The beginning of a large pastel portrait!

A work in progress: 30 x 40 Pastel Portrait

Here is a sanded 30 x 40 pastel that I have begun of a whole family-the two daughters, along with their horses or first to be seen......mom and dad, along with the two Golden retrievers and a former horse,  are still way-y-y-y in the background waiting to emerge from their anonymity :-).

Keep an eye out for the completed version!

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! 

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 :-)

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

My client said it best!

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