Watercolor Progress "Hobby"

I haven't worked a lot on this due to a remodeling project is the studio but did manage to get in a few hours. I have the eye defined a bit and you can see some of the dimension in the muscles and facial structures.

Vignettes are a bit of a challenge for me. I never know where to end them. This was supposed to be an 11 x 14 but the horse did not fit comfortably into that space so I had to re-draw it. It needed the extra space in front of the nose.

The studio is still a work in progress. We decided to put a landing at the bottom of the stairs which meant opening up the head space and properly re-configuring the plumbing and wiring. We were going to do this at a later date but decided that it made sense to do it now and deal with the mess. It also allows us to properly install the new lighting and ceiling. My husband is a true craftsman! He had to rebuild a wall that had been put up crooked which made more mess but it will be so much better in the long run.

I just ordered some beautiful hanging flower baskets to hang outside the windows of the studio. My hummingbirds will be so happy when they get here. Actually, the hummers will arrive before the flowers so will have to keep the feeders fresh for them! I love Spring!

New Commission: "Hobby"

I am starting a new commission and would like to post it here as a work-in-progress. The horse is named "Hobby". My 12 year old son actually took the reference for this painting. I had turned him loose with my Nikon D-70s at the Delaware Horse Parade where my client was riding with her side-saddle club. I presented several possible references for her to choose from and by popular vote, Simon's picture was chosen.

Here is yesterday's work along with the reference. Watercolor paintings take a while to develop, layering color, one on top of the other to get the desired density and values of colors. It has been a while since I have painted in watercolor other than a few black and white pieces produced last year. This will be a nice change!

On another note, Spring is in the air here in Ohio. the crocus is blooming; the Turkey Vultures are souring; and the birds are acting goofy. The horses are starting to shed as well even though it is in the low 30s today. We have a ton of geese on the river, all fighting over the females so lots of ruckus! I wish I could capture some of this spring behavior but I shipped my primary lens off for repair. The eagles up the road should be sitting on eggs by now so I hope to get them on the nest.