Foal triptych started.

I started the foal triptych today which unfortunatelly I was unable to get photographed due to the dull rainy day, the light was just not good enough. I have been getting ready to head up to Epping tomorrow to see my Aunt and Uncle. I hope the weather is better as I would like to fit in a couple of little paintings of the forest or at least get some sketches done of it. I may not be here tomorrow, if not, I will be back on Saturday evening!

Foal triptych!

Today has seen the start of the workings out for a foal triptych. I haven't started the actual drawing yet but I hope to tomorrow. I have been weighing all my art bits that I want to take to Spain with me, thankfully they aren't as heavy as I thought they were all going to be! I will have to take less in the way of clothes however!! No photos today. Sorry.

Rejoneador triptych all together!

Well here it is, Rejoneador Triptych in full. I can't tell you how long it took me to put the 3 pictures together on the computer, had to make it into a word doc then change it into a print screen and crop etc etc. I am sure there must be an easier way but I don't know how!! Oh well, I am afraid it's not great quality because after print screen it all came out rather small! Now the next question is... which one to do next. I might do a foal triptych or it might be the looking back one. Will decide later and let you know tomorrow! (if you click on the image you can see it a little bit bigger!)

Rejoneador triptych part 3 finished.

After work today I managed to finish the rejoneador part 3, not a brill photo but it gives an idea of what it is like. I will try to put them up as a proper triptych tomorrow night.

Wet panel box and rejoneador

I went up to the studio today to do a couple of things. Firstly to get some pochade box boards ready for painting on (just needed to stain them) and secondly to attempt to make a wet panel box to put the said boards into once they have been painted on. Well, it was my first attempt at making anything like this and I am not good at any sort of woodwork but I think this one will suffice for a start. The next one I make (as I think this one will fall apart at some time or another!) I will do differently - they say you learn from your mistakes.
I did some more of the rejoneador too, I couldn't finish him off because I needed the other 2 there to match up where the ground ends and of course I forgot to take them with me.
These 3 rejoneador drawings have been a bit harder than most that I do because not only am I coping with the different tonal values of the semi-dappled horse in the sunlight and in the shaded areas but I have had to deal with the reflective light for example on the underside of the horses belly. It has been quite a challenge to still (hopefully) get the feeling of roundness and 3D effect. Hope to get this finished soon.... need to move onto something else now.  //
 Fui hasta el estudio de hoy para hacer un par de cosas. En primer lugar para obtener algunos consejos caja pochade listo para pintaren (sólo necesario para manchas) y en segundo lugar para tratar de hacer una caja de control de humedad para poner las tablas endicho una vez que han sido pintados. Bueno, fue mi primer intento de hacer algo como esto y yo no soy bueno en cualquier tipo de madera, pero creo que esto será suficiente para empezar. El siguiente que hago (¡como yo creo que uno se derrumba en un momento u otro) voy a hacer de manera diferente - ellos dicen que usted aprende de sus errores.
He hecho un poco más del rejoneador también, no podía acabar con él porque necesitaba los otros 2 no hacer coincidir en que la tierra termina y por supuesto me olvidé de llevar conmigo.
Estos tres dibujos rejoneador haber sido un poco más difícil que la mayoría de lo que hago, porque no sólo estoy para hacer frente alos diferentes valores tonales de los caballos semi-moteada por el sol y en las zonas de sombra, pero he tenido que hacer frente a la luz reflejada por ejemplo en la parte inferior del vientre caballos. Ha sido todo un reto todavía (espero) la sensación de redondez y el efecto 3D. La esperanza de conseguir este acabado pronto ....necesidad de pasar a otra cosa ahora.

London....

Up early this morning and headed off for London to do handing in for the Society of Women artists, roads were all ok, handing in took a little while but at least I didn't get a parking ticket with all the suspension notices up! Sorry there hasn't been any pics for the last couple of days, hopefully get more of rejoneador done tomorrow as I have to go up to the studio to get some boards ready for going to Spain. I gather from my dad that there are sometimes a few spelling mistakes here...... never been my strong point so I apologise if there are mistakes!! Spoiled myself today by having an hour in the sunshine in the garden napping when I got back from London!

Ready for tomorrow

I have spent the afternoon doing forms for the submission day for the women artists. I have the car all packed for an early start but I have now discovered it's London Marathon weekend which means that the parking behind the Mall Galleries is suspended (as was the case last year when I had to run the gauntlet of the traffic warden whilst unpacking the car!). Oh well, at least I am ready to go, fingers crossed I won't get a parking ticket.

Rejoneador triptych part 3 coming along!

I have finally managed to get a bit more done of the rejoneador. Been across to the framers and collected the Tiffanie looking back picture and a mini Spanish Dream for the Society of Women Artists. All in all, a busy day!

Getting ready...

