"Divine Fortune, Loving His Job"

It's been a year since the Steeplechasing world lost one of their stars.  Following Divine Fortune and his many victories and watching the heart and soul of a champion here at the Iroquois Race Day was a privilege over these past years.  I'm so glad I got to follow his story even though from afar.  I had a chance to see how much this horse was LOVED by Keri Brion Wolfsont and all of his connections.  I only had a chance to experience Fortune from behind the lens of my camera, but he was an inspiration. When I had some time to choose a painting that I wanted to do and was not commissioned to do....I knew it had to be Divine Fortune.  So here he is, inspired by that rainy day here in Nashville with Darren Nagle riding....ears up and ready to run.

Music Country Grand Prix for SADDLE UP!

Here is my oil on linen painting of Colleen Acosta and Diamond.  They were last year's winners of the Music Country Grand Prix at Brownland Farm in Franklin, TN.  This Saturday will be the 2016 Music Country Grand Prix again...a wonderful event to support SADDLE UP! Nashville's premier therapeutic Riding program located in Franklin, TN.  It may be a little rainy this weekend, but that never stops horse lovers, we all know that!  Find your rain boots and come on out and support this worthy cause!

Fresh off my Easel... Bay My Hero and William Fox Pitt

I was able to finish this painting before Rolex after all!  It is a 16 x 20 Oil on linen. It was inspired by seeing this winning team compete at Rolex in 2014. 

Carol Gee of Fernhill Sport Horses introduced me to Catherine Witt a few years ago after Parklane Hawke's win at Rolex. This was a painting that I wanted so much to complete as I'm a big fan of Catherine Witt's horses ( in this case Bay My Hero) and William Fox Pitt. I am hoping this painting acts as a big shout out for his continued success as he comes back into competition after his injury last year. 

Eventers are T O U G H and resilient athletes and an inspiration to us all for working through life's ups and downs. Best of luck and safe trips to all our competitors this year!

More Wise words...this time from Richard Schmid.....

"If what you choose to paint comes from the heart, and you are skillful enough, it will resonate somehow within someone else.  It is absurd to imagine that the magnitude of a work is somehow connected to the accepted importance of its subject (or the artist)...  Let your subject come from within you and be a simple act of sharing .  In a sense, every work you do is a self-portrait because your paintings always reveal more about you than about your subject.  Your experience of something, not the something itself, is the true underlying subject of every work you do.  Ultimately, that is how your work, or that of any other artist, will be judged."   

Richard Schmid

Wise words from artist William Wendt

This past week I found myself feeling introspective concerning my art and how it fits into a business model.  As so often happens, words appear before us that really resonate with what is going on in our minds.  For me it was a quote from William Wendt, an early california impressionist painter (1865-1946).

" The true artist does not paint to please the public...but he holds the interest of all who think, for a work of art expresses the mind of the workman."

The LIpscomb Art Event 2016

Happy new year!  There is something about January that I really love, a whole year looming ahead, fresh starts and that sort of thing. Right now I'm at work getting all new pieces ready for the Lipscomb Academy Art Event in Nashville coming up on the weekend of February 12 - 14, 2016.
Come on out and say hello!

The painting shown here is one I'll have there this year...titled "Gaucho Leading the Leader", a 16 x 20 oil on linen.  It was inspired by a recent trip to Argentina with the Criollo horses and the Gauchos outside of Buenos Aires. This is the first of a series I'd like to do with that theme.