Lucy

 

 

Lucy recently had to be put down because of bad arthritis.I hope this portrait brings back great memories for Robyn.
Lucy
30 x 40cm
framed Oil
'Very happy with the picture and frame, it really is my girl'
Robyn

Boy I'm glad I've done so much groundwork with Zeuss!

I've been pushing our comfort zone lately trying to get us both confident with trailriding again after a year or so of only going off the property every 3 months or so.I rode him in the arena .It was his first go with his new hoof boots on and he went great so I decided I'd take him out and see what he thought about the new metal gate the national parks have put across the firetrail behind us.I was expecting him to spook at it as although he doesn't worry about dumped rubbish ect he has a thing about white stumps at times and the gate is a silver colour. It didn't worry him at all he even started trying to eat it.
There is a narrow gap at the side where people and horseriders can get through.I considered riding him through but decided I'd take it cautiously and lead him through the first time. Lucky I did as it is so narrow the stirrups clanged on it .He panicked and rushed through and then when he got to the end of the reins spun around and reared.Bit scary only 6' away. I settled him down and then lead him back through it many times.Even though he was improving he kept rushing the last bit .
 I used to do a game with him where I'd squeeze him through some trees- it was so narrow his belly would  scrape and he'd have to cross his legs a bit on the entry. He used to like to sit in the middle and have a look around before he walked the last bit. I decided to get him to go one step at a time and get him so he could sit in the middle of the gate and be calm.We did it and he finished of calmly walking in and waiting and walking out.The whole affair prob took 15 mins.

The game we used to do.

Coming back across the paddock he got all uptight and I realised he was worried about the dressage whip.I think I have a bad habit of touching him with it when we go for right canter.We don't really need it trailriding as he is so responsive anyway. I spent the next 10mins riding waving it around and touching him with it so eventually he was calm enough to trot and let me do it.Bit scary at times as he wanted to take off and I had to turn him in circles.Boy is he teaching me horsemanship and how to ride ! Adam Sutton told me he would teach me a lot..I think if he lived with another horse he would settle down a bit as today each time we went towards where he knows there are other horses he sped up.
 Let me know if your getting sick of all this horsey stuff. I find it therapeutic to write it down..LOL's

Here are the onsite landscapes I did on my Port Macquarie trip last month.

I stopped and set up to paint at the base of the mountains where we had been walking.I was inspired by the late afternoon light on the valley.It was really peaceful and the only traffic I saw were my friends passing.They had gone on to do another walk and were now finished and going home. I was staying another night at Port Macquarie.
 I was enjoying myself immensely but unfortunately cloud came over.There was no longer any light on the landscape so there was no point in continuing.I could probably finish it with the aid of  the photos I took but I think I'll just leave it unfinished.

It was pretty late and I was half an hour from Port where I had to find somewhere to stay.I usually refer to road maps and topograhic maps if I go away on a trip but I was slack this time.I paid the penalty as I missed the turnoff and went another 20mins before I decide I had better retrack to find the right way. I arrived in the dark.
The next day I set up my Easel near the beach.It was a gorgeous morning and I was excited to see dolphins surfing the waves and generally playing in the surf!. I tried to get photos but they were too unpredictable.
I enjoyed painting and many locals walked past and complimented me on the painting. I had decided to just have fun and do my own thing but gave in after the 6th local said " are you going to put the monument on the headland?" and put it in..LOL"s

Almost done

 

 

Just a quick guide to position

Marking in the shadows before the light changed.

I concentrated on the land because the shadows would change rapidly but I also wanted to plan my water ' attack' a bit.

I was having a ball just spreading paint around choosing the colours I wanted. I have to be very accurate with my usual commssioned portrait work  so I was relishing not worrying too much about accuracy.

I think it was about this stage that a group of Swedish backpackers who had camped on the point nearby came past and one of them wanted to buy the painting. I'm not keen on selling unfinished works so I didn't sell it.

 

This one shows the view better.

This is what I completed on the day.I haven't done anymore since. Note the monument suggested on the far headland..LOL"s.Sorry the photo isn't very sharp.