I have spent the entire week pondering whether or not to book the car hire and airport parking for going to Spain what with that blasted volcano erupting and disrupting the air space. I decided to go for it so let's hope it doesn't errupt again!
Thank you to anyone who has asked after Moss, he's much much better now and had his last tablet this morning and back on normal food instead of the luxury rice, chicken, white fish and scrambled egg diet! Here's a few pics of him when he was feeling really perky one day having a good old play and got caught out in the Cornish sea! Been sorting pictures out for Women Artists and Society of Graphic Fine Art. Made a great big chart and now realise just how many pictures I have to get drawn!

And of course blogger managed to put them the wrong way up in the sequence!!! Start at the bottom and work your way up the pics!

A late blog!

Not much to report today other than running around from one hospital to another. Moss finishes his tablets tomorrow so fingers crossed he will be alright again after they have finished.

A lovely horse

Cleaning again so no drawing today but while I was taking a quick look through some photos I found this one that I took a couple of years ago in Spain. These boys are both PRE (Pura Raza Español) horses (pure blood Spanish) and the guy on the right is a colour I hadn't seen before - the spanish call it champagñe. He was such a gorgeous guy I don't think pencil would do him justice - he will have to be an oil painting one day.

SEA AGM at Nature in Art

Today I went to the SEA AGM at Nature in Art at Twigworth. On the drive up to the place there were some lovely longhorn cattle, they had great twisted horns and a lovely mottled coat pattern. I have no idea what sort they are or indeed if they are longhorns!! Maybe someone out there will know and answer the question for me? I have posted a couple of photos of them here today. I had arrived early so I did some sketches of them too but they were just too quick for me to get anything good, I really need to practise faster sketching!

Rejoneador triptych part 3 started

Here is the start of the third and final part of the Rejoneador triptych. Hope to get on a bit more with it this evening if I don't fall asleep.
Pleased to report that Moss is a bit better today, not being sick anymore but still on his antibiotics.
Tomorrow is the Society of Equestrian Artists AGM and also the day that selected Associates try for promotion to Full Member. Got to sort out all the stuff for that today too (I am the promotions co-ordinator for the SEA).
Will blog when I get back tomorrow night if all is well!

Unwell Moss.

Sorry I didn't get here yesterday, Moss has been rather unwell and I have been up for 2 nights with him watching him being sick and looking VERY miserable. No pics today, very tired and need to have a nap! Hopefully better tomorrow and a little more awake by then!

A journey back in time. (Part 5)

Conkers today! Here are a couple of conker studies I did in coloured pencil on coloured card back in my school days. You will see in the top right hand corner I got distracted along the way somehow and got onto a toadstool with a pixie on it! Cleaning again today, maybe some drawing tonight if I'm lucky, who knows.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Oh I could have killed this computer yesterday..... I had the blasted thing going on and off the internet like nobody's business! Couldn't sign in here at all hence no post yesterday. What I did do yesterday was drive to Bridgwater for an apppointment but went via Exmoor (the scenic route) and I found a few Exmoor ponies including a rather sweet hairy foal who I have posted here today. Today I have been busy at work cleaning up after a rook that got into someone's house (neither the rook nor the house was a pretty sight I have to say). Tomorrow I am cleaning again but I hope to get some more boards prepped up for oil painting after work in the studio. Enjoy the foal!

Another day in the studio.

I managed to finish the rejoneador 2 today (no photo as I forgot my camera and it was dark when I returned home - been up at the studio for about 9 or 10 hours today). Started the final part and got on reasonably well with that too. I got eye strain then though so decided to do a second coat of gesso on my pochade boards and a few larger ones too. I am collecting a larger pochade box tomorrow which takes 8" x 10" boards. I borrowed one from Malcolm once and it's a nice size to have as well as the little one. In all I think I painted about 80 ish boards! Was wishing like mad that I had had my camera on the way home as the sky was really stunning, it's been a beautiful day here. Still on a high from visiting the Skeapings.... Definatelly need to go to bed now!

Rejoneador triptych part 2 nearly done

I have been up in the studio all day. I have done most of the Rejoneador part 2 with just the back ground to sort out, again the photo is rubbish as it was taken in the evening inside under strip light but you get the idea. I was also working on another bullfighting painting (oil on linen) which I haven't decided whether to put it up on here or not as I know a number of people don't like to see such things! Cleaned up my palette and brushes from yesterday as well and started the third part of the rejoneador triptych. Need something to eat now, I think bacon and egg!

Such an exciting day.

Myself and my friend Debbie set off to meet John Skeaping's son today. We chatted over coffee and carrot cake about John and his work. It was such an exciting and intriguing visit. For me, meeting a (very) direct descendant of such a wonderful artist brings me up in goosebumps. It was a visit I will never forget. On the way home we stopped to sketch some ponies and eventually I got the pochade box out and painted a little scene of a pony in the landscape. It's a 6" x 8" sketch again on MDF and I have to admit, I think it took me longer than the half hour that I had told Debbie I would be! The ponies gathered round us at one point and I think Debbie got some pictures of the ponies inspecting my work, when she sends them across to me on email, I will put one up on here. I should imagine they will be quite fun photos!

