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Wow.  This is the last day of the 30 in 30 challenge so I returned to one of my favorite subjects.   What did I learn?  

1. Paint what you love...and know. This is so important.  If you don't know and love your subject you make too many very visible mistakes that people that do know your subject well will pick up immediately. If you want to paint horses, study them hard.  Be observant. Go to shows.  Go to the races.  Talk to people that paint them well. Its the same with any subject.

2. Don't put anything on the internet that you are not proud to show. I don't think I did myself any favors by putting some of the studies up that were pretty rough. A lot of people may not realize that they are not finished pieces but just thoughts scribbled onto paper to move an idea along to another stage.

3.   Don't feel you have to rush, like I often did, to get something up.  No one was holding a gun to my head but I felt like I had to produce a piece a day.  Who cared if I missed a day or two?  I did! I made the commitment and I wanted to fulfill  it.

4. Stay focused. Pick something to work on and keep at it. Subject doesn't matter but work on color, value or composition.

There are  many other things I could mention but I am going to save those for later to use on my blog which I started while doing this challenge.  I plan to continue to blog with a once or twice weekly posting.

Back to the Civil War. I said before I could paint off my images for a very long time. The saber fighting really caught my attention.  If it weren't for the guys having a great time and smiling while they were mock fighting it would have looked pretty real.  As usual, the horses were amazing -  getting right into the fight and seeming to enjoy it as much as the men. I think I may work this study into a painting

Saber Fight,  7 x 9, Mixed Media, NFS

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

Finally finished this one...I think. The fox may get more work after I turn it to the wall for a few weeks. This idea has stemmed from several experiences over the years.  I'm down feeding the horses and feel someone or something watching.  As I scan the edges of the field I spy a fox watching every move I make.  I can barely make them out they blend in so well with the shadows.  Basically they are hiding in plain sight.

Hiding in Plain Sight, 20 x 24, Oil on Panel   $1,200

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

This is another study I did for a Civil War piece that I didn't have time to work up to a completed painting.  Soldiers took care of their mounts.  They had to.  It was their transportation and often their life saver. 1,000,000 horses and mules were lost in the Civil War.  That is a lot of animals.  They suffered horrible conditions, bad food, if any, as well as battle injuries and yet they went until they couldn't go anymore.  If that wasn't enough, they provided food for starving troops. Actually, if you stop to think about it, where would we be throughout history without the horse?

This sketch is really about learning.  I found this photo on a Civil War site as I was doing research for a show that opens October 10 at Spindletop Hall in Lexington, KY.  Hosted by the American Academy of Equine Art, the show is titled Shades of Blue and Grey and its purpose is to show the horse during the Civil War. I got very excited when I heard about this show.  It made me think.  It made me go in a direction that I hadn't been before.  It challenged me. I went to reenactments - Richmond and Perryville at least twice each. I read on the internet. I have enough really good photos that I could paint the Civil War for years to come. I am still excited about this event.  I can't wait to see what other artists have come up with.

This sketch was  a learning piece. Trying a mixed media approach, I started with a watercolor base and strengthened lines with ink and then went to colored pencil.  I think I'll be doing more of this type of sketching.  I liked the process a lot.

Because this is taken off the internet and was done only for me to learn from it, it is not for sale. I wish I could remember where I found it so I could give the photographer credit.

This little painting is of the Paris, KY arboretum.  It is a lovely place to paint with great light which is exactly what attracted me to this scene. The coolness of everything in the foreground that lead to the incredibly bright green in the background just screamed paint me! I did this scene earlier in watercolor.  New to watercolor It didn't have the pizazz that the oils bring mostly because of inexperience with the medium. That is why I revised this.  I just needed to get that contrast of cool and warm, light and dark.

Who would have thought it is day 24 already!

Back to sheep. This was from the same farm as the earlier sheep piece.  This Mom had the most exhausted expression on her face  and the lamb was just bouncing around and suddenly had to eat. It reminded me how I felt so often as I was raising my three kids - complete exhaustion but meals still had to be cooked, laundry still had to be done and farm work also needed doing. All after the 8 hour full time job.

I think that's why I feel so lucky now...an empty nest, horses out back and I get to paint everyday.

Always Hungry, 8" x 10", Oil on panel,  $175

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

I have been working on this piece on and off for over a year.  When I purged my paintings as I was cleaning my studio I came across this one again and what was wrong hit me square in the middle of my forehead.  I love that! When you can't see the forest for the trees, the best thing to do is hide that piece so you can't look at it for months.  The answer always magically appears - whether it is a save or a throw away. 

Between Races, Oil on Panel, 11" x 14", $500

© 2014, Yvonne Todd

This summer I had the most amazing experience at a friend's farm of meeting Mama Fox and her brood of six adorable kits. Mama would come when called for the goodies that she knew were coming and so did the babies. This worried me a bit until I sneezed and no one appeared for at least a half an hour despite repeated calls. They were quite willing to eat hotdog but they were smart enough not to trust completely - particularly when that strange two legged person emitted an startling sneeze.

Mama hung out with a piece of old machinery in the field quite often.  I was told it was a blower of some sort and I will be painting all of it one of these days. I show Mama trotting past the machinery with a purpose in mind.  She barely looked to the left or right so it must have been pretty important.

The blue is again very prominent in the photo but not nearly so heavy in the actual painting.  I'll figure it out eventually.

Places to Go,  18" x 24",  oil on panel,  $1,400

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

James Gurney is an artist that writes a blog, Gurney Journey, that I just have to read each day. Many of you are familiar with his work from the Dinotopia books he has written and illustrated or maybe from the many illustrations he has done for National Geographic. He does great little videos of how he works and is so willing to share his knowledge. This pony is from one of his photos.  I chose to work from it to show my students a classic example of reflected light on the underside of a horse. 

From James Gurney, 6" x 8", oil on panel,  NFS

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

I missed a few days of the 30 in 30 challenge as I went to Cincinnati to help my daughter move into a new house. Wifi hadn't been turned on yet so the only way to post would be to go to a free internet cafe and I just didn't have time. Instead I painted my granddaughters room and packed and unpacked many boxes. I love their new house and the the high ceilings are wonderful.

The sound of water always draws me in. So does painting it. I like the challenge of making water look wet and alive. This particular creek is on a farm and was one of the most peaceful places to sit and contemplate life and painting.

I had trouble getting a decent image of this painting.  The blue in the shadows keeps jumping out much stronger than it is in reality.

Summer Creek, 11" by 14", Oil on Panel,  $600

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

Sometimes when I go to life drawing I have been early as I have been running errands and really can't go home because of the time so I drive out roads that I am unfamiliar with and just look at the beauty of the country side.  That's how I came upon this tree. I always have a sketch book in the car so I just pulled over and sketched the scene and took a couple of bad photos with my phone. I think it is interesting that I produce better paintings when working from a sketch rather than a photo. There is a lesson there I think.

Sycamore, 9" x 12", Oil on panel,  $475

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

Back to sheep.  This is the one that I was worried was going to be an epic fail. I like  the idea of a mama being a baby sitter for her lamb's buddies and I like the composition well enough to think this may make a larger piece in the future. 

These sheep were on a farm outside of Paris that was truly a magical place. The house was from the late 1700's or early 1800's which they had restored.  They found several grave stones off to one side of a field for several horses.  They incorporated them into a stone wall he built so they wouldn't be forgotten.  You have to love people that have such a relevance for the past.

Wow!  It is the midpoint of 30 in 30.  I have learned a lot in this 15 days about myself and my work as far as what direction I would like to take it.

This piece is a study of one of the horses that was in the $100,000 Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Horse Park.  I go every year to watch these very elegant riders and amazing horses jump beautiful fences. Watching these riders compete over an exacting course is inspiring to say the least. The handy round has me gasping at times when they cut corners and present their horse to a fence at what seems an impossible angle but the horses just take it in stride, like it was nothing. It is an excellent example of a working partnership.

5" x 7", oil on panel, NFS

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

Well, I was going to show another sheep painting today but right now it is in the epic fail category.  Hopefully I will be able to save it. So instead I am going to post another study.  This one is after another of my favorite artists, Sally Martin.  She has a freedom in her brush work that I admire greatly.  

7" x 5", oil on panel,  NFS

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

I was driving down a back road a couple of years ago and saw these lumps in a field.  It took a minute to realize that they were sheep badly in need of shearing.  I know nothing about sheep but these looked like they had missed one.  They were very matted and filthy. My study was too wet to correct the "dirtiness", or lack there of, which will have to occur later.  Nevertheless, I know what to do when I enlarge this.

A change of pace today.  Instead of a painting I am showing a scratchboard.  This  is such a fun medium - exacting and slow but that is what I like.  Also there is no clean up like there is with oil.  Just put down your knife and walk away.  No brushes or palette to clean. I also like it because you have to think differently from oil. With oil I think dark to light but with scratchboard I have to think the opposite.

Close Up, 6" x 6", scratchboard  $200

©2014  Yvonne Todd

Remembering the 9/11 events make me sad and mad.  As a result I frittered away most of the day and have resorted to another study of Jason Rich's horses. The day wasn't a total loss though as I got the drawing done for a commission so I can get going on that.

Jason Rich Study

8' x 10', oil on panel, NFS

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

Won't be getting a "new" piece done for today as I have so much mowing to get done so I decided to show a study I did of a couple of horse heads that I did after one of my favorite artists, Jason Rich. I just love everything about his work - color. brushwork, composition and the knowledge of his subject matter. So many artists try to paint subjects they have absolutely no experience with at all so they end up  making paintings that have serious mistakes in them. If you want to paint something you know nothing about do some homework. Go out and do some sketches and study the subject before you paint.

I only allowed myself 30 minutes per horse head if I remember correctly.  Why?  Because I tend to bog down in detail before I should. You have to get the basics down and correct first before you move on.

8 x 10, oil on panel, $75

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

Day nine and counting.  This has really been fun.   It gets me working first thing in the morning and has excited my desire to paint more.  What could be better.

8" x 6",  oil on panel  $150

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

Its been a week already! Time flies when you are having fun.

The outrider is a familiar sight at any racetrack leading the post parade, ponying horses in their warmup before the race and catching the occasional runaway or loose horse.  In the morning they stand next to the outer rail looking for trouble on the track. If the loose horse horn blows they leap into action.  They are constantly on the ready and their horses are quite amazing.  One outrider at Keeneland rode a stallion that he would get off in the tunnel to go get a water or visit the restroom and the horse never moved a muscle no matter how long he was gone.  So beautifully trained and liking his job. And the horses are great ambassadors of good will. Between races they congregate at the gap and there is always someone petting a horse.

This will very likely be redone in a larger format.  I like the L-shaped composition and there is room for interesting and colorful clouds.

6" x 8", oil on panel,  $150

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

Back to a favorite subject.  I never tire of watching foxes and I have been very lucky with people allowing me to sit for hours watching foxes play, sleep and just be foxes. It one of the most important things about painting.  Good field work. Observing you subject carefully and knowing your subject well. Should you do a painting and don't know your subject someone who does will be the first to notice something wrong.

6 x 8 oil on panel   $150

©2014  Yvonne Todd

Today's fox makes me feel better.  It is better than the dog from yesterday.  Why?  It makes me smile. This makes me remember the great times I have had this summer watching a fox family of 6 kits and a Momma Fox that comes when you call her. More importantly even though I spent about the same amount of time - about an hour - I feel like it is better painted. Though I started this endeavor thinking I was only going to spend an hour on each piece I think I will extend the time as I see fit.  What is the point of limiting your time if you produce inferior work?The purpose is to enjoy the process not pressure myself into painting in a hurry.

Making art is difficult.  If it weren't, then anyone who ever held a pencil would be an artist.  To be  honest, I am disappointed in this piece. Not because it is horrible, but because I didn't accomplish what I set out to do. I wanted to do a simple proportional study of warm and cool colors on this dog. After turning it to the wall and looking at it this morning I was not a happy camper.  So then the question becomes should you show your failures? Well yes and no. I am showing this because it is one of the 30 in 30 pieces and after only showing a sketch yesterday I felt compelled to show this even though it falls short of what I wanted. On the other hand, I won't sell a piece I am not happy with.

So did I learn something?  You bet.  And that is exactly why I am pushing to do this 30 in 30 challenge.

6 x 8 Oil on panel  NFS

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

Life is kind of getting in the way today as far as painting goes but I did get this sketch done this morning of one of my horses. One of the things I like most about drawing animals is that they always return to the same pose so if you don't get your sketch finished you just have to wait.  How pleasant is that?  Outside with you animal friends.  I can't think of a better way to spend some time.

6" x 9",  Graphite on paper

© 2014 Yvonne Todd

Day 3 of the 30 in 30 challenge.  I am really enjoying it. My goal of 30 studies will hopefully give me plenty to work from this winter when the snow is flying.

The raven is one of my favorite birds...they are so intelligent and are fascinating to watch.  I have painted this particular raven several times as well as drawn him in pen and ink which was accepted into the 3rd Strokes of Genius books and was also published in Southwest art.

The interesting thing about this bird is each time I draw or paint him I get something a little bit different - which is good.  I have been different each time I have done him. Your life changes and those influences make you paint differently. You can say it is an endless growth pattern. 

Raven  8 x 10 Oil on panel  $175

© 2014  Yvonne Todd

This old pump is in the back yard of the rental property on the front of my farm. I have always liked its shape and the wonderful delicate red flowers that come up around it each spring.  One of these days I will get a more ambitious painting of it.

8 x 6  oil on panel   $150

I have taken on the challenge from Leslie Saeta to do 30 paintings in 30 days. My goal is to paint these quickly to force myself to skip the details and get the basic information down in an hour or less. Plus, since I will be at my easel everyday it will only lead to more artwork - some good, some bad. But that's part of it. Once I get the brushes "dirty" I tend to just keep going. 

The other good thing about this is I have decided to show these in the form of a blog. Yes, I am late to this form of communication and I am certainly no writer but I don't care.  It is something new for me which means I am not stationary.  I am moving forward. 

6 x 8 oil on panel  $150