Paintings by M.Theresa Brown

Ridng on the Beach

2008-09-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Who hasn't dreamed of leaping bareback upon a horse and riding into the surf on a beautiful summer day?

This portrait is from a photo by the client where I changed her outfit into a dress, took away the saddle and changed the whole demeanor of the portrait!

Now that hurricanes and humid days are behind us (we hope) , we can look forward to fall!

A journey of 3000 miles

2008-07-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was indeed a journey of 3000 miles! With gas ranging from $3.79-4.05 gallon, our little Honda Fit was packed to the gills with artwork and the usual suitcases! Why? Well we tied in a business trip with a family reunion in Branson, Missouri! Yep. Our trip took us from NC through TN, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky and onward to Missouri, Oklahoma and the journey back. In Lexington, Kentucky we appeared at the book signing at Gallery B of Vicki Moon's new book "Equestrian Style" in which Steve and I have a bit part along with cool photographs of us at work and on the road. You can locate the book at www.Amazon.com.
We also toured the Horse Park-wow what a place! We were sucked into Breyer Fest-another amazing event and were given a private tour of Cobra Farms, the birthplace of Seattle Slew.
Yes, we painted, produced out portfolios and in general had a blast! Good to be home though!

I shipped the above 18 x 24 oil of Sam and Ernie to my client in Pennsylvania right before I left and who says it best but the client?
Theresa
The portrait of Sam and Ernie is AWESOME! I absolutely love it. It arrived yesterday, and it was put in the front hall immediately. I had 7 people for dinner last night, and everyone adored it. Thank you, so much. It is one of the best things I ever thought to do.
Wendy

Working artist at a show

2008-07-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that I can always say about being at a show and that is that I am productive! UNless I am at an outdoor show where temperatures have soared to over a 100 degrees, I can keep my nose to the grindstone, chat with people and in general, make it a working day!
Sitting in relative cool recently at a show in Roanoke, Va, I was able to complete several pieces for my clients.

The 28 x 32 pastel portrait to the right was created from combined photos of the client's from 2 years ago. The client has seen the digital version but unless they are out of state, I like them to see the "real thing" for any possible changes!

I will post the other artwork later but working at a show increases not only studio time but the delight that people take in seeing a "real artist" (as they say) at work. Until later!
Theresa

Pencil Portraits and Pets

2008-06-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

People Love their animals! Pencil portraits are a very popular medium and I create hundreds of these a year!
Of course people are equally as popular, especially in groups, but there is something special about receiving a cameo portrait of a beloved pet.

The shows have been busy and I have not been able to get to the blog but with the advent of some amazingly cool weather that has drifted into NC, well, hard NOT to get motivated on all things!

I am off to teach a few students and return to work on an oil. Will post the results soon!

Jackson Pollock ART FUN!

2008-05-18T06:33:00.000-07:00

Grab a child or enjoy this art creation game yourself!
Anytime you pop onto my site, visit the Jackson Pollock box in the lower right corner and spend a few minutes having FUN!
Just use your mouse, create and print!

The formal portrait

2008-05-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

People are always amazed at how finished a pastel portrait can look !

This one is the second I have completed for this family and is around 24" x 30" in size. The other portrait was the family's eldest son and was created on the family's back deck. This one took into account the personality and look of the younger son balanced with the portrait ideas of Mom :-)

Keeshond pastel

2008-04-17T08:13:00.001-07:00

Prince was loved by his owners for 15 years and they felt his passing keenly. So they approached me for his portrait and we settled on a full body pose of Prince with his trademark "smile."!

Most of my dog portraits are created from client supplied photos via the Internet.
And most are combination images meaning that I work with the best head sot, the best body shot and embellish from a client's memory.

After all, photos are far from accurate! And in the minds of an owner of a beautiful friend, prince still had his magnificent coat and happy look.

Creating dark oils

2008-03-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

This 16 x 20 oil portrait was different and I loved it! The dark background is a change from most of what I do and it creates a very Old Masters look.

The client wanted to show that very special relationship between she and her horse and we achieved it!

Family oil with dogs

2008-03-22T08:15:00.001-07:00

This 20 x 24 oil is a good example of bringing in all the elements of an early spring day with kids and dogs! It's real life at its best and what better way to remember it than with a lovely OIL portrait?

Look further down for a LARGE family oil with all members of the family present!

Black lab and Mallard duck Pastel

2008-03-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

This Pastel is a surprise gift measuring around 14 x 14. I had
digital images of the Lab and additional ones of the Mallard
duck.
Combining subjects by sight is the original artist "photoshop!" No computers, no gimmicks, just visually pulling together the images to create a portrait that will be enjoyed for years!

