Painting a Dead Horse

 

 "Dark Horse"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$300

Available Here

My new project, Still Life Open Studio, is rolling along! It's a gathering where I set up a still life, and you come and paint it! Well, I paint it. You work in any medium you choose. 

This month's session was inspired by Georgia O'Keefe - skulls and flowers. I had the whole gang assembled - Bambi, Bessie, and Mr. Ed. Yorick was on an artist's residency and could not attend.

I'll be hosting two sessions in August: the 11th and the 25th. Come see what I concoct theme-wise! It's still a mystery to me.

Skulls Fall Into My Lap

"Horse Skull no. 1"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

I'm calling this 'no.1' because I plan on painting this dead guy many more times (since I'm hosting him for a year, while my friend and model Tahni is in Sweden studying Swedish) She found him in a field near her family's farm south of Eugene years ago, and has kindly entrusted him to me while she's abroad. This isn't the first time art people have leant me skulls. Isn't life beautiful, artists?

The vase is full of Lamb's ear leaves, which Ellie picked from our yard - we're not in short supply - it's the only thing we seem to be able to grow! I kind of thought they worked, color-wise. Then, as I was painting, it dawned on me: Horse skull and lamb's ears. Hm.

Alas, Poor Leelou

"White Camellias with Skull"

12 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

$300

click to buy

When you have the rare luck to be leant a real human skull, it kind of becomes the only thing you want to paint.  Tearing my soul in two this week is the fact that it's also Camellia season. My favorite flower, and one I make sure to pilfer from the neighbors paint every year. Naturally, my only choice was to put them together, and why not? Makes for a classic Memento Mori.

Not that reminding you of your mortality is really what I'm all about.

Here's my progress. Contrary to my normal practice, I painted this one ALL WEEK. I only seemed to be able to snatch an hour here and there in the studio, so I think I did three or four different work sessions on this one. It wasn't as painful as my moaning and groaning (audible over twitter worldwide, I'm sure) might have lead you to believe.

What did you work on this weekend? Link it up in the comments - I'd love to see!

In Which I Have Fun. Also, a Skull Update.

 

"Patti, Smiling"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$400

click to buy

Remember last week when I sat for this lovely portrait? Well, this week it was Patti's turn in the spotlight. I had a blast - we chatted and laughed the whole time (as long as they keep their mouths shut at certain critical moments, I love my models to talk to me) about...oh I don't know, art stuff, this and that, bugs in your plein-air paintings, funny figure model moments, studio tips...it was pretty great. I really feel like I captured her innate liveliness and humor in this portrait, photographic evidence of which can be seen below:

I'm happy with the subtle blues, greens, and purples in the background. They remind me of the colors she often uses in her gorgeous landscape paintings. 

And for those of you curious to hear more about our very normal for an artist skull collections - Patti went home with my deer and cow skulls, which she's already nicknamed Rudolph and Bessie, and leant me the gem of her collection, Leelou, the REAL HUMAN SKULL. Also her favorite book about our boyfriend, JSS. Thanks for sitting for me, Patti! You rock.