Friday, January 13, 2012

A couple new starts

I have started work on a few western pieces to show at our student show in May.  Soon, our art teacher,  reserved a great space and I'm hoping to have 7 or 8 pieces ready to show and hopefully sell!  Fingers crossed!

This first one is of the female drover at the drive of the Fort Worth herd of longhorns that occurs daily in the historic stockyard area of Fort Worth.  I was there recently to take pictures for art subject matter.  I have just started this and have alot more work to do to depict the weathered face and stern gaze she has.  The title of this one "Watching the storm".  Thanks to my son, Freddie, for naming that one.  This is on a paper I have not tried before, W & N 300# cold pressed.  I managed to get a good buy so I purchased 10 sheets recently.  So far, so good.  The size of the painting is 22 X 27.



In keeping with the longhorn drive idea, the next is of a shot I got that same day of some of the longhorns as they were coming at me being driven along Exchange Ave.  As I've stated before, I don't have alot of experience with doing animals but the one I've been working on titled "A word in private" has made me more determined that I can do animals.  So I think that this has a good start.  I have just started laying in the first washes of the brighter colors.  Having these bright colors down first seems to add a glow to the darker colors added later.  On a full sheet of 300# Fabriano Artistico cold press.  Might name this one "The Drive". 


Our annual stock show and rodeo starts today and the parade is tomorrow morning in downtown Fort Worth.  It is an historic parade with no motorized vehicles and huge crowds of spectators.  I have not attended it since Freddie was a little boy.  It was considered a must see when I was growing up and I never missed one of those parades unless the weather was just too bad, as often happens during the stock show.  I'm thinking I might go to the parade to see about getting some good pictures.  Should be lots of folks and animals to catch the interest of my camera.