Tag Archives: limited palette

Warming Up


We can’t complain about the weather here in Southern Ontario right now – after our first real snow last week, we’ve had some very spring-like weather lately. Two of the commissions I’ve been working on are complete – one is all framed and I will take it to the post office tomorrow; the other we’re looking at framing options. My next portrait is an oil pastel, and it’s been like visiting old friends to go back to that medium!

I was determined to paint something today, and it was this evening before I got to it. I’ve decided, crazy though I might be, to do another Thirty Horses, Thirty Days in April, so consider this one a warm-up of sorts. This is an 8 x 10 oil on canvas, using my old faithful limited palette of ultramarine blue, burnt umber, cadmium red medium, titanium white and a touch of yellow ochre. The subject is a very pretty filly named Van Lear Rose, Canada’s champion two-year old filly in 2008.

On a sad note, I learned today that an old “friend” died. Millie was an older Thoroughbred broodmare, and actully my Monster’s “aunt” – she was a half-sister to Monster’s sire, Tejabo. I actually did a painting of Millie and one of her foals a few years ago, which I called “Signs of Spring.” I worked with many of Millie’s babies during the time I worked at the farm she called home. She was a very pretty, sweet mare. Long may she run.

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

With Time to Spare!


Well, okay, