January white "Let's Dance"

 

I told you I was going to post this one today, and so here it is! As an artist we always doubt ourselves and stress about whether what we send out into the world is "good enough". I always have mixed emotions about each one of my paintings. Rarely do I finish a painting and think "OMG it is a masterpiece!". Of course I have to say that I am that way about everything. My paper I submitted to my professor Sunday night I have serious doubts about, yet I'll probably pull at least a B from it.

 

Actually I have enjoyed posting my pieces on eBay this past 9 months. It has helped me grow as an artist and not stress so much. I can paint what strikes my fancy and see what the world thinks of it. Some times everyone thinks it is a masterpiece, even if I have doubts. Other times I might think its great and the world goes "eh"...though that has only happened twice thus far.

 

I had doubts about doing this configuration again and whether I could pull it off with a white horse. The reference photo (from SoloPiano on Deviant Art) was of the horse and rider in an arena in the daylight. However, the lighting was such that I thought it might work here. You don't ever know unless you try it! So I did! I think it worked. I definitely think I'll have to do a few more gray/white horses with this lighting though. I really like the effect. It is like a spotlight is put on our two dancers as they go through their motions. What do you think? Do you like it or no?

 

Next time we have an adorable little Appy jumper. He was seriously just too irresistibly cute!

 

Remember most of the paintings posted here (the one from yesterday is an exception) are listed on eBay starting at the $0.99 bid. So if your collection is in desperate need for some new horse flesh, or you just love the look of something, don't forget to place your bids! Just follow the link at the bottom of the page.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201276204014?ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1554.l2649

On the Easel

No, this one isn't still on the easel. This piece has actually found its home already. However, what is on my easel is a piece very similar to this one! I told you that I was planning on doing a piece focusing on dressage. And the one that I am working on is of a white dressage horse with a similar feel to this one.

I feel like I'm letting you down showing you something that is already done, already home. The beginning of this week has been a bit hectic. We had a late night with the taxes (having your own business certainly makes that a long drawn out process!) and a sick kiddo that didn't/couldn't sleep well. Then of course I have to get the bug too and I feel like I've accomplished nothing thus far this week! So I had to come on here and connect with you. I had some great ideas today, but then realized that I needed to prep more canvas because a piece like this one can't be done on an 8x10 canvas. So, while the canvas is drying I thought I might tell you a bit about why I relate dressage to dancing.

My first experience with dressage was at Thistledown Racetrack in Ohio. It was Kentucky Derby weekend and my parents took us to the track to see a simulcast of the race. In addition to the derby, the White Lipizzaner Stallions were at the track performing! It was honestly one of the best weekends ever! I remember watching as these horses went through their moves. The one that truly caught my eye was a beautiful bay Arabian they had performing with them. The way he moved was simply magic! It looked as though he were dancing across the dirt track; with his mane and tail flowing and his feet gliding....it was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever beheld. That experience alone instilled the love of dressage. I honestly don't believe I'll ever ride a horse like that, but I can always paint them!

I actually took my husband to a dressage event once. He's not a horse person and so didn't quite have the same experience I did. I on the other hand was instantly thrown back to that racetrack and was watching that Arabian dance once again. I always hope that through my art I can help others experience that magic that I do.

Tomorrow I'll have the white dancing horse done and listed! So come back and check it out! I also have a pretty barn owl and a cute Appaloosa jumper on my to do list.

January White "Babies"

 

I really should call this piece, A Mother's Love....Oh well! Maybe that will be its "nickname". A few months ago Avitul Timur posted the reference picture for this in the Facebook group Equine Artists. We were allowed to use it in our art, and so, a few months later, here is mine! It took me awhile, but I was only partially inspired until I found this oval canvas. This canvas makes this piece simply spectacular!

 

This piece is truly special to me. The connection between a mother and her baby is something amazing. I never really understood how someone could love another person with all of their being....until I had my daughters. You might get tired of hearing about them, but I can't help it. They are the reason I do what I do. Every time I feel like I want to just put my art on hold or even feel like I just don't want to paint today, they are the reason I keep at it. I push because I want my daughters to know that dreams exist and can be achieved. That no matter what, they should reach out and grab their dreams with both hands. I want them to be dreamers and to live their lives to the fullest.

 

I can imagine that this pretty mare is just enjoying the presence of her little one. Protecting her as much as she can at this point in their lives. Giving her both guidance and strength. I've always loved watching mares and foals. The foals are always full of life. Their curiosity and exuberance truly intoxicating. Though their mothers do "play" a bit, more often than not they are the steadfast rocks that are there when the foal trips up. Something scares the baby, it immediately runs to hide behind its mother. She gives her baby security, love, and grace. Truly one of the most magical relationships we ever experience and/or witness.

 

Next piece on the easel is one of dance. Dressage has always seemed to me to be a choreographed dance between horse and rider. So our next subject "Lets Dance" is one that will show some of these fancy moves and the beautiful partners of horse and rider.

 

Remember, all of the pieces listed here are listed on eBay at the $0.99 initial bid. If you see something that must be added to your collection, don't forget to follow the link at the bottom and place your bids!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201270559613?ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1554.l2649

January White "Seas"

 

Here, right here....this is my heaven. Well....add in a beautiful horse and I'm literally set forever. It has always been my dream to ride horseback through the waves and along the beach....maybe at dawn as the sun comes up over the ocean, or dusk as it sets. Honestly I blame this on my mother!

 

Every summer as kids our mom would take us on a vacation. Some years it wasn't a big vacation, maybe a weekend in Lexington and a trip to the Kentucky Horse Park or a day trip to Cedar Point. Other years we went for a week long vacation and many of these were to the ocean. We'd get a beach front hotel room or condo for the week. I remember my mom and I loved sitting out on the little deck to watch as the sun would come up in the morning. The sound of the waves was like a lullaby. Day and night they were always crashing along the surf. Listening to the ocean was like feeling your heart beat. Ever consistent and always there. I miss it terribly.

 

Which is one reason why I chose one of my subjects for the year to be a monthly painting of the sea. My girls are a bit too young to really remember a vacation, so we will wait to take them. Until then I will remember and dream through my paintings. Maybe I'll even add a horse or two this year!

 

Next piece on the easel is also close to my heart. It is a mare and foal sharing a tender moment. One that really resonates as I too watch my little girls growing up before my eyes.

 

Remember, each one of these pieces are listed on eBay starting at the $0.99 bid! If you see something you simply need to add to your collection don't forget to follow the link at the bottom and place your bids!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201269992771?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

January White "Fancy That"

 

Finally! This piece has actually been waiting to be seen since Monday. We've been on the go and then down with the sickies, so I'm finally getting to tell you about it!

 

I found this handsome white Andalusian all dressed in his finest and simply had to paint him. I love this headgear! I honestly could see a knight using a beautiful steed like this to rescue a princess from a dragon...or tower....or any peril! I always loved the whole Camelot and King Arthur legend. Some of my favorite books were books about kings, queens, knights and the court. If it would have been more sanitary, I'd have loved living during that period. Alas the lack of indoor plumbing and basic hygiene would have grossed me out too much! Regardless, I would have loved being swept off my feet by a brave knight riding a horse like this. Okay, I'd have been more enamored of the horse than the knight....but still! To be close to such a majestic animal would definitely inspire the artist in me.

 

Oh and for those that are interested, Monday we went with my mother in law and a handful of the grandkids to the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. It was quite a fun trip, once we got through all the snow. The kids had fun certainly!

This is a picture my mother in law took of the kids looking at fake bear poop (yea gross, but they thought it was cool). I'm holding the baby in the back (that is our little Arianna....she is getting so big!). My daughter, Serenity and her cousins are in the foreground. It was a fun and educational trip!

 

 Next post we are going to get out of the snow (well we have snow here) and go to the beach! It has been a few years since I have let the sand and surf lull me into a blissful stupor, but the memories remain. There is something just so tranquil about the crash of the waves....

 

Remember, each of the paintings listed are posted on Ebay starting at a $0.99 bid. If you see something that you like follow the link at the bottom of the page!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201268645263?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

 

 

January White "Skies"

 

Free Day! After my understanding that my collectors like horses, which I am all to willing to oblige, I decided that 4 of the 5 paintings done every week will be horse related. The 5th is my free piece! Actually it is a work/learning/practice piece. What? Artists need practice??! Yes, yes we do! I was once told that in order to master anything in art I had to create 100 pieces. I've probably created 100 horse paintings....maybe that is why everyone likes them...hmmm..

 

Horses I am "mastering"....or at least I'd like to think I am. However, I do want to occasionally add some backgrounds to my paintings. You know, put some horses out in the field with the pretty fall foliage in the background. The bright blue sky making you feel as though you stepped out of this crappy winter weather into a beautiful Indian summer day! This requires some practice on my part to depict those trees and setting correctly so you can really feel the warmth of the sun when you look at it. So on my "free day" I am working on some of those practice pieces to help me create the perfect settings. A few of these will be sky/cloud pieces, some will be just trees or water or snow shadows....whatever I can find that seems interesting and I think I should play with!

 

This week's piece we are going into the clouds. Since I am playing with the color white, I thought some white clouds and a bright blue sky would be perfect. So, like Bob Ross, I put in some happy little clouds. After playing with my clouds (does that sound dirty?) I thought it looked too plain. Throw a few little birds in there and *poof!* we have a painting! Now, I might be crazy, but I swear this piece reminds me of the eagles on Lord of the Rings. As one collector on Facebook pointed out, they aren't true eagles because their shape is not quite correct (I wasn't going for anything specific, just something to add some fun to these clouds), but I can't help but feel like Frodo and Sam, laying there on the side of Mount Doom watching the eagles fly to them through the clouds. Therefore, I think I'm going to nickname this piece "The Eagles are Coming"! Oh how I love that movie....

 

Well, enough reminiscing for today. Next time we are going to get fancy! I've got this beautiful Andalusian on the easel with this gorgeous fancy gear. He looks like something out of a medieval knight's tale. Maybe a beautiful steed for a white knight.....*dreamy sigh* Yeah, here we'd love the horse more so than the knight! (Not that we don't appreciate a good knight in shining armor....but a beautiful stallion in shining armor would definitely sweep me off my feet first!) Now I have more title ideas....

 

Remember, all of these pieces are listed on eBay starting at $0.99. If something does sweep you off your feet remember to place your bid by following the link at the bottom of the page! Till next time!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nicole-Smith-Artist-Sky-oil-painting-clouds-blue-white-skyscape-original-/201267673060?

January White "reflections"

 

Reflections. This subject actually has multiple project ideas for me. One is this idea that I am playing around with in this piece. I think it would be spectacular if I had a series of paintings with horses dancing with their "reflections". Another artist I follow did two pastel pieces where the horses looked as though they were walking on glass. I think this is a neat idea and would love to expand on it. So here is a white Arabian trying out the glass walk.

 

Another idea that I will be working out with this topic will be the reflections found in water. It is such a challenge to get it to look right. A couple years ago I worked on a swan painting specifically for the purpose of learning how to paint reflections in the water. I think to master this, I should spend more time on it. I do believe I have a few references of horses with water, not to mention more swans.

 

Okay enough with the "I want to do this" stuff. You guys will just have to follow along and see what comes up this year. Lets talk a little bit about this specific piece, shall we? I'm not sure I got the reflections here completely worked out to my liking, though the effect looks better when you take a step back. Regardless, I do love this piece! The contrast of the white horse against the inky black background makes him seem to glow. A horse like this is probably what the old man on the Last Unicorn saw when he looked at the unicorn. They say that most humans can not see unicorns. Rather they see a white horse instead. A horse like this, which seems to glow with a supernatural white light, would be a perfect unicorn. Maybe he is and we just can't see him! I know, I don't truly believe in unicorns, but I love to imagine that they might exist. When I was younger I always hoped to see the glimmer of one in the woods. Granted I never did, but hey it was a fun daydream!

 

Next piece I believe we'll be headed to the clouds for inspiration. I am using these pieces to develop my artistic ability to depict certain things. One of the things I feel I need to spend time on is my backgrounds. The clouds and sky are something magical and fun, yet if they are not painted properly the background will not look correct. So we are headed into the clouds to see what fun things we can paint!

 

Remember, all of these pieces are listed on eBay starting at the initial bid of $0.99. To place your bids all you have to do is follow the link at the bottom!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201265572801?ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1554.l2649

January White "Standing out from the Crowd"

 

Well, this is certainly not the "floral" piece that I had set up next. Instead it appears that everyone likes my horses more than anything else. SO....with that, we'll have to change up the subject matter a bit and make it more about the horses. Which is okay with me, though Fridays I am going to reserve for whatever floats my boat, equine or not.

 

With that being said, I moved on and painted this pretty dappled buckskin appaloosa I had ready. Dapples certainly are a challenge. It is like throwing paint randomly at the canvas and hoping it sticks where it needs to. Maybe that will be a focus, dappled horses! Oh the insanity.....though they certainly are pretty! I definitely think this guy would have turned some heads at the show he was at. FillyRox on Deviant Art captured this moment at a horse show she was attending. I think this gorgeous guy was part of a halter show and I know that if I were the judge he definitely would have had my attention!

 

Remember, all of these paintings are listed on eBay. All you have to do to place your bid is follow the link below! It will be active till 9pm EST January 20th.

 

Tomorrow's piece will be.....well whatever inspires me tonight! I definitely will be focusing more on the horses since that seems to be what the people want. You guys want horses....I'll keep painting horses!!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nicole-Smith-Artist-Equine-Art-Horse-oil-painting-Buckskin-Appaloosa-black-/201264005028?

January White "Buddies"

 

Well here we are, a couple days past when these buddies should have been posted, but here at last! I had planned on getting these boys painted Friday, but the snow storm got in the way. So...a couple days later and here they are, our "Buddies"!

 

If you follow my art you have seen these boys before. They are Holley Underhill's two horses, one a gelding and the other a stallion. When I first ran across Holley through our Equine Artists page on Facebook, both of these boys were stallions. She graciously allowed us to use some of her photos and I can't help but come back to these two time and time again. They look like brothers, but are not related in any way! For two stallions, they act like the bestest of friends. The relationship between the two horses is just amazing and I simply love painting them because of it. I mean how many stallions, that are not related, would you find head to head like this? Amazing!

 

They are one reason I chose a subject matter for my monthly challenges called "buddies". It should be fun to see what happens at the end of the year when I have completed each month's challenge and what I can compile for each subject! I definitely think these two will be future "buddies" paintings!

 

Tomorrow's piece will be "flowers". I believe I have the perfect white lilies sketched out and ready to go. Oh how I wish there were lilies out there now! So miss my flowers under all this snow. Definitely going to plant many many more this spring. Might have to include some lilies!

 

Remember, each one of these pieces are posted on eBay starting at $.99. Our "January Buddies" listing will be active for a week starting tonight. So don't forget to follow the link and place your bids! Maybe you could be the one at the end of the year with a whole series of "Buddies"!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201262267349?ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1554.l2649

 

January white "wildlife"

 

A bit of a late posting tonight. Oh, the trials and challenges of being an artist and a mom! The littlest one decided to be extra needy today. It is always with a mix of frustration and feelings of bliss when I have to devote extra time to keeping her happy. Frustration comes because it is not always easy to know what she is trying to tell me (6 month olds don't really come with manuals). Not to mention that my days are loaded full of necessary chores and tasks that need attention. So stress and frustration, but there is also this undeniable feeling of bliss. Bliss because my little one needs me. She won't always. She won't always want me to hold her or cuddle. She won't always need me to change her, burp her, entertain her, or help her fall asleep. So I try to stave off the frustration and stress, and just live in the bliss. Its not easy, but I try.

 

On that note, here is the piece I have done for today. Our January White "wildlife" piece, quite possibly a young mother herself. Since my color challenge this month is white, I thought that a white-tailed deer would be perfect. White tails are perfect examples of how a little splash of color can make a big impact. White is one of those colors that can draw attention. On a solid black wall, three spots of white paint will be seen immediately and can hold our attention. White-tailed deer use their tails as flags of warning. This is why when they dart away from you all you see is a flash of white as they bound away.

 

With that, this momma is going to finally put an end to this day. Tomorrow we have a painting of "Buddies". Check in to see what buddies I find for our 7th January painting!

 

Remember, each one of these pieces are listed on eBay. All you have to do is follow  the link at the bottom of the post and place your bids!  

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201260058445?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

January White "Seasonal"

 

Day 5! Well, this piece was fitting for today. Last night old man winter decided that we needed some snow and dumped about two feet over night! Yesterday morning I saw grass and this morning it was a winter wonderland. Oh how I love winter.....

 

No actually, here in upstate NY winter is something I had to adjust to. Where I grew up in Ohio our winters occasionally had snow, but it never lasted longer than a week, maybe two. Now I am lucky if the snow doesn't stick around for six months! I could go on and on about the trials that winter can create when snow and ice stick around forever. However, as I was driving around in the snow this morning, I remembered why I actually do like winter at times. It was quiet because the roads were pretty bad even though the snow had actually stopped coming down. Everything was covered in a layer of fresh white powder. It was magical and breathtaking. If it wasn't so darn cold I would have wanted to be out playing in it.

 

Which brings me to our piece for the day. These horses are having fun playing in the snow! The buckskin paint is a stallion named CW Gold's River and is a very inspiring subject. Kim Stambaugh takes some awesome photos of him and his pasture mates, like the photo I used as reference here. I really just loved the snow they were tossing up and how fuzzy and warm they looked in their winter coats. I really wonder what they think of when it snows. Do they get excited like a child does about playing in the snow or irritated like a parent that has to drive in it?

 

Either way this was a great piece for today and perfect for the topic of "seasonal". Tomorrow we are going "wild" so check back to see what I found.

 

Remember, all of these pieces are listed on eBay! You can follow the link below to place your bids! I wish you luck! Until tomorrow :)

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nicole-Smith-Artist-Equine-Art-Horse-oil-painting-winter-snow-horses-seasonal-/201259354787?

January White "on the Farm"

 

Painting #4 for the year! Yes, the subject focus is "on the Farm" and what could be more farm like than a bale of hay....sitting in the snow....out in a field.....okay, there could be other more farm like ideas, but I wanted to paint snow. Oh yea, we were supposed to be using white. Well, snow is white....mostly. What is challenging is getting the light and shadows on the white snow correct. Which is what I wanted to play with here.

 

The reference for this is actually in my back yard. We have a very large field out back that our neighbor uses to cut and bale hay from all summer long. Last winter he didn't move all of the bales out of the field before the snow hit (which honestly I don't blame him since it snowed like crazy early in December). Therefore we had these bales of hay sitting out there all winter covered with snow like little huts, harboring small animals I'm sure. That is probably where the mice came from this winter that are trying to keep me up at night.....hmm....

 

Anyways! So we have snow and hay bales...toss in a sunset that changes the color of everything and voilà! Another January painting complete.

 

Tomorrow we are sticking with the snow for a seasonal piece. However, hopefully it excites those horse lovers out there that enjoy horsey art!

 

Remember, each one of these pieces listed here are available on eBay starting at 9pm EST. If you see something you simply can not live without don't forget to place your bids! Follow the link provided to today's piece: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nicole-Smith-Artist-Landscape-Winter-snowy-oil-painting-canvas-sunset-trees-hay-/201258630520?

 

January white "western"

 

So here we go, painting day 3! Yes, technically it is January 5th, but I've decided that I have to reserve the weekends for family and school. Still have to get that Masters degree finished (only have a few more classes to go!!), so school does need some time.....I suppose.

