For the Grand Prix Series, I go to shows and photograph top riders and horses, some of whom I know. Watch for a while and you’ll see that each team moves a bit differently over the technically challenging course.
I sort through the photographs looking for moments that interest my eye. I make thumbnail sketches to start working out the composition.
Next I draw a study, sometimes with color.
I put a grid over the drawing to help me enlarge the sketch to a 40 x 40 inch mounted canvas.
Some paintings have a color such as red as an under painting. Or I will start with raw umber as have painters for centuries. I work in oils and most paintings have a number of layers. Usually I work on several paintings at a time, typical of painters working in oils.
Once finished, it can take months or years to dry. I often deliver paintings prior to varnishing, especially if the client lives nearby, and it is convenient to varnish after delivery.
“A work of art that did not begin in emotion is not art.”
– Paul Cezanne
Inquiries
If you are interested in acquiring any of the artwork displayed, or commissioning a new work of art for your home or office, please let me know here.