Horses!?..

I lunged and rode Zuess yesterday and I'm not sure if the experience boosted my confidence or wrecked it.He was his usual relaxed self when I caught him but as I was grooming him he noticed something over in the paddock and went into 'flight mode'- or for non horsey readers -stress out ' something's going to eat me mode". He looked gorgeous so I rushed to get a few pics hoping he wouldn't take fright and jump on me.
I lunge him in a 25acre paddock .Luckily he's well taught and easy to control even if he loses it. He doesn't try and pull away and run off.Even though he could easily he doesn't realise he can.
 He went great for a while but then bolted off around the circle bucking like a bronc.When he does that I yell NO! NO ! NO! and whack the buckle of his rope halter under his cheeks.I usually wiggle the lead as a signal to slow down or back up but once he gets in this frame of mind I need to do more to make him notice me.It sounds bad but he knows that means slow down.If he's really out of control I just pull on the lead and spin him to face me so he stops.If he is still going off I keep whacking the buckle up & down but stop when he does. I probably haven't been perfect with my timing in the past so maybe I've aggravated things..Anyway he'd bolt , bronc get spun to face me and then rear.Usually he only does a few but today he was going full height about 6 or 7 times.I thought he might fall over backwards.I was far enough away not to be in danger. Luckily he has never reared under saddle.

Once I got him facing me and stopped I'd tell him to go again and then trot & canter etc and praise him when he went well.He'd settle for a while & then anther outburst.Anyway I eventually had him going well licking his lips in submission and behaving.
I thought there is NO WAY I"m going to ride you today! Then my pigheaded side cut in & I thought..maybe just up here and not very far..Anyway I rode him and he got into " help gremlins are going to get me! ' mode once but I kept him occupied and he actually went really well!e went down the arena and did our usual dressage.
 So..I feel proud of myself for having come out the other side and getting him to go well but a bit freaked out at the display. I've lost enthusiasm for going trailriding in case he sees something scary out there which is a pity as when he gets out & about enough he is a terrific trailriding horse..
If only you could erase their flight instincts horses would be great! I should have bought a Clysdale not a Thoroughbred..I do love his TB sensitivity , lovely nature , intelligence and trainability thoough..
 Rant over ..LOL's

'Zeuss is thinking  - Oh my god! Something over there wants to have me for dinner! I'm out of here!'Isn't he lovely? ( sorry mum's cooing..LOL's). At least I have a photo of him that I can do a decent portrait of now.I'd have to use another photo taken in sun from a similar angle for shine but I love the look in his eye in this one.

My latest portrait Boss

 

 

Boss.
30 x 40cm framed Oil
"It's just wonderful! ..Just what we wanted. The colours are great and his brindle looks so good . It's so lifelike I want to pat him.... I can't stop looking at his eyes...The more I look at it the more I like it.... It's awesome!!"
Kerrie
Kerrie has a condition that puts her in and out of hospital.She's had a bad lot lately so it's been good to be able to cheer her up with the portrait.

This email from a client got me thinking

'Have to tell you a funny story(dream)! Funny now ,not when I was dreaming about it.

It reminded me of it when I saw what you have done so far of my portrait..

About a week ago I must of gone to bed having just done an email to you and the portrait was on  my mind and what it would look like etc.  I then had a dream that the portrait was delivered and all I could see was about 5cm of him across the bottom of the painting- so a bit of his head/mane/body & a bit of his tail and the rest was just completely blue sky.  Then I awoke from my nightmare!!!!

Thought you might get a laugh from that... I obviously went to bed thinking about nothing else!!!'

Since I've seen what you have done I love it, love it, love it.....thanks Sue.

( Sue - it's only early stages for the portrait too!)

 I suppose people must be a bit worried ordering a portrait from someone over the internet who they don't know.Don't worry - leave the worrying to me! I'm the one offering the satisfaction guarantee exactly so you don't have to worry! I've been around for 13 years so far and don't intend going anywhere so reputation is very important to me. I want you to be happy!

I'm entering an International horse art show

I've just come back from taking photos at a local Throughbred stud.They kindly allowed me to watch them preparing their weanlings for the sales on the weekend."Thongy' was such a cute model! I think they will miss him when he goes.
I'm entering an international equine art show and the theme is life at stud.You have to liase with a registered thoroughbred stud and take photos there to use to paint the entry artwork.
I've left it a bit late as I only have 2 weeks to have my painting done!I got some great shots and of course the ideas that appeal to me are really complicated and will be hard to do in such a short time.. grr The hardest part will be deciding which photos I will paint!

Port Macquarie - Werrikimbe trip

Boy I'm glad I went last weekend and not this one! The weather was lovely.
I stayed at Port Macquarie youth hostel Friday night with a group of other bushwalkers but I got there early and went and took photos.They had some big seas and wild weather earlier in the week and there was a big swell and a lot of salt in the air which gave quite an atmosphere.I went around the beaches late that afternoon to take some photos that maybe someday will end up as paintings! I took lots of photos but I'll just put a few up here.

We drove up to the Wilderness area..its about 2.30hrs from Port as the last 60 odd kms are 20 - 40km/hr speeds on good forest roads.

Werrikimbee walk

They had about 130mm of rain earlier that week so all the waterfalls were gushing!

The campsite.I was slack and slept in my car..
Amazing what you can do in a little Corolla..LOL"s We didn't see anyone else all weekend and other than the occasional plane overhead it was lovely and quiet,Just what I needed! I need to know there are still places you can get away to that haven't been wrecked or affected by man.

