Beaudelaire

Beaudelaire ~ 24x30 oil on canvas

At long last I can share with you all, my rendition of ” Beaudelaire”.

This painting was one of two paintings included in the February issue of  Canada’s Style at Home Magazine; Small Spaces feature of Editor Erin McLaughlin’s home. The painting came back to me after the home shoot for final touches and I’m happy to finally call him done. Beau is an Oldenburg-cross gelding, owned by Erin.

If you didn’t get a chance to see the magazine, please click HERE to review.  What a great way to start off 2010!

Where are YOU going this Year?

Yes, I am a New Year Resolutioner and proud of it!! While I hear some naysayers out there, I will tell you, I think long and hard about my resolutions. I usually begin late fall, reflecting on achievements from the year, putting tasks or items on my mental wish list for the upcoming year. I’ve always believed in the saying

~ ‘if you don’t toot your own horn, nobody else will do it for you!’  ~

So first, I’m going to CELEBRATE my achievements from 2009;

1. Let’s Reminisce – January 27th, 2009 on my blog, I announced to my clients, friends, colleagues and most importantly myself that I was moving on from Coloured Pencil media and delving full-time into the world as an Oil Painter. Here I am one year later, successfully building my portfolio and my reputation as just that. I have no regrets and honestly it was the best choice I ever made.

At this time I must truly thank all my clients and collectors who trusted and believed that I could make the transition successfully. There were a number of you (and you know who you are ) that hired me as a coloured pencil artist and ended up with an oil painting. Judging from your kind words and enthusiasm with the finished product, I know I didn’t let you down.

Mother Colour - 12x16 Oil on Canvas

2. Olympic Horse Commission – Gran Gesto  - In June I attended my first professional oil painting workshop at the Academy of Realist Art in Toronto. I studied the techniques of John Singer Sargent. Considering I had never done a workshop or let alone painted a human before, I was quite nervous! However I completed it, and with it came a new understanding of oils as well as who I was becoming as a painter. I started my commission of Gran Gesto over after the workshop and completed it in the fall. Handing that painting over to our Canadian Team rider Jacquie Brooks and feeling her excitement was certainly the top professional moment of my year.

Gran Gesto...aka..'Sammy', 16x16 Oil on Panel

3. Perseverance - Immediately after the Gran Gesto painting was delivered I was given a wonderful opportunity by client Erin McLaughlin, editor of Canadian Gardening Magazine. Her home was being photographed the following week for the February 2010 issue of Style at Home Magazine.  In my studio, I tend to work on one commission at a time to completion. Now, the Gran Gesto painting had just been delivered, I had very limited time to wrap my head around finishing Erin’s painting. It was started, but NOT complete.

To meet the deadline, I painted like I’ve never painted before. The day before it was due, I felt very defeated, like I would never have something to show for it. However, I persevered.  I painted through the night ~ all night and into the next morning – 36 hours straight. I was exhausted, but two BIG paintings ended leaving the house and were included in the shoot.  They are on page 76 and you can get it on magazine racks across Canada starting today.

Beau - 24x36, oil on canvas, gallery depth

So enough celebrating 2009, and onto 2010.   What does it look like?  Where am I going?? After thinking long and hard I decided this year I’m climbing mountains!!

That’s right – I am a MOUNTAINEER!!

Journal entry January 4th 2010

While I have specific life and career goals for 2010 such as;  keeping a sketch journal, traveling to workshops, colour study, eating clean and being ‘present’ with my home life; My key overall objective for 2010 is consistency.   I recognize can loose direction and get frazzled when ‘life’ happens.  Much of the time it’s my reaction to ‘life’ rather than resolving what actually happened ~ thus causing IN-consistency.

When I took a moment to think about what consistency actually looked like, I envisioned a mountain climber. Slow and steady, one foot in front the other, never losing course. They are methodical, courageous and brave. Plus I believe there is a prize when you get to the top?!! So this is me as we go into 2010.

Please wish me luck and I’m interested to know where you are going in 2010!!??

A Photogenic Pony and Triadic Colour Scheme

Toby Study #1 - 8x10 oil on canvas, gallery wrap

Late this  summer I had a farm-call to London, Ontario to meet a wonderful woman named Karen who happened to stumble upon my website.  On top of purchasing my Analogous Eye Study, she commissioned two portraits. One of her horse Samson, the other of her daughter’s pony Toby.  Both to be completed ‘Alla Prima’ in a loose, lively colour palette. I of course was up for the creative challenge. Toby the Pony, had a fantastic photoshoot !! So much so, that I ended up with more than one painting that I was inspired to paint.  I decided to produce four paintings, and offer my client first choice of the four.

Toby Study #2, 8x10 Oil on Linen Panel

As most of my readers know,  I’ve been exploring colour…how far I can push a colour range? What colours makes other colours zing? what schemes work for certain colours of horses?..the list goes on and the possibilities really are endless. I chose to make this an opportunity to focus on one scheme and one palette. With those four paintings, I could broaden my knowledge within this specific range of colour.

Toby Head Study, 8x10 oil on canvas, gallery wrap

I chose a triadic colour scheme, using Cadmium Yellow Light, Phthalo Blue, and Alizarin Crimson + Titanium White.  I guess you could also call this a limited palette, because basically it consists of the three primary colours ~ red, yellow and blue.  Into the first study, I was quickly reminded of the tinting strength of Phthalo Blue! Alizarin is strong too, but not nearly the tint power that Phthalo Blue delivers.  As a result, I did not end up completing these studies in one sitting, but left most of my blues and violets to dry before attacking the lighter values.

Toby Trot Study, 8x10 Oil on Canvas, Gallery Wrap

While these studies are drying, my client is choosing which one to take home. It’s hard not to play favorites with these studies, but I will leave that up to my client and my readers..do you have a favorite??

Thank you for reading – I also want to remind readers that if you are on Facebook, I encourage you to become a ‘Fan’ on my page, where I can keep you in the loop of all things going on in the studio ~ before it hits the blog!  click Facebook – Equestrian Artist Jennifer Pratt