the green ball

10" x 10" oil on canvas NFS

I've been playing around trying something new. This is a linen canvas, but with a clear gesso on it so that the linen shows clearly through. I did a minimal painting on it. Kind of as I assume watercolor artists have to work, with every stroke counting as important, and being the last stroke put down.

This is very different from how oil painters usually work (myself included), when you can go over things until you like them. I normally work in a traditional way of blocking in areas, and moving from large shapes to small details. So this is about as foreign to my usual way of working as I can get. I had put in the large green wash first, let it dry, and then worked in just the young horse, as I said making every stroke count, and be the last one.

My model is a young two year old stallion at the eventing barn where my daughter takes her lessons. He is hilarious playing with his green ball. He would bite it and throw it up in the air, pounce on it with his front hooves, shove it around with his nose -- not what you think of as typical horse behavior, he acted like a dog or cat with his ball.

I enjoyed the exercise and process of doing this painting so much I am working on another (again with Dino and his green ball), this pose is tall and on a 24" x 12" canvas. This new painting will be for sale. If you are interested in the painting in progress email me and I can email you a photo.