Large family Oils

2008-03-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

This one was a challenge! 40" x 80" in size, it was created by adjusting the colors, composition, poses, lighting...you name it and it was done! But the family now has a beautiful portrait of a time in their lives that they will look back fondly and remember! Mom especially will wonder how she was able to juggle it all !

The colors just glow in this oil and the family was delighted!

My client said it best!

2008-01-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Theresa,

People who ride or work with horses can always remember that special horse that stood apart from the rest. It is often due to exceptional talent or confirmation or maybe outstanding bloodlines. Our special horse didn't have any of those characteristics. He was a 24 year old quarter horse with nothing special about his confirmation or his talent. What made him stand apart was his gentle nature and his willingness to do his best and take care of his rider. Charlotte and I have struggled since his death in October. We miss our friend. You can not imagine my surprise when I opened this beautiful portrait on Christmas morning. You captured so completely the sweetness of his face and his wise old eyes. You also captured perfectly the face of a little girl who thought he was just about the best friend anyone could have in life. Thank you for doing such a beautiful job. I will treasure it always.

K Yarbrough

Merry Christmas! Onwards 2008!

2007-12-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

Well, for an artist business that works solely on commission, 2007 has been a busy and rewarding year. Rewarding financially and rewarding in the knowledge of the joy that I create with my art for both me and for my clients!
The activities of the season have been a combination of reminiscences.....my mother passed away this year with me at her side and as I walked away from the hospital in those dark, early morning hours last February, I knew that another era had passed. So this Christmas, I find myself thinking "She would like this" or "She needs this" and just as suddenly making the connection that it didn't matter this year...but I shake off the doldrums, for with every sad thought is the reality of people delighted with what I have created for them. Today O know that my clients excitedly await the "reveal" of a Christmas Eve or morning portrait. I love it!
And with that thought I wish a very Merry Christmas to everyone! And let's make 2008 a year for dreams to come true!

Pastels, horses and more

2007-12-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hope Thanksgiving was good for everyone! We've been busy with the Fall shows and now of course, Christmas!

included some recent portraits in this post.
This lovely young lady and her mount posed for me at the UNC shows in Raleigh NC so I could create this pastel for her family!
The challenge is creating the colors of a clipped horse (in this case, a dun) with the range of colors available in pastels. Oils can be mixed but pastels must be lightly layered to come close to the necessary colors :-).

Both of the dog portraits were created from photos supplied by the owners. It is always satisfying to create something for posterity. Both animals had passed away and these will be gifts!
Stay tuned for more Christmas portraits!

Duke Charity Horse Show

2007-11-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well it is that time of year again and we are set up and flourishing at the Duke shows in Raleigh NC! Beautiful, crisp fall weather has perked the colors of the trees and although we need rain badly, the weather can' t be better at the moment! The explosive Grand Prix is Saturday night and a glittering assortment of spectators will be out in full.

And of course, with our booth set up at the doorway and both Steve and I painting, we have encouraged all of our clients to stop on by!

Now I must confess that as I write this, it is 8 pm, cold, dark and I am in front of a fire while Steve is at the show :-) But hey, that's life! Our home is about 30 miles from this show so unlike Saratoga, NY or Blowing Rock NC, we are close enough to commute and not camp.

Pastel portrait of Little Girl

2007-10-28T08:13:00.001-07:00

I am trying to be good and stay up to date! Hard to do when so much is going on but this is part of running a business!
This session will be brief. I have a son going off to Marine Boot camp tomorrow and spending time with him has been on my list of priorities!

This pastel portrait of a young girl was created for clients of mine and is the second I have done for them. Many families have me create a portrait of each child as they reach a certain age. Others have a portrait created of all of them at the same time with their varying ages. It just depends on the client. There is no "right" way!

As usual, I apologize for the bluish tint in the photos that I put up! My husband edits the ones for the website but frankly, I am thrilled just to get them up :-).

Remember to keep our troops in your prayers. I do not care what your political convictions are, we have men and women serving this country and they deserve our respect and admiration. Don't let politics leave you kicking the dog!

Visit me at www.MTheresaBrown.com

Beginnings of Christmas

2007-10-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

We stay busy year round! But admit it, there is something about Christmas that makes all of us think that NOW is the time to pick up that present or item we have been thinking about all year long! And my clients are no exception :-). NO problem! When they call me with the nudge of "OK, I need to call her this week!" I am perfectly happy with that! I work great with deadlines. I LOVE deadlines. I work

great in public, late into the night, first thing in the morning and everything in between. To be successful at art in any form, you HAVE to value your clients' needs and expectations. The funny thing is most clients will preface a deadline request with "I don't want to rush you" and rest assured, they do NOT! My normal reply is to laugh and assure them that deadlines work for me :-).

