The Horse as I See It

Latest Painting

2011-06-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

Just finished this one-- an 8"x10" oil. I had fun mixing suble color/hue changes. I actually enjoyed painting the subtle changes in the concrete areas of the background. I used some pretty vibrant greens for the trees, found they were too bright and then glazed over them a bit to tone them down.

Draft Horse

2010-07-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Latest horse painting--this one is 6"x6" oil on canvas board. Although it's a small painting, you can still get a feel for the large size of the horse.

Latest Small Painting

2010-06-09T17:17:00.001-07:00

Just finished this 5" x 7" oil on panel, and had started to get 'fussy' with the horse on the left. I went to the computer, printed out in huge letters the word 'Esscence' and reminded myself that it is indeed the essence of the horses that I wanted to portray. From there it was rather smooth sailing.

First Things First

2010-05-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a new painting (8"x10" oil on canvas panel) from a photo I took while I was at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington last year. I did a mini version of this photo as well as a larger version, learning new things about the painting process in every new version. 8:57:00 AM by Valarie Wolf

What is he doing here?!?!?

2010-01-21T16:34:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share this Buny painting which was a breeze to paint. This cute creature was at the Los Angeles County Fair and I couldn't resist taking his photo. "Resting Rabbit" is oil on canvas on board and measures 6" x 6". Shhhh....he doesn't know he isn't on a bunny art blog!

Latest Painting

2010-01-08T11:27:00.001-08:00

I just finished this small painting. It is a 6"x6" oil on panel. I had tons of fun with this one, using unusual colors in the sky, and on the horses' coat colors. I'm still not used to seeing progress in a short time, as I used to fuss and wouldn't get anything accomplished in one day's work. This one is called 'Ready to Go'.

Hunt Painting, Impressionist style

2009-10-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is a recently completed small 6"x6" oil on canvas on panel done in the impressionist style. It will be on display and for sale at the Dog and Horse Fine Art Gallery in Charleston, SC. Thank you to Dana Lee Thompson from the Equine Art Guild for providing the image.

Horse Head

2009-07-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest horse done in the 'loose' style. It's an 8"x10"oil painted on this new very fine-grained canvas I recently bought and I am now in *love* with! The surface is so easy to work on and it is not slick at all so it really grabs the paint!

Superstars

2009-06-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

It was really an honor to see these great beauties up close. Here are a couple of shots of the great Cigar, and Funny Cide taken at the Kentucky Horse Park last month.

Munnings...a Sculptor?

2009-06-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Not only could Sir Alfred Munnings create the most breathtaking horse paintings with seemingly few brushstrokes, gorgeous color and great accuracy, he was also a phenomenal sculptor, as seen in this image of Brown Jack (along with his Pekingese dog, Black Knight.)

AAEA Workshop

2009-06-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

Lesley doing one of her many painting demos

Here Lesley points out the 'bony bits' of the horse, and measurements

I am still reeling with feelings of joy from this year's Lesley Humphrey workshop at the Kentucky Horse Park. Lesley was the most gracious instructor with such joy for what she does. We learned so much....we even painted from life using a lovely Haflinger horse as our model. Really, I wish the class could have gone on and on.

The AAEA headquarters look well organized and clean. They now have original art on display when you first walk in which gives visitors a sense of what the AAEA is all about.

Minis!

2009-04-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

Thank you, Pat for recommending the Seaside Art Gallery Miniature show! I am exhibiting the three wee paintings pictured here. Also, thank you to Sheri, Jenifer and the terrific EAG Reference Library for providing such fantastic reference photos! The Wee Three are 1.'Winter Walk'2. Taking a Break ' and 3. A Favorite Moment'. All are oil on panel measuring 1/2" by 3 1/2" .

My New Love: the "Looser Style!"

2009-04-19T10:07:00.000-07:00

I will show you two recent paintings using a looser style of applying the paint. These are both 6"x6" oil on masonite, and the paint was applied mostly with a bristle brush. I used Res-N-Gel for a medium. These two little pieces were a JOY to paint. Thank you to Jennifer Trottier for the reference photos! I am sending these two off tomorrow for consideration in the American Academy of Equine Art's Fall Showcase. We'll see if they get in.....

Horses Rule!

2009-04-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

'Horses Rule'. That was a phrase we used to use in Junior High school that just popped into my head. Welcome to my Blog! It's strange having a Blog.....up until now, I have been silently painting away, chiming in once in a while to a couple of art sites, but usually keeping quiet. For the past several decades I have devoted my art-self to painting horses in a tight realistic manner. Lately, however, I am loosening up----using bigger bristle brushes, and applying thicker paint---something I though I would never do. And you know what? It's FUN!! Yes, to see progress in a matter of hours rather than days is quite entertaining! On the right is a painting just sent to the Rolex Art Show in association with the American Academy of Equine Art. A more traditional style of painting, no doubt. On the left is a commission I did of a jumper a while ago.

Next time, I'll post a couple of 'looser' more impressionistic paintings. Bye for now!