I'm getting too old for this...

Another 'interesting ride'. I hadn't ridden Zeuss for 9 days and it was a nice day without the cold wind we've had for the last few weeks so I thought it was time.He lives in the paddock by himself ( other then the 70 roos..) and he's been stressing out a bit lately seeing gremlins and running around so he was tired and yawning when I got him.
We went down to the grassed arena and he went well although a little tired. As he was so tired and quiet I decided it would be a great day to get both our confidences up by venturing a  bit further afield.I decided to go out and along our gravel lane and let him visit the horses that live up the end.It started out nicely until we came across the neighbours herding a lame cow with footrot into the yards so they could inject it with penicillin.Zeuss freaked at this black limping blob ( even though he's shared with cows and sees them all the time). He was tense and stiff as a board , heart racing , snorting and just wanted to spin around and bolt home.Luckily he is very well trained and responsive.There is never any real control issues.I just keep him facing whatever freaks him and when we do turn away and he wants to go I just circle him and then ask him to walk..keep repeating until we get there.
So I decided to just face him up to it and wait until he realised it was only a cow and settled down and then I'd try & ride past.I even had him get close enough to the fence for the lady tending the cows to pat him but he was still freaking.It didn't help that the cow didn't want to enter the race as it knew it was going to get jabbed with a needle so the guy was yelling at it and bashing and clanging things to get it to go in.Then when it got in of course it was bashing around trying to get out..I handled sitting on a 500kg + timebomb pretty well except for a few minutes when I imagined what would happen when I tried to move off. Even though he hasn't bucked under saddle for c 4 years I still worry that when he gets ina stressful situation he'll lose it and I'll get bucked off..
 Eventually I decided now or never and it wasn't as bad as I thought.I had to circle him and he'd just spin around to face it again but eventually I managed to get him going past it. He settled down and I let him introduce himself to the horse up the road which made him very relaxed & happy.
We had to come back past the scary yards + cows so there was a bit of circling etc but I got him past . I decided when he had settled that I had better go back and walk him past them etc so he could handle it and wouldn't freak out next time we had to come past.So by advance and retreat , walk towards it , turn around towards home ,back up towards it etc I eventually got him so I could do some calm circles at a walk next to the yards. He even went over and checked out the cows who now out in the paddock and looked like normal cows..
He was back to his normal quiet self + tired so I actually had my first gallop for a year when we came up our drive..Boy he's fast!He can move!
I feel proud of how I handled it but I really am too old to need that sort of thing. It's my own fault.He hasn't been off the property for months.We both need to get out and about more and he needs to be ridden more but incidents like that turn me off the idea.I need someone I trust who is a sensitive rider to take him out and get him back to normal and then I'll take over! LOL"s.
I just got my expensive hoofboots ( which look like they might be too small) grr so I better start to get out & trailride to get the use out of them!

Another secret gift going interstate.

 

Misty Lynx + Hot N Peppy
50 x 60cms framed Oil

Both these mares died of separate accidents within 3 weeks .We only had mobile phone flash photos to work from and I ended up making up a body to suit.This is the portrait I was painting in the NBN TV segment.

Here is the TV link where I am painting this portrait.It gives a better idea of size.

PET PORTRAIT ARTIST IN HIGH DEMAND : NBN

www.nbntv.com.au

We’ve heard of pet parlours and doggy day care, but what about pet portraits? A Hunter Valley artist is doing a roaring trade, by turning our animal companions into works of art. (For more information, head to www.suelinton.com.au)

9 seconds ago · · · Share

Click on the download button at the bottom right of the video and it will give you a large screen version.

Kelva said it would be safe to post even though it hasn't been presented yet.

Here are the reference photos.

Misty- I've cropped the photo for privacy as it was a full body photo with children sitting on her.The photo was too dark without detail so I've lightened her in the portrait.

Peppy

Initially Kelva wanted me to make both of Misty's ears point forward and straighten her muzzle but we agreed it would make a more interesting portrait and show her character more to leave them.