The pencil collage above (sorry for the blue cast) is the second one that I have completed for a client with her horses. I leave space around the images and add the names onto some area of the halters and as she adds more horses, she brings the portrait back and I add the new horse. I have done the same with people's dogs and it is a loving tribute to the many animals wh share or have shared one's life! People? Of course! A collage is a grouping of subjects that are relative to the message an artist is sending. Many chidren create them at school using magazine tear outs and they are a telling visual image of what that individual is thinking of him or herself :-). A collage may have a set of grandparents in the center and around them are their lives condensed into a number of visual images (a garden , the beach, a family tree, a job, travel, a funny episode, a hobby, etc.) TIme consuming for me BUT an heirloom that is enjoyed by the family for many years.

The pastel of the horse is a good example of taking a busy photograph and reducing the subject to it's important essentials. The background is muted and soft, the subject is crisp and focused.....the perfect ingredients for a successful portrait of any subject!

I have just completed 3 weeks of straight shows so within a few days I will post additional images of completed portraits. A few of them are horses and their owners of course but several are clients returning to have a portrait created of that second or third child!

And maybe I'll post that 40 x 80 oil of the family which is very near completion. A long time in the "doing" but the end will be worth it...not quite there but there enough to see what I will be altering and changing!

Until next time!

Theresa

www.MTheresaBrown.com

Fall is "sort of" here!

2007-10-16T04:48:00.000-07:00

A recent commisssion of a proud mom and daughter! Dad is a smart man as this will be a Christmas present! This pastel is approximately 18 x 24.

Recent fun! (see below)
Custom painting the Trail of Painted Ponies! As a woodworker (I have carved large Victorian rocking horses)
I have been selling these on Ebay since I actually do not have room for them in my booth at shows. So they have been a nice creative outlet for my art. I'll post a few more finished examples later.
This one is part of my "Wild Ponies of the Outer Banks " series. Check out the web site for the prints-very popular!

OK. We still have drought and heat BUT the good news is that the heat is staying below 90 degrees and the nights are now down in the 40-50 range, Do-able!

Working diligenty while also at the NC State Fair with a portrait booth. Steve and I alternate up to a point. This year he is spending more time there :-)

So what is happening in my art world? Commissions of course!

Work and more work!

2007-08-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

Dummy me misplaced my password (almost a first) , obviously found it and despite the fact that my blog is in sore need of an update, it does not mean I have been idle!

Now I will need to come back and post new images but in the meantime I can tell you that it is lucky that man invented air conditioning! Record heat here in NC and it was with blessed relief that we headed up for 2 weeks of shows in the beautiful mountain town of Blowing Rock, NC. The old grounds are located just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and the scenery is spectacular!

Actually Steve went first with the camper and I followed later. But I am working diligently on a large oil in the studio that cannot be easily transported and could not stay too long. Besides, at this particular show, it was Steve's beautiful plein air paintings that they lined up to purchase. No matter. We have the same checking account :-)

Now I have mentioned the Corgi, Rosie. She is easy to travel with and taking her away from home lets the other 4 dogs (non-Corgies) get a break from her. So she gamely hiked with us on a non show day through well maintained horse trails. I will include some links later as anyone or group can go to the grounds and keep their horses there and use the trails all through the mountains.

I returned to 104 degrees and it was hard not to turn around and head back! Images will follow!

Returning to the rest of the story

2007-06-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

I have artist friends who create wonderful art and write enchanting blogs. Even after a show or an event, they continue in creative mode as if no event had taken place.

I think I am jealous!

I returned home late on the 11th after leaving a week of shows behind and after meeting a client outside of Clifton, VA. And although I would love to just walk into my studio the following day and begin to create, an actual ART business just isn't run that way (alas!)

Tuesday morning comes early and with it a sorting through the piles of mail. Bills here, Taxes there, checks over here, online bills, phone calls to return, the list to go over. Appointments, who to arrange a meeting? Who to send an image to, sorting through who handles the camping at the next show and what prints to ship to clients.....and that is before lunch! Physically there are drives to the bank, the Post Office, the grocery store, unloading the car...Steve is at the Keswick shows with the van and camper.

It is good to know that nothing extreme happened while I was gone :-) so one must always, while noting what did not get done, note what DID get done and balance it out.
My point being, when I paint, I paint! When I work, I work. Dispersed between painting sessions is the constant marketing, the constant emails and phone calls, the whole panorama of running a business....and I would not have it any other way!

Yes, I am still, at times, jealous of those artists who seem to have not a financial care in the world, whose only thoughts lie far removed from business.....but then I remember my art history and easily relate to those artists through the centuries, who, like me, needed to make a living and were fortunate enough to be able to blend and train their skills and talents into a profession that has endured for centuries!

OK. Adding to my blog can be crossed off my list!

A morning snack

2007-06-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

A client asked me to post this image of a pastel that I created because she "liked the mood." She said that it reminded her of her own daughter. That's what is nice about creating an image that causes a response in a person. I think that many times, despite what art critics think, the average person wants something on the wall they CAN relate to. Something that stirs a response, a memory, a feeling.

A statement? If a memory or a scene "speaks" to you, it IS making a statement :-).

I'm in Upperville, VA at the moment, listening to much needed rain on the roof of the camper. It took us two hours to set up yesterday evening and we watched the clouds roll in from tropical storm Barry. I understand that further east it is really coming down.

No one wants a hurricane but it IS and always has been, Nature's way of replenishing the water supply!

OK. I will be working on a client's oil tomorrow (if it is not raining) and will try to take some photos of a work in progress!

Pencil Portrait of Baby

2007-05-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Well, less you think I have been idle.......the past couple of days I have completed 4 commissions: 3 pencils and a small pastel. I will post the other 2 pencils after figuring out how to alter the white balance. As you see, the pencil is dark and was obviously worked on white paper..... !

The pencils are very popular and in an investment range that everyone can afford. This client (as the others) emailed their images to me.

Originally, in the client's photo, this little guy was in a hammock on his side, so as an artist I just altered a few things, adjusted his position and wallah! A beautiful heirloom from a candid photograph

Pohicke Bay, Potomac River in Virginia

2007-05-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

Lovely, huh? One big advantage to camping is being able to hike trails and capture an image like this. Beautiful May weather along the banks of the Pohicke Bay of the Potomac. Easily reachable from the campgrounds of the Virginia State Park. Geese were nearby and HUGE fish were swirling around the banks among the tops of submerged trees. A great spot to unwind.

No (sigh) , I have not painted it yet....I have to make sure the commissions are completed first!

Since arriving back in NC on Tuesday, I have been kept busy with the usual details that come with running a business!

However I am not too busy to realize the weather is warmer, the wild roses are blooming......... and it's time to go paint!

Secretariet and Ponies

2007-05-20T18:27:00.001-07:00

There is something about being in a camper listening to the rain on the roof that makes for a sound night's sleep!
All day yesterday and last night the rain fell steadily and the riders and their horses bore it with good humor. We are beginning to think that "Saint Clements" was the saint of rain :-)
I have spent some productive days with my pastels and completed two more commissions.
The lovely aged gelding to the left is "Pinky" a grandson of Secretariet and as red and gorgeous as his grandsire. It is an 18 x 24 Pastel.

(Collection of Mike Seagrove)

Since we wil be on the road all day tomorrow, I decided to add this pastel which I completed in Saratoga as well.
Peyton and her pal, Lone Star were at the Rosemont Show in Virginia where I photographed them for their portrait.
(Collection of Melinda Smith)

Many artists tell me that they cannot work in public, but I find that I can easily slip into a zone when I am concentrating and "working in public"
doesn't bother me.

And the speed in which I work is two-fold. First of all, pastel comes easily to me. I am a drawer and pastel is just an extension of that ability.

Secondly I cannot procrastinate at a show! I can't clean the house, work in the garden, feed the goats or ponies, wander off on another tangent......in other words, I keep my nose to the grindstone! So it is not speed as much as the ability to concentrate and stay focused when I am creating artwork! Until next time!

A Child and her Pony and MEMORIES

2007-05-18T04:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been raining and COLD here at this show in upstate NY so yesterday I completed a PASTEL commission of a child and her pony while staying warm and dry in the camper. Steve manfully worked on his horse show paintings despite the lack of gloves (I am not kidding here) and when I took a break from my work, I'd bring him some hot coffee.

Two weeks in a hotel would have been a very tiring proposition and Steve and I have an wonderful advantage in that one of us can man the booth while the other works elsewhere (or sleeps or eats or goes to the laundromat!)

The order came in last weekend and the client will collect it this weekend. This is the completed 16 x 16" pastel. On another, smaller digital camera, I have some "in progress" shots that I hope turned out considering the light (or lack of) and will see about posting them later.

The face of the child is from another photograph and I dropped her hands, lowered her heels, removed Mom (it was a candid photo from a leadline class several years ago) and created a neutral background. This is a pony worth it's weight in gold....what other pony could be dressed up and taken door to door trick or treating at night as they do each Halloween?

Many of my portraits begin with a memory....if the client is fortunate, there is a good photo, but many times there is not, and it is up to me to bring out the details of my client's memory of that day, that event, that person........it is SO rewarding!

Cloudy today but I may be able to work outside at the booth. People do love to watch and I am more productive actually.....stay at the easel longer! I have a small pencil of a child and a small pastel of a mixed breed dog to complete before we return to NC on Monday........brrrr, gotta turn the propane heat! higher!