PATIENT HORSES – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

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I have been struck a number of times by the patient nature of horses – though it doesnt include the ones running in the 2-30 at Kempton, obviously. The way they stand or methodically graze unhurriedly in the paddock or dissuade irritating flies with the twitch of a muscle. I saw these ones, painted above, on a recent morning cycle – probably waiting for breakfast to be delivered. Hopefully Godot wasn’t bringing it, as in that case, even their patience might be tested.

Other animal paintings are available for purchase on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

WATER’S EDGE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

This painting recalls summer days when I saw these horses beside the canal. I like drawing and painting horses, just for their shapes – rather like boats and the challenge they give when they are at different angles or huddled together.

I gathered up the images I had of the day and arranged the horses to get a selection of orientations and hopefully provide a pleasing arrangement.

Its good to get back painting with the first one of the year, though I am still moving materials back to the studio and at the same time doing a bit of sorting out and culling as I go – it all takes time.

Well, on with the next one.

Other animal paintings are available on my website which is currently being upgraded: grahammcquadefineart.com

DINING OUT – PASTEL PAINTING

My last post was a pastel and after I completed it I started developing an abstract with them as I find pastel quick to get ideas down with. The abstract wasnt going too well, so I so, with the pastels, I started to play around with a study of some horses I saw on a walk in the Cotswolds we had last week. I liked the way they stood back to back allowing views from two different angles. The richness of the pastel really brought out the lustre of their coats.

Other animal paintings are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

BREAKING OUT – PASTEL PAINTING

I have been having more than the normal problems with painting recently particularly where I start a painting and abandon it or complete another version and come out with two paintings I am dissatisfied with. This one is a case in point. I had some images of a pack of Patagonian ponies squeezing through rocks and vegetation. I was taken by the forms of the horses as they tussled to progress  and I started a pastel painting of it. To make some narrative of the image I obtained  some pictures of  horses in motion. However the group of equine forms soon transformed into a brown indulgent mass  and  I abandoned the enterprise. However the  extra horses I had found had movement and strength about them and I decided to focus on these and here is the result. I still have a few reservations, but I do like the flow of the forms.

Other animal paintings for sale are available on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

HORSES IN THE SUNSHINE – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I suppose it was the early morning mistiness  and recession past the trees which interested me as much as the horses. This was done with three colours cad. red, cad. yellow and ultramarine and mixing a lot of them on the paper.

Other  landscapes are available on my website grahammcquadefineart.com

BREAKING FOR THE FINISHING POST – WATERCOLOUR PAINTING

I had a photo of Asian horsemen fighting over the carcass of a goat. The horses in the shot exuded power and dynamism so I took the leading one and entered it for a horserace adding other contestants from  photos of races to try to get the feel of thundering horses galloping past at close proximity.

Other paintings are on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com

I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA … WATERCOLOUR PAINTINGS

A couple of watercolours I did recently which I had high hopes for, but they fell a bit flat by the time I had finished. Both were contra-jour. The horses in the evening sun seemed to come out rather flat. The actual horses in the photo were in coats so I  took some images of horses from other photos and arranged them in the field  but perhaps I had  the  tones a bit wrong – being wary of overdarkening the horses. I felt the finished painting lacked a bit of punch.

The view from the canal seemed to finish up with a mass of reedbeds and rather little else going on.

Anyway – I tried. On with the next painting.

Better fare is to be found on my website: grahammcquadefineart.com