'Received the picture this morning in the mail and it is AMAZING!  I can't wait to give it to Simon, fortunately this year is flying past so a month shouldn't take too long.  I did have to give it to one of the girls here to look after at her house though so I didn't give in to temptation!  The way you captured their personalities is incredible, I almost want pat Peppy's outstretched muzzle.

Thanks again, the portrait is fantastic.  I'll let you know Simon's reaction next month!'

Kelva

Would you like a portrait that shows a few aspects of your pets life?

If you like the idea of having several images of your horse / pet in a portrait I can create a custom portrait like the one below using your photos! You can have a heirloom portrait capturing different aspects of them.
Just send through your favourite photos and I can suggest ideas..As a commissioned portrait just for you you will have the final say on the ideas and what photos we use.

Here is the creation of my 2011Inglis Equine art prize entry

The art prize is a worldwide one and artists have to go to a thoroughbred racehorse stud to take reference photos and then do a painting with the theme " Life at Stud".I left my run a bit late as I was busy with commissioned portraits. I allowed myself 3 weeks ( I'd usually allow a few months for something this complicated) but it poured with rain the first week so I ended up with 2 weeks to create my entry..Argh!!Amazing what you can do when you have to.I would like to have the luxury of setting it aside and tweaking things for the next few weeks but I sent the photo of the painting of to the selection people today. 30 finalists will be selected from all the entries and then these will go on display around different venues for a few months. The winner will be selected from these finalists and get $15000.
Here are the stages of my entry from earliest at the top to finished.These are my Facebook posts transferred across.

After days of trail and error mockups I've finally settled on what I'm doing for the Equine art show. It's a combination of 3 pics that I think show "Life at Stud". The last day before the sales for Thongy. I'll be relieved when it is drawn up as that is going to take the longest.Actually I might just wing it and put it in roughly and refine as I go.I usually do an accurate sketch for a commissioned portrait.

Well I've done the hard part and made a start.I'm still not sure my idea is a good one for the show as having several images it won't have as much impact as one but I want to do a painting that says something and one for me . Hopefully it will have appeal because it is a bit different.

The entry has 7 portraits in all! Cripes..4 people and 3 horse..At least as it's not a commissioned portrait I can suggest a few faces rather than really detail them! 

Everything covered

Below- Here's an update.I think this will do for the day.I have roughly done the two figures although final tweaking for likeness etc need to be done. At least one of the hard bits has been almost done!

I was so keen to paint last night that I stayed up late.I'm paying for it now after 3hrs sleep .I'm having to pop choccy bars to keep going ..yawn..Here's the latest. I need to make Thongy a bit chunkier and generally finish off the front area but I'm going to go and do the smaller scenes at the back and then decide what colour background and come back and finish it and pull it all together.

 

Next stage.It's pretty rough but the basics are there. I don't like the background colour so that will change and I have to get a better likeness and zap the colour a bit.

I've been painting all hours of the day and night to try and get my entry done by Thursday this week.I don't like being rushed as I know even if I think its done I'll find ways to improve it in the next few weeks.The whole painting is covered now although the one leading Thongy is very rough. I've gone back to the main part at the front to finish it off. 

Still a long way to go!I have to do the leading horse scene , finish the one of Thongy pulling a face and pull it all together and fine tune liknesses..

 I wasn't happy with Thongy's likeness .I realised his head was too short so I lengthened it plus a few other touches..Much better! 

'His last day at the stud before the sales.'

                                                                71 x 78cms framed Oil

Now I need to get a decent photo to put on the CD to send off and see if it makes the finalist selection.

 Now I need to get a decent photo to put on the CD to send off and see if it makes the finalist selection.It didn't make the selection and I'm not happy with it.Too rushed .I'd usually want several months to create such a complex portrait and I only had 2 weeks. Here's the latest version but I'm still not happy with it.

Although this is the clothes they were wearing I felt that having red clothes on the left and white on the right left it unbalanced.I also refined the front area a bit. If I was to continue I'd refine it a bit more but I have to get back to painting portraits that are booked in.