Delaware All Horse Parade

This past Sunday was the Delaware County All Horse Parade which kicks off our County Fair, the best fair East of the Mississippi! I am a staff photographer for the fair this year and will be covering the Little Brown Jug and the Juggette as well as the rest of the races. I will also be poking around the show barns and arenas and catching the action at the Open and Jr. Fair shows. This is always a very busy time but oh so fun to be a part of the action. Best seat in the house for the Little Brown Jug!

The fair starts on Saturday, September 19 and runs until the 26th.

Here are a few shots from the parade. Hope you enjoy them.

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.

Studio Updates

Lately I have been spending time cleaning and remodeling my studio so I can get back to some constructive work. I have the walls newly painted in white and have ordered a hanging system for displaying my framed pieces. This serves several purposes...... it gets the work out of the closet and the boxes where most is stored, it lets me look at the work with fresh eyes and it makes the walls look nice! My husband built some vertical storage under the stairwell for matboard, frames, portfolios and other things that are always in the way and cluttering up my work space. We are installing a new ceiling, full spectrum light fixtures, and ceramic flooring (which will come later).

I haven't decided on window treatments yet. I have two large windows that look out to the pastures and the flowerbeds. These windows face south but are shaded by the deck overhead. I have a new door too which is not drafty like the old one and I hung a seed feeder so that I can look out the window any time and see the birds. In the summer I will hang hummingbird feeders and hanging baskets of flowers. I can't wait until it is finished!

I am thinking of "naming" my new studio. We live on the Scioto River so I was thinking something along the lines on Scioto Side Studio or something with Sycamore in it since that is one of the most prevalent trees in our front yard. We also have lots of Eastern Redbuds so perhaps I should use something with Redbud in the name......suggestions welcome.........

In the meantime, here are a few more images from the trip to Amish country. The last one is my filly, Gracie.