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 :-)

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!

A Child and her Pony and MEMORIES

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!