Oil portraits from Christmas

January 2016. That's kind of crazy. As usual, the last quarter was hectic and 2 things slowed me down-the hard drive on my 6 month old computer crashed (thank you 1 year warranty!) leaving me scrambling to do even the basics, let alone photos, book work and correspondence. Sorry but my android phone just doesn't cut it. :-(. The other was a rotten cold that, for the first time in years, was bad enough for antibiotics....so today I am coldless and have my computer back (a ridiculous 3 week hiatus) Life is good!

So what have I been painting...too many to put up here so how about a few oils? 

Maureen and Duncan-oil 20 x 24

Favorite Hunter-oil 16 x 20

Oils take longer than my pastels but they do sort of "pop" don't they?
I am off to Portland Oregon Jan 10-27 so let's see what I come back with!

Art in pastels, silk dyes and gold leaf!

There is nothing more inspiring to an artist than to try new techniques or experiment with current styles, colors or sizes!
I am fortunate enough to be one of those multi-faceted artists who thrives on challenges. Portraits have always been and will always be, my first love, but it's the energy that comes from trying new ideas that energizes me!
So what have I been up to? Portraits of course, but so much more :-) The 3 below are a few recent portraits-all pastels.

Pastel 14 x 18

Pastel 11 x 14

Pastel 11 x 14

I have also been creating my silk scarves in new techniques and dyes as well as a very cool art piece using aluminum and gold leaf (courtesy of hubby, Stephen Filarsky of www.Goldleafman.com)

8 x 54 scarf

These are soft pastel colors that come from a dye that not not need to be steamed or heat set-nice!


And finally I have the combined efforts of Stephen Filarsky  for our raised art relief.
(Sorry about the photo positioning-can't easily arrange anything on this blog!

8 x 72 scarf

9 x 12 metal relief

closeup of relief in metallic format

Sketching in Public

The weather in NC since Jan has been predictable. 65-70 on Saturdays and 35-40's on Sundays with snow, sleet and ice by the following Tuesdays. We have had thunder storms in the winter...and in NC that means, according to old wives tales, that we will have snow in 9 days. And it has happened the two times we experienced the thunderstorms.
The point has been that many of the shows we attend-art and horse shows- have suffered due to the weather. Let's face it-no one wants to go outside or even get in the car to go to any kind of event when the fireplace seems like a good place to be!

5 x 8 ink sketch of covered ring

Last weekend we were at a horse show in Wilmington, NC. We just went for the day although we arrived and set up the tent the night before. The weather was going to do just what I have said-change drastically by Sunday. But oh my the Saturday we had was AMAZING! 72 degrees, sunny and with a breeze swaying the spanish moss hanging from the oak trees. Too early for any bugs, no dust and a combination of both a covered and uncovered ring and lots of help made it a delightfully smooth running show!
So I did what I don't always get to do: sketch. Hubby, Stephen Filarsky painted, I sketched and totally enjoyed soaking up the vitamin D.

Horses at ringside

It's always a bit challenging sketching a scene live with people as obviously kids and horses do not stand still! So using a sharpie pen and 5 x 8 sketch pad I worked quickly, capturing what I could and filling in the rest after they moved.

The results are spontaneous, in the moment and a whole lot of fun!
And as soon as I find the photos I took of him painting on location I will add those!

Oh yes, Christmas Portraits!

No doubt about it-Christmas is a motivating factor for people thinking about a portrait!
Below are two collages with quick glimpses of what this fall has been like so far...I am leaving out the ones that are gifts that could be seen!

Pastel Portrait Special! Ends Sept 1!

I am so pleased to be able to offer this again to my collectors and newcomers!
You asked and it's back! This is my 4th annual Pastel Special!  It ends Sept 1 or before when the available number is reached.

This is my popular pastel portrait special that I offer each year about this time, to my collectors, old and new, prior to my Christmas portrait rush! Thanks to my wonderful clients, I have created fine art portraits of all sizes in oils, pastels, pencil and watercolor for 25 years! The past few years I have been giving back by offering a special opportunity for you to have one (or more) of my small (cameo) pastel portraits of or for someone special in your life. You would normally invest $275.00 for my pastels of this size. For the Special, each portrait is just $95.00! Pastels are beautifully soft, pure pigment and once framed, your portrait will last for generations!

The details:
To get an idea of what others have ordered for their Pastel Special, take a look at the portrait examples All are 9 x 12 pastel portraits created by me from your best "head and shoulder" photos of your subject.
You may order as many portraits as you wish but each portrait will have only ONE subject in it. The available number of portraits is limited! So if you have 3 children, or 2 dogs, or a child and horse, you will be ordering 3 or 2 individual portraits.
Framing in not included. Shipping is additional and very reasonable. Complete instructions for framing are included in every carefully wrapped package. You may also arrange for pick up of your portrait upon my completion in the Raleigh NC area!

How to order your portrait!
1.Click on the number of portraits that you wish. Total number is limited. Etsy will notify me.

2. Email your best photos to me at ipaintportraits [!at] aol.com. Label each photo (you can send more than one of your subject and I will help you select the best portrait photo!) so I know who is who.
You may send old photos, recent photos, even black and white.


4. Upon completion, I will send you a digital of the finished portrait prior to shipping or pick up. Relax, I've done this for 25 years! If you feel something needs tweaking, no problem-it's YOUR portrait!

Unless I have questions, I will create your portrait within a 1-3 week time period! Because I work on the smaller portraits while also working on my large portraits, I find it easier to complete the cameos in the order in which I receive them :-) See my website at MTheresaBrown.com or find me (same name) on Facebook!

My Pastel Special allows you to give the ultimate gift to either yourself or a friend! Special ends Sept 1

Thank you so much!-Theresa

Christmas Art 2

And the Christmas surprises continue!  I also have added a few of the abstract paintings that were sold.

"Storm Watch" 24 x 36 (sold)

"Olivia and her Horses" pastel 16 x 18

"Child with Standard Poodle" 14 x 17 pastel

30 x 60 mixed media "Race for the Triple Crown" (sold)

A girl and her mule

I loved meeting this family in October and photographing their daughter and her beautiful mule, Fancy! From that came my 24" x 26" oil portrait with their barn in the background. I didn't need to go to Florida in order to photograph their barn; her mom had an image on her cell phone. (ah, modern day wonders!) An earlier post had the painting in progress but now you can see the finished oil!

Morgan was showing Fancy and there is one thing about competitive showmanship classes-in that world there is just one correct way to present your animal!

Morgan with her mule, Fancy. 24" x 36" oil portrait

When the abstract part of your mind takes over

There are times when randomness and spontaneity take over and I  just do what I did as a kid-draw horses abstractly and with nothing but my mind guiding my hand and color decisions......LOL-I am not really an abstract person-very grounded- but when the abstract does pop out, it's fun to just go with the flow!
So enjoy these recent creations on canvas!

Sky Herd 11 x 14 mixed media on canvas

"Sun Trails" 11 x 14 mixed media on canvas

"Duplication" 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas

Working on portraits at the Horse Show

Clients and their horses are a big part of what we do! So January and February are those "getting back in the saddle" shows after the holidays. When it comes to some of our clients, this is the start of the Florida shows down in Ocala and Wellington. I have traveled to them all!  This image shows our art booth at the current show going on in Raleigh, NC. It's a great way to get work done all the while enjoying the show, greeting our clients and friends and in general, doing our job!

Come by and watch me work Jan 26-29!

The beauty of GREY

Waiting for the Class

I love to create portraits for my clients and this gorgeous Grey is no exception!


I photographed him, per her request, at one of the shows and later created this 18 x 24 pastel based on a selection from the group.


You simply have to know horses to know what photos are the best to work from and which are not :-)


The tiny roan flecks are difficult to see in the image but are more obvious in the actual piece!

Taking the Horse portrait beyond the photo.

How can you not love the beauty of a horse? It's been the subject of artists for centuries.....dating back to the cavemen days (think Neanderthal caves in France!)

I created this 20 x 28 saddlebred on sanded paper using NuPastels and PanPastels while at a show in Raleigh, NC.

When creating portraits of animals, expression is what sets your art apart from that of another artist. In creating expression, the eyes are everything!


Body language is important as well. Notice the proud, upright stance of this lovely horse? The head carriage is typical of a Saddlebred.

This closeup of the head of the same image shows the details of the eye and it's individual expression.

The tack (or lack of) always plays a part in the final portrait, so it's important to depict the accuracy for the breed and discipline.

Artists need to know and study the horse, the different disciplines, the different breeds! They are not generic and knowing the traits of the one you are creating allows you to develop a painting far beyond just a photographic likeness! 

Adding a new slide show

I love it when I play with technology and something finally clicks! LOL

So I have had fun putting together this slide show. Enjoy!

Creating art for your friends

I received an email from a former art student of mine who now resides in Texas. What  a great little artist she is! And to top it off she is now in the Air Force and flies jets....just too unbelievable actually :-)

Any way she is still into her horses and I had created a pastel cameo of her beloved German Shepherd a few months ago. But now, her trainer's favorite horse has passed and she wondered if I could work from the few photos that they had?

Of course I would! I have done this a long time and have worked from some amazingly  poor photographs to create lovely little pastels that the clients will treasure.

So I completed this 9 x 12 cameo yesterday and hope that it helps ease the loss of a loved animal just a little :-)

Intuitive Oil Paintings

The beauty of commissioned art is that it is personal. "Custom made" is a phrase used over and over but when applied to a commissioned art piece, the painting truly becomes a part of the history, likes and desires of the client!

This large 30 x 40 oil portrait is the second that I have created for this client. Her family is indeed her beautiful animals and on a very personal note, the Golden Retriever on her far left was her beloved Bailey who passed several years ago. Originally I was going to include Bailey in the distant background but as I progressed work on the oil, the painting seemed to call for a more definitive view of the old dog. Sometimes, as an artist, that is how I work...I go with an intuitive feeling! I did not consult the client. I have discovered over many years of portraiture that envisioning a change is difficult for most clients. Part of the artist mystique and its progress is to anticipate the unveiling of a painting-not see it all laid out beforehand in Photoshop! Was she pleased? Oh my yes! Intuitive painting is what it's all about!

M Theresa Brown

The Portraits: www.MTheresaBrown.com

Animal Grouping: 5 horses and two dogs!

This very large 30 x 40 pastel of 5 horses and two small dogs was worked from a variety of photographs-some of which I took and some that the owners had. It was challenging to come up with a viable solution to incorporate so many animals of such diverse proportions! Finally I hit upon the idea of putting the little dogs on a more even level with the horses by sitting them on top of the tack trunk! I'm happy to report that the owner was thrilled and  as a portrait artist, well, it doesn't get any better than that! I have since added the farm initials to the tack trunk :-)

Theresa

The Portraits

Me and My Pony

I love images like this and had fun creating this 14 x 18 pastel! What says summer memories like a child on her pony? And on a trail ride no less? The total horse experience!
This is available as a print on our website at www.PortraitsNC.com!

It was Right before Christmas....

It was right before Christmas and all through the south,
The storm spread 'round us like a honey tongued mouth,
And breathed in our faces, and toppled large trees,
Snarled up the traffic and came up to our knees,
The shoppers weren't happy, the traveler's not pleased,
This snow wasn't planned, we were all ill at ease.
But not so the children who squealed with delight,
and quickly made snowmen and snowball fights,
They slid down the hills on bags and on sleds,
rolled in the snow and made angel beds,
And while grownups admitted it was a beautiful sight,
the kids already knew and frolicked till night,
So you would think......, we must know by now,
we can't control all things, not what, not how,
All we can do is accept certain things,
And a snow before Christmas is a beautiful thing!

by M Theresa Brown

Pastel Collage of girl and horse

This 20 x 20 " pastel collage of Jennifer and her late horse, Bernie was fun to do! I pretty much had free choice in the photo selection as Bernie had passed away the previous year and Jennifer referred me to her Facebook albums. So although Bernie was a talented jumper, he and Jen were also pals and that is what I wanted to convey!
This is the second portrait I have created for Jennifer. And although it was not a surprise to her, it IS her Christmas present courtesy of her generous aunt!

Dressage Horse for the CDI show

I created this 18 x 24 oil of a dressage horse from photos that we took while down in Southern Pines, NC.
I used a 2 inch Gallery Wrap canvas and had fun pulling the painting around the sides! Take a look!

Saddlebred Horse show at Blowing Rock NC

It's been fun creating a collage for the both the Hunter Jumper and Saddlebred portions of the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show held each year in the incredibly beautiful location in the NC mountains of...Blowing Rock! The show has been an annual event for many, many years and we enjoy being there for the activities. OK, maybe the climate has something to do with that too!
I have completed the Saddlebred collage which will be auctioned off at this year's event and also used for the T-shirts. The Hunter Jumper collage that I am creating will be for next year's show. They are held in the same location but on different days. This pastel is 18 x 24 in size.