Beautiful Rolex Weekend!

I am so glad to have gotten the chance to go up to Lexington this past weekend to revel in the wonderful world that is the Rolex CCI**** Kentucky 3 day event ! I almost missed going this year and I know that I just can't let that happen again. Seeing the olympic caliber horses and riders who you know have worked so hard to make it to this level of the sport...it's just exhilarating to say the least. Following the Eventing USA blog has helped me keep up with who was going to be competing this year...and only added to the excitement and anticipation. The photo that I posted here is of Syd Kent, ridden by Jan Byyny from the USA.
I certainly filled up my flash cards full of references for future artwork for sure. Each year my photography skills get just a little better and more and more of the photos are keepers. I never claimed to be a sports photographer, I really have to respect the work that those people do! I work from my own reference shots and so between all of them...I can get the info that I need.
My husband went with me for the first time and he was enthusiastic learning about the sport. To see him also appreciate something that I feel so passionate about warmed my heart :-). We had a great time enjoying the crystal clear spring days. 364 days and counting until next year's Rolex....... :-) :-).

Art in Bloom Fine Art Show and Sale

This weekend will be my second year exhibiting with the Art in Bloom Fine Art Sale & Show presented by the Junior Service League of Gallatin, Tn. This show is a fundraiser in support of charities supporting the women and children of the community. It will be held at the Bluegrass Yacht and Country Club at 550 Johnny Cash Parkway in Hendersonville. The Preview Party is on Friday March 27th from 6:30 p.m (reservations required...call Cindi Givens at 615-452-1431 for tickets). The show is open to the public on Saturday, March 28th from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Although I have about 7 larger equine themed paintings in process in my studio right now....I concentrated on including smaller works for this show. I've included a sneak peak of a few of my 5 x 7 studies that I'll have at the show this year. The first is a 5 x 7 ,"Gray Hunter Study". The second is a 5 x 7, "The Hunt is on". The third is an 8 x 10,"Female Elk, Yellowtone study"

It's spring in full swing here in Tennessee and hopefully our community will be out and about and ready to see all kinds of artwork from over 40 artists. Stop by and say hello at Art in Bloom !

Horses in Art Magazine

Good news ! I was thrilled to find out this weekend that I have been awarded an honorable mention for my painting "Beech Grove Blessing" in the 2009 Horses in Art magazine's cover contest. Knowing the volume of entries that they receive, I'm happy and honored with this recognition. They'll be following up with an editorial in a future edition.

This painting was done from a combination of my references shot while attending the BGH's opening hunt. The jt MFH is Elese Alsup who is pictured here on her beautiful bay thoroughbred "JB". They make quite a team for sure. The blessing of the hounds, horses and riders is a tradition of the opening day of the hunt season.

I have become fascinated with the entire fox hunting tradition and love painting the subject. My younger days were filled with riding in junior hunter shows and training for eventing, etc. but I never had the opportunity to ride with a hunt. I'm not entirely sure I would have had the nerve required anyway.....but that's beside the point! Experiencing all the tradition, excitement and atmosphere of the hunt is exhilarating even if it is from the outside looking in. I really appreciate Beech Grove Hunt's willingness to allow me to visit and learn from everyone. They are patient with my endless questions and reference shots. A few years ago, the Masters of the Foxhounds Assoc. had its centennial traveling art show and I was proud to be one of the artists included. To encourage artists to consider the subject, the MFHA urged it's members to open up opportunities for artists to experience the hunt and the members of BGH were willing to do just that very thing! I look forward to many fox hunt-themed paintings to come.

Hartsville Horse

A good thing happened to round out 2008 ! My painting, "Hartsville Horse", has been chosen to be on the cover of the 2009 north/central Florida edition of "The Barn Book". This publication is a regionally targeted resource book for the horse industry that is circulated in 6 different regions of the eastern United States. They are associated with Sidelines Magazine. My ad will also be in there somewhere...so check it out if you see a Barn Book at your local tack shop , barn, horseshow etc. Here is the link in case you want to read more about it: http://www.thebarnbook.com/

Polo Player's Edition Annual Art Issue

I am happy to have my entry entitled "Advice From Dad" chosen to be included in the Polo Player's Edition Magazine's 23rd Annual Art Issue. The theme for the entries was to communicate the feeling of "connection". This was a competition that was juried by the editors.
The reason that I entered this particular painting was because of what I saw between this young rider and the Dad at a horse show. I wanted to express the feeling that horse and rider teams are backed up by dedicated parents, friends, trainers, grooms etc........ a long list of "connections" for sure. Thanks Polo Player's Edition Magazine......I'm honored to be part of this yearly tradition !

Greg Beecham workshop

Last Sunday morning I hugged my family goodbye and stepped OUT of my comfort zone. I flew to Scottsdale Arizona to the Scottsdale Artists School. I have never been to Phoenix and was surprised by the size of the city. It's huge. The desert surroundings were a dramatic change from where I had been the day before at Beech Grove, Tennesssee.

My reason for going to the school was to take a workshop from Greg Beecham, a very successful western wildlife artist from DuBois, Wyoming. The School is a wonderful place to take a workshop and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering taking a class there. You can stay nearby within walking distance of the school and restaurants are also within easy access. I did rent a car but in hindsight I could have managed without one. The class had 11 students which made it great for observing Greg's demonstrations. He was very forthcoming with lots of information about his approach to oil painting and his career in general. This included technical info plus lots of great tips on dynamic compositions , brushwork and color harmonies, with an emphasis on the expression of light. Workshops usually have a way of energizing an artist.

I've included 2 photos. One is of Greg during a demonstration and the other is a hallway of the school with that wonderful southwestern light pouring in. The building itself is a perfect combination of wonderful light filled studios. It used to be a one story elementary school and the changes that they made kept the convenient flow to the space while showcasing that southwestern architecture on the inside and out. Gee....can you tell I liked the place ? So, don't hesitate to sign up for a workshop there. Hopefully you'll be as pleased as I was with the experience.

Beech Grove Opening Hunt

Last week was a busy one. It started with a great weekend with my son coming home for a whirlwind visit from college. He went with me to the much anticipated opening day festivities and the blessing of the hounds for The Beech Grove Hunt . It was a glorious morning in the hills of Tennessee with welcoming hosts Dale and Elese Alsup ( MFH of Beech Grove Hunt). The picture here shows some of the hills I'm talking about. What can I say...a sight that's good for the soul ! I'm smiling just thinking about that morning full of the sights and sounds of hunting and being so welcomed by a great group of people.