Category Archives: western art

Truckin’ on Through

Remember Bruce’s Beautiful Broncs, one of my “dailies” from late summer? Well this is them again.  Pacing with nervous energy in the morning before the rodeo, they bunch together like the herd animals they are, the air absolutely crackling with their collective power.  Horses rock.

If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.

Manes & Ears

If you’ve spent much time around horses, you’ll have noticed how sensitive and expressive their ears are.  Capable of swivelling pretty much 360 degrees, and perking, flattening, flopping and pinning, they’re like barometers of these beautiful animal’s every thought and intention.  Having said all of that, I don’t think we have any idea of the extent of the information horses receive and send via their exquisitely beautiful ears.

If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.

Spirit Pony Sampler

More “Spirit Ponies” today, and this time in a sampler format….just for a change. Who knows where these guys come from or what I’ll wind up doing with them.  They might make a nice children’s book some day.  Meanwhile I hope you enjoy my little paintings from “the edge”. 

 
 This one is bigger than most of my dailies …41/2 X 14″ and thus the lowest bid is higher.

If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $200(plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.

Celestial Ponies

Today I felt like playing.  I wanted a herd of running painted ponies, so that’s what I made.  Sometimes my pen & ink pieces have a cartoon-y look to them, especially if I draw them from my head instead of from a reference. I accentuated that with the funky pastel colours and splashy spots. Nothing like a play date for this artist to counter a cool, dull day. 

If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.

We’re Up Next

This painting was a treat to do! For one thing, it’s so great to paint large-scale after doing all the little “dailies” which are 5 X 7″.(This one is 30 X 20″ ). Another is that I really appreciate the bond between horse and rider, and I think that’s what was the driver for me to paint this at all. 
Thirdly, I enjoyed painting all the gear;  leather & silver, rawhide and horsehair, straw and denim.  Such rich textures with rich history. 
Not sure it’s finished. Should I lay in a big of sky behind?  Am sitting with it for now.

30″ X 20″ on 300lb Fabriano

We’re Up Next-beginning stages

This is a piece I’ve been working on all week.  It’s large…30″ X 20″ and it’s been a challenge to draw.  However, we’re off and running now!
This was from a photo I took at the Ranch Horse Competition this summer, and I loved the body language of both cowboy and horse.  Though they are still, you can feel the intensity of the horseman as they wait their turn.  The horse though, seems to be saying “We’ll be fine man; just chill!”
 Will post the finished product when it’s ready.

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Horses of the High Country

Good friends operate the trailriding in summer and sleigh rides in winter, at beautiful Lake Louise in Banff National Park. Their winter pasture is high up on the front range of the rockies just east of the park. I was lucky enough to visit there for the spring gather a few years ago; an unforgettable experience.  

If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.

On the Bit

Here’s a larger project that I’ve been working on for most of the week, amongst other diversions. After a summer of fooling around, it’s time for me to get to work!
 This beautiful horse won the ranch horse competition in the Hat this summer and I wanted to paint him at work,  all geared up in silver spade bit, handbraided bosal and romel rein, and handmade horsehair mecate. 
The honouring of those traditional art forms is one of the side benefits  of modern horsemanship, and I for one, am very appreciative of all of it.

16 x 14″ on300lb Fabriano

Ponies @ Siksika

Often on my travels I like to cross the Blackfoot Reserve at Siksika.  The Bow River Valley is so pretty there, and there’s no interruption of the native landscape by crops or oil activity. Often there are bands of horses, which is a real bonus! For today’s painting I thought we needed some tipis as well.  

 
If you’d like to own this original watercolour, email Gena with your bid today! gena03@telusplanet.net Minimum bid $100 (plus gst and shipping). First bid, or highest bid wins the painting.