 

Anyways, painting #3. This time we are going "western"! There really is a method to this madness, honest! I have actually been working (slowly, but surely) on a western themed series. This image (referenced from horsestockphotos on DeviantArt) is on my to-do list. Therefore, I had to try it out on a smaller scale for this month of white. I do have to say that keeping the white "white" is a challenge. Because I work alla prima (wet on wet) I can blend with ease. However, this does make it challenging when you don't want it to blend and the paint just wants to do what it wants. I think I kept this guy's white "white" though.

 

Oh and by the way, how unique is this guy? I think that is what attracted me to him and why I definitely want to paint this much larger. You don't see many gray (white) horses in the western ring. Not that they aren't there or that western horses are prejudice to white horses, but all the horse shows I've seen where western pleasure is a class most of those horses are varying shades of brown or black. There might be a white horse to every 10 bays or chestnuts. So just like in the class, this pretty white western show pony certainly turned my head! What do you think? Are they more common than what I've experienced or is a pretty white western horse really somewhat rare?

 

Don't forget these pieces are listed on eBay starting at $0.99! If this piece has roped your heart don't forget to place your bid! The link is provided below.

 

Tomorrow, day 4, we are going "On the Farm" and literally outside my back door!

 

Cheers!

Nicole

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nicole-Smith-Artist-Equine-Art-Horse-oil-painting-Western-White-Original-Signed-/201257954588?

January White "Close Encounters"

 

January 2nd! Second day of the year, second painting done! This one I wanted to get up close and personal. The eye of a horse is always the perfect subject for a painting. As with the owl, what looks like white from far away is not just solid white. Rather it is varying shades of gray and even some spots! This horse I believe is actually more of a flea-bitten gray rather than white.

 

Actually for those that are not as familiar with horses as some, did you know that "white" horses really are not called white unless they are albinos? Rather a white horse is considered a "gray" horse. Even the people in the horse industry knows that white does not really exist naturally very often in its pure form. Rather white is often lighter shades of gray.

 

Close up and personal today, going western tomorrow! Remember you can find each one of these paintings on eBay. They will all be listed at the initial $0.99 bid without a reserve. So if you see something you have to have (especially if you are wanting to start a collection this might be a good time!) don't forget to place your bids!

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nicole-Smith-Artist-Equine-Art-Horse-oil-painting-eye-gray-black-white-original-/201254887613?

January White "On Wings"

Happy New Year! New Year, New mission....

Well as I said in my last post, I am going to try this year to revive this blog a bit more. Last year was a great year, but I had little time to work on blogs or websites. This year I hope to pump some life into both of those, starting with my blog! My first piece of my yearly series is done, so we are off to a good start!

January is focusing on the color, or lack of color, we all call white. You'd think this color would be easy to paint. Just slap some white on the canvas, and even if the canvas is colored, the white will stand out. However, in life white is often not just "white". White reflects a lot of different colors. Snow, which we all know is "white", can in fact be all different colors. In the shadows it can be blue or purple, maybe even a pinkish hue if it is reflecting the sunset. In the warm winter sun the snow can take on a yellowish hue looking more ivory in color. Occasionally you will have instances of pure white and those spots on a painting can draw the eye away or create a great focal point.

All of these things are what I want to explore this month. I want to see how white works within a piece and how it works in life. So, with that note, here is our first piece!

So, for those that don't know, I live in upstate NY. We are really close (like 45 mins close) to the Canadian border. When winter hits it often hits hard. Last winter was crazy with snow, ice and frigid temperature! Yet a bright spot on all of this was these beautiful white arctic birds, snowy owls, that started to appear in various place. I didn't get to see any last year, but this year they are back and I love seeing them! One has taken up residence in a field nearby and my mother in law took this beautiful picture of him. He seemed like the perfect subject to start the year out with. Though in the sky or on a telephone pole he looks all white, in fact his wings and body are dappled with brown spots.

I hope you have enjoyed the first piece and the little breakdown of what I am planning this year. Remember each one of these will be listed on eBay so if you see something you can't live without don't forget to place your bids!

Happy New Year everyone! Here is to a productive and colorful 2015!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201254120439?ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1554.l2649