It was just a tad short as my feet touched the back door.. next time I'll put the bed diagonally and it will be perfect!

 Great rainforest no weeds etc.There are only a few walking tracks and they aren't that long. You can do real offtrack walking to experience the wilderness if you want.

About 30 years ago I came up on an overnight bushwalk to do just that. We were supposed to be using an exposed knife edged ridge with a big drop off each side to get down from the top of the mountain to the river below and camp.I'm scared of heights so I was really worried about going down the ridge.We missed the ridge and ended up crawling in the thick undergrowth on our hands and knees for 3/4 hr with big packs on. I was crying by the end of it but at least we found a way down that didn't go down that scary ridge and once down in the creek it was gorgeous!We climbed back up another ridge to the top of the mountain the next day to finish the walk.

 My neck isn't up to carrying a big pack these days although I am improving so maybe this year.. I'm a bit more of a whoose in my old age though so I'd be doing easier walks than the one I just mentioned!

 It was interesting country..rainforest like above and then head high coral fern, banksia and grasstrees like the photo below.

This is another short walk through treeferns to waterfalls.It was gorgeous!

 Me on a bridge 

Fungi and moss

Sue in front of a waterfall

I'll start a new post to show the trip once I went back down into the valley/civilisation again.I stayed a day longer than everyone else as I wanted to paint some landscapes..nothing like telling everyone on Facebook that your going to do something ..It certainly motivated me to get off my bum and paint knowing everyone was expecting something!

Rain!

It's been raining steadily overnight and all today.I did a driveway 'patrol' and cleared the verges so the rain drains on the sides and doesn't wash the drive away. There are sheets of water running down the slopes , our ' creeks ' are running , the 'big' dam is almost filled and looks like a small lake again. Unfortunately so does the arena. We need a diversion drain above it as all the water is just running straight into it.Ok. We've had enough now you can go away rain!..Huh! We haven't even got the flood rains they have predicted yet.Glad we live on  a hill!
 Zeuss was so glad to get breakfast his whinnies went up and down the scale..I suppose it's the one bright spot in his soggy day..LOL"s.
Good day to lie in front of the fire , cook and now get some painting done.
 I'm a bit stuck on Boss. He's brindle and quite dark and I want him colourful and interesting but still darkish..oh well keep plugging away and eventually I'll get it!

Another secret gift portrait I've just completed - Ziggy + Darby

I've done many portraits for Carol who has a security and dog training business
http://www.shadowhawk.com.au/

We were concentrating on her own dogs that had passed away.She intended to do a portrait for her sister at some time.Her sister recently lost Ziggy unexpectedly so Carol moved this portrait forward.She had just taken some photos of both dogs the week before Ziggy died but was disappointed when she saw the photos as both dogs had their eyes in shadow .Always look for things like that when you take photos ( digital cameras are great as you can generally check what you have taken then and there)..Retake them from a different angle to the sun. The photo was also very boring and  B and W in colour - but it WAS sharp!

Reference photo Ziggy at the back and Darby front.

I chose this photo of the two from a lot Carol supplied as I thought it had potential for a nice design in a portrait. Carol said I could enhance the colours and I started her portrait as a demo painting at an event.I changed the postions of the dogs for a better design and it also meant Ziggy ( who passed away) would be at the front. Here is the portrait.

Ziggy and Darby
20 x 50cms
Oil on gallery wrap canvas
Carol hasn't unveiled the portrait yet but said it was ok to show it on the internet. It feels good to be able

to create a portrait like this and I hope it helps ease her sister's grief.

Here is Aymon + Aussie framed.

 " Graeme loved it! It's now hanging above Aymon's piano. Thanks Sue."
Fiona

This photo of the portrait isn't great.There isn't a dark band along the LHS.. that's just the shadow of the frame on the portrait.


I'm starting another portrait of Boss the happy Staffy. He was the star of the happy dog hanging out of the car painting I did a while ago.Now I'm starting his portrait which will be a combined Xmas / birthday gift for Dec.

Heres' one of my latest secret portraits. Aymon and Aussie

Aymon + Aussie

c 40 x 50cms

framed Oil

'I was excited by the idea of having a painting done of my son Aymon and my dog Aussie. With my husbands 50th pending I decided it would be the perfect gift! From my initial enquiry to the finished... painting, Sue has been fantastic! Expert advice, excellent communication and I have a painting that far exceeded my expectations and I will treasure (even though it’s Graeme’s pressie) forever. Thanks Sue.'


Fiona

'Graeme loved the painting!  Not what he was expecting, looks fantastic above Aymon’s piano.'

Fiona

My artworks to feature in the June Human Rights Defender magazine

The Human Rights Defender magazine created by the university of Sydney wants to publish photos of my Australian landscapes in their June magazine.

http://www.ahrcentre.org/hrd_issues.html

Bummer!

I fell and sprained my right ankle badly trying to strap sailboards onto the car.Boy it hurt! I was curled up in agony . The wind was blowing and the board was only half tied on so I had to finish the job so it wouldn't blow off..I thought I'd seize up and not be able to drive home but so far it's remarkably good! ..Time to go and ice it..grr


I'm supposed to be going on a bushwalking car camp with day walks at the weekend and its a 4hr drive so if I seize off that will be off.For the last 7 years I've had a restricted life due to a crook neck that means I get a headache if I sit long.I've been improving so I decided to see if I was up to a 3hr drive..I thought my neck would be the deciding factor but the maybe the ankle will be now.