image. A mom and her baby, no matter the species, walking this life together.

It's something that's always on my mind, but especially lately. I'm feeling a little sad about how quickly my children are growing, I'm trying to enjoy every single stage of their life, and hoping that I'm teaching them everything they need to know to grow to be the men God intends them to be.

Becoming a mother has been the greatest joy in my life and I find it interesting that even when I paint subjects other than my own children this theme still pops up in my work. And I imagine that it always will.

I hope you all are having a great week. :) I'll see you Tuesday to announce the winner of my blogoversary print giveaway.

If you happened to miss my earlier post and you'd like a chance to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post.

Huzzah!!! (You knew I had to :) 

A Noble Face SOLD

A Noble Face  SOLD

6" x 6" watercolor

click here to bid

Every so often I paint a portrait, whether it's human or animal, that does exactly what I wanted it to. I've captured one small aspect of who this person (or horse as it seems to be in this case) is. It's something I really try to do, but not something that always happens. With this portrait of Troy I think I've captured something of what I felt about his personality.

There's something very noble, and gentle about this horse. I've seen a picture of him reaching his neck out so a child can stroke his face, and another picture of him standing in the sunshine with his head held high, looking exactly like royalty.

This was one of those paintings that flowed from the first moment I set brush to paper. I love it when that happens as flow is such a tempermental little beast. :)  Here one minute and gone the next.

This last fact was proven to me again yesterday afternoon when I sat down to paint while my youngest son napped. Argh. The flow was just not happening.

And I was all out of cupcakes too. Double Argh.

Ah well. Today is a new day. :) 

This beautiful boy's name is Westmoreland's Come Fly With Me, AKA Troy, and he is owned by Shannon Johnson. Thanks Shannon for the use of your reference photo!

Windows SOLD

 

Windows SOLD

7" x 5" watercolor

click here to bid

 You all probably know that I've loved horses all my life and that they were a huge part of my growing up years. Now that I don't get to be around them as much as I did when I was a girl, I feel an even stronger pull towards them whenever I see them, like a gravitational pull, or tractor beams or something.

 I saw this horse last winter in a field I was driving by when out looking for new painting material. I pulled my car over and walked over to the fence. There were a few horses in the field but this one headed in my direction right away, whether she was hungry for human attention or carrots I can't say. Although she did not seem to be too disappointed when my pockets turned up empty of any edible horsey treats.

Or maybe she recognized what I was feeling, that I needed to see her and rub my hand over her velvet nose and fluffy winter coat. The way she calmly gazed at me, so gentle, friendly, and curious ignited all those emotions I'd felt about horses for so many years as a girl.

Her eyes just got to me, they were so kind. It really is true what they say about the eyes. They are the windows to the soul.

P.S. My dear blogger friend (who I also had the good fortune to meet in real life!) Michelle Teacress spotlighted me on her blog the other day. I was honored, flattered, and extremely touched. Thank you so much Michelle. :) Michelle's blog is a great place. You must visit. She is "offering creative encouragement for fellow readers and writers through literature, music, and art."

P.P.S. November means NaNoWriMo (that's National Novel Writing Month in case you didn't know). It means writing an entire 50,000 word novel in thirty days. Thirty. Days. Thirty days and thirty nights of literary abandon. Or, as it seems to be in my case, thirty days and thirty nights of staring at a blinking cursor on my word processing screen and wondering what the heck my characters should do next!

This means that anything witty, funny, or uplifting that I have to say is being written in my novel and probably not here. Just ask my husband about the funny little Hobbit reference line I came up with for my novel that I am absurdly proud of.  I've told him about it at least ten times. Which probably means it's not quite as funny as I think it is. But still. Maybe a little funny. I hope.

Until next week my friends! Off I go to add more words to the 13,109 I already have. Clackety-clack.

Choosing to See SOLD

Sunlight SOLD

5" x 7" watercolor

click here to bid

This stallion's name is 'Golden Sunlight of Hermits' owned by Sandra Butterfield of Hermits Cobs. I saw a photo of him on Facebook and fell in love with him. He has such a kind eye and expression. And just look at his coloring, and gorgeous feathered feet! *sigh* I HAD to paint him. Sandra says he is as friendly and kind as he is gorgeous. :)

One of the great things about being an artist is that your eyes are opened to everything around you.

You see things that most people miss, like the intense purplish blue mixed in with all the sparkling green on a dragonfly's body, or the way a baby's soft cheek turns a rosy orange when he's sitting in the sun stacking towers of rainbow colored blocks with chubby hands.

Life as an artist is good.

And yet. . . Sometimes I find myself just going through the motions. Living my life, but not really seeing it.

So this morning I tried to change that. When I went running I breathed in deep when I passed a field of fresh cut alfalfa hay, I listened to the rushing sound of my breath burning in and out of my lungs, felt the tension of my muscles pushing for just a little more speed.

When I came home I watched my husband's face when he was getting ready for work, taking in every handsome curve and angle (for those of you that don't know, that's him in the banner above), that I know so well, like it was the first time I'd ever seen him.

I marveled at the relative silence in the car when I took my two older boys to school. No arguing, no teasing, just the sound of the audiobook "A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book The Ninth" playing in the background.

I opened the lid on my watercolor palette and watched the sun glint off of each color well, shining and sparkling and calling my name.

I heard my son, just three years old, tell me "you're my best friend Mom," saw the way his hair that's always just a little too long curled over his ears. The downward cast of soft lashes against soft cheeks.

And I knew then that seeing, really seeing, the way an artist sees is a gift.

But it's also a choice.

I choose to see, as often as I can.

Your turn. :) What unexpected beauty have you seen lately?