In despair!

ANOTHER DAY without drawing! I have been running myself ragged today getting lots of little jobs done that have needed doing for ages. I seem to have got alot done but feel like I have done nothing. I have taken some photos (just now under false light) of my recent sketches in sketch book. Some are of Moss, some of Glynis's little dog Gerty and one of her cats. One of the normal problems is that just when you think an animal is asleep, it wakes and moves so all these were done quite quickly! I am off to see John Skeaping's son tomorrow to chat about John and his work. Got to set off quite early in the morning and am hoping to do some pochade and pencil sketches on the way there or on the way home.

Covered in gloss paint!

The only painting I got near today was the cupboard doors for my wardrobe which I had taken up to the studio to gloss paint them. I foolishly thought they had dried and collected them up, put them in the car - realised that some of the paint had dripped onto the back of the doors and was still wet! It's all over the car seats, my pochade box, my mabef (neither of them matter really as they are covered in oil paint anyway). I also managed to get it all over my favourite (all being a working) coat! Anyway, once home and after dumping the still slightly wet doors on a dust sheet on the spare bed I thought I ought to tackle cleaning the coat up a bit. It did eventually become cleaner and then went through the wash. I believe that it's saving grace was that the coat was so dirty anyway the paint couldn't penetrate into the coat and it all came off with the dirt in the wash! A lesson to be learnt there...... keep your clothes dirty!!!! :) Did alot of sketches of Moss last night in the sketch book before going to bed. No chance today to photograph them though as I have also been out cleaning all day again. Tomorrow I am at home or in the studio and doing proper art work! Am very much looking forward to it. Also decided today that I must try harder with painting people, maybe I will try a self portrait - it won't matter if I'm ugly in it as I won't be offending anyone - not even myself!!!!

Mispent childhood!

Here's something I came across the other day which I found rather amusing! This was my bedroom wall when I was about 13 years old! I had a very tolerant mum who allowed me to draw some pictures on my bedroom wall and here they are! Won't get any drawing done today as I have been out cleaning and I have my daughter round for tea tonight too so hopefully get more done of the rejoneador tomorrow.
ps, had to join the two old photos together hence the colour difference!

Rejoneador triptych part 2 continued

I did manage to get a little bit of the drawing done yesterday, along with tidying up the back garden and cutting the grass and a bit of decorating in the bedroom. Need to get on with more drawing but there's so much other stuff to do. Already starting to plan the next drawings after I finish the triptych! Apologies for the bad photo once again.. didn't get it done in daylight!

Apologies!

My apologies for not posting yesterday, I had internet and computer problems galore. I was going to post a picture of me riding one of my favourite hunters with a couple of my other favourite boys! Here's me riding Phonz with Beamish on the left of the picture and Bailey on the right. Haven't been riding for a while with time and health problems but I believe these three chaps are all retired from hunting now. I hope to get some gardening done if the weather stays dry and also get some more of the rejoneador 2 done.

Rejoneador triptych part 2.

I have finally set to the Rejoneador triptych again. This is the middle picture of the 3 but I have to say the light here isn't good today so the photo isn't so good either! I have also been painting the bedroom again with a friend who is staying with me, it's great to have some help. Arms are nearly dead!! Hopefully will get back to this drawing again tomorrow and maybe even do a bit tonight.
I have now booked my flights to Spain (have I already told you that? - I can't remember!). Managed to find a corrida de rejones which is on at the same time as I am down there and I plan to make a few visits to a couple of people I have made friends with in the past. So exciting to know that the flights and accomodation are now booked, just got to book the hire car and the carpark over here. I won't do that yet incase Ryanair change the dates like they did last time I went to Spain and it was a terrible rigmarole to change everything to fit in!

Decorating again!

Today I have been decorating the bedroom cupboards and the only work I did in the studio was painting some of the doors for the wardrobe!!! Today's picture is one I promised to upload a couple of days ago, another one of the pretty girl (who's not so pretty in my painting and had her head wiped off the board and repainted about 20 times!) from the weekend at Malcolms.
The kitchen sink blocked today and when the chap came to unblock it I had to hold a cap on a pipe and he had to hold this can of stuff down against the plug whilst holding the other plug hard into the half sink. Well, the stuff he used had so much pressure in it that it caused something that can only be described as an explosion! There was so much pressure from the can that it actually blew the half sink plug up into the air narrowly missing the ceiling and I got all wet ant when I looked up at the chap, he was dripping wet! It was actually really funny. (Warped sense of humour that I have!).