Black on Grey on White

The week has ended quite ok despite a terrible start. Finished my first study of Gladiator. I fell in love with Gladiator the moment I set eyes on him.   He is a giant of a stallion with charisma and a heart to match.  Three words to describe him: big, bold and incredibly beautiful. "Goodwill and Harmony" is the title I opted for (after much debating). Why? On the day of the shoot, there was a real sense of serenity, trust and confidence. This guy is big: I mean gigantically big but showed only calmness and kindness. I am soooo happy to have a few more references I can use to show the world a great equine specimen. Any hoo that's all for now, new exhibition to get ready for. Cheers for now.

It all started I guess with the weather: snow on the daffodils did just not look right.   Spent the Easter week-end in Germany only to come home to find that one of our two cats was killed (in our drive way) by a drunk driver. He drove off the road...! Polite words fail me...  Gentle Tom (alias GT) was just that: gentle, kind and super affectionate.  He was my muse for this drawing.   Here he is in all is cuteness. When words are too frail and a little meaningless nothing speaks louder than what the eye can see.

Finished.  Here is the final version of "what's on the Table?" On hindsight I had a great time with this drawing...I have learned a little about the intricacies and subtleties of wood and the variety of blacks found in a black dogs' coat... Now what is on that table?

Here are the first steps of my new piece "What's on the table". Inspiration for the piece is taken from a photo I took last summer. Layout is first sketched in, the tones and values established, the work starts.  5B and 2B pencil used for the dog and HB and 2H used for the table.  A total of 12 hours work.  The table was drawn first as it a major player in the composition. The first dog is finished and just needs a little tweaking...

Spring is just around the corner but before it appears I thought I would show off a little study I've done on the context of the Equine Art Guild week-end parties. The reference photograph for this piece was taken by Juliet Harrison and inspired me to zoom in on this brilliant subject. The result is quite obviously an unusual study of a horses' behind. " Driving Force", the fourth study in my series " Horse Power" is also a reflection of equines I feel a real affinity towards. They are strong, beautiful, quiet, resilient and majestic.