Oil on linen, 24x36 inches
Available in studio
$4550 framed in a gallery quality frame
 
About this Oil:
 
This piece was inspired by a visit to a horse sanctuary one spring day a few years ago. During the late afternoon, as is usually the case here in the western US, a storm rolled in over the hills and its lightning and thunder promted a herd of American Paint Horses into a gallop. One horse, the leader of the group, bolted out in front in a dead run. He didn't seem scared -- more like exuberant. I guessed that the cool weather moving in felt good and he looked for any excuse to get in a good gallop.  
 
This is one of those pieces that challenged me from start to finish. In the beginning, I massed in colors in rather grayish tones, reflecting the colors and mood of the storm. After this sat for a while, I realized that overall gray scheme bored me. It needed an extra umph, more excitement and energy to reflect the energy of that horse.
 
I laid in another two to three layers of stronger colors and brushwork. The colors I chose were jewel-like: brighter greens and turquoises, darker sapphire blues, and carnelian red. A little bit of rhodonite pink rounded out the mix and added spark to the body of the horse. Now the backgroun is just as energetic and exciting as that running horse.
 
Note: The high-end frame is shown in the first photo and is from Montgomery Frames in Mesa, AZ.