Songs of Sorrows

This is my current painting. I am trying to express my feelings of the last year and in particular the last 3 months of depression. My intention is to paint relevant images of experience instead of decorative work. Most of my work does have personal reference, but I would like to push this alittle more.

This is my dog, Queenie, who used to wail with my other Corgi, Duncan when the sirens hit a certain pitch. I am also a wailer when my heart is struck with a certain pitch of emotion.

Painting her at night was an interesting challenge because the colors are all very effected by the cold colors of reflected light.

This picture doesn't accurately show the blues that are in the painting. Queenie's white fur is quite blue.

Big Carriage Horse

This is the finished painting. I quit using the hard pastels and went to very soft ones to punch up the color. I had fun doing this one and let myself take 2 weeks to do it.

This big guy was in Canada when we visited this summer. There were lots of draft horses in the streets, and I can still smell their horsey smell when I look at this.

Next step

I am continuing to work up the areas with more color. This one has the main areas in proportion except the pupil of the eye. It isn't right at all. I also want more intensity of color on the left side to balance the greens on the upper right.

It helps to see it on the blog and get another view of how it is looking. The mane on the left needs to be punched up also. And a few more very dark values.

I have used multiple layers of fixative to be able to go back in and rework areas. I have probably 8 layers. Still needs work.

more darks

next step: more pastel

Putting in some darks

I started putting in more darks. The angle of the photo is poor, but you can see the process.

a start

I have started this drawing of a carriage horse I saw in Quebec Canada. It took me awhile to get the proportions and the lines in place.
Then I have started putting in values with some color. This is a light sketching of pastel pencil on gray canson paper. I will need to put in my darker darks next. I am going to try a new fixative I got at the last IAPS convention to layer the darks.
to be continued

Red Corgi

My first animal in oil. This is corgi we used to have and still miss, Duncan. I am pleased with it.

Baby white tiger

I got pictures of this little guy last year at a wildlife park and just now got a preliminary pastel done. We got to pet him while he took his bottle. I think I will try another with more colors in the background.

This one is 14"X11" on printmaking paper
done with Pan pastels, pastel pencils, and hard pastels