To the Max

I was out in the field at the barn where I ride, photographing the herd. It’s such a great feeling to be in the middle of the horses while they graze and just quietly snap away. Horses love to be with their herd — they need to be with it. So, when they get put back out in the field after a ride, they will try to get back to the herd asap.  As I was snapping away, I could hear the telltale sound of pounding hooves, so I turned to see if I could catch whoever it was – Max, as it happened.  I told myself he wasn’t going to run me over — of course he wouldn’t! Still, it was a teensy bit nerve wracking.

Back with his pals.

Andy

Oil on panel, 8″x6″

Andy in the pasture… I’m finding that because I’m spending more time with horses these days, I’m less patient with myself if the conformation isn’t correct in a drawing or painting.  That just means I have to practice more!

A Study in Peeps

 Narrow Escape, oil on panel, 8″x6″

 

Fallen Comrade, oil on panel, 8″ x 6″

How do you like your Peeps?  Some people like them stale but for me, the fresher the better.

Ireland Again

Just got back from my second trip to Ireland in 7 months — it’s such a special place for me. This trip, we focused on the North with stopovers in County Mayo and County Donegal.  Unfortunately, it poured the whole time we were in Donegal, which was very sad since it meant we did not get to see much of the spectacular coastline. However, that’s just an excuse for going back, isn’t it?

Some photos from this trip:

Our sheep neighbors at the Donegal B&B

 

Horses at pasture, Croagh Patrick, Westport, Mayo

Atlantic Drive, Achill Island, County Mayo

Marsh view, Mulranny, County Mayo

Tulips at Phoenix Park, Dublin

 

Spring lambs were everywhere!

Driving towards Ireland's only fjord

She’s Got Me Under Her Spell…

It’s a good thing this blog is called “Art in Between” because there’s been a lot of “in between” lately. However, one of the “in betweens” these days comes in the form of Magic.

This is Magic:

Where's my peppermint?

I think I’m in love — or at least obsessed.

Finally, at age 48, I’m not only learning how to (really) ride — I’m learning from a unique teacher who makes correlations between riding and painting when she’s trying to make me understand how to do something and is even giving me homework assignments that involve creating art! By the way, there are definitely comparisons to be made between riding and painting — not the least of which is trying to keep several things in mind and do several things with the body all at once, always assessing and re-assessing, always trying to get into that “flow” — where it all seems sort of magical.

Snug…

6″x8″ oil on panel

My frustration level is high because I’m not painting a lot these days and so my paint handling is very rusty indeed. After being way too fussy with this, I wiped the original and didn’t allow myself to think about it, just started again and painted fast. The results aren’t what I want them to be but at least I stopped fussing (for the time being, anyway)

Unadorned

8″x10″, oil on canvas

This poor little orange looks like she’s under-dressed for a night out with her pals. I started out with a very dark ground on this one as an experiment. Not sure how I feel about it yet, I need to do a few more to work out the angles.

Speaking of doing a few more, it’s been a long while since I’ve had time to paint and I can certainly feel the difference in the way I handle the materials. Just proves that painting often, if not every day, is the only way to improve. But my life is filled with excuses, excuses, excuses for not painting and here’s one of them:

This is Magic.

Don’t be fooled. Lurking behind that half-asleep, calm exterior lies the heart of a ….sweetie pie. And I have to thank my friend, Tricia, for letting me “borrow” some Magic and for teaching me how to really ride in partnership with a horse for the first time. I’m making a lot of connections between riding and painting…one of which is they both take practice, practice, practice.

Family Portrait

10″x10″, oil on canvas

I was thrown immediately back into work after I returned from Ireland and this is the first chance I’ve had to paint something. The little pumpkin is such a combination of the two larger ones that it made me think of a child that reflects the traits of both parents. I’m just glad I was able to paint them before they rotted. Seems like every gourd I’ve gotten hasn’t lasted long this year — I seem to remember them lasting months and months before.

Home Sweet Home

As much as traveling is one of my favorite things to do, I’m always happy to be back at home. This latest trip to Ireland was a bit unusual in that I was going along with my sister’s family, which includes two 7 year-olds and a 5 year-old. It was interesting to see Ireland through their eyes but it also precluded me from doing stuff I normally do, like industrial-strength shopping and taking my time with photos. But that’s okay, because I’ll be going back again eventually and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this experience of being with the kids.

Here are some photos I took on the trip. I couldn’t resist messing around with some of them in Photoshop….

Cows from the farm that we stayed at; the kids learned how to call them over to the fence (lots of ‘mooing’ involved).

A cottage from the Bunratty folk park; I love how this one turned out with Photoshop.

Killarney National Park

An adorable little donkey from Muckross in Killarney

My niece pointing out something that caught her attention to her brother.

Off to Éire

Heading off to Ireland and so no posting until I return (hopefully, with a whole bunch of new reference photos). Here are a few pics from my last trip:

Boats at Ross Castle

Dingle Cliffs

Cottage at Kinvara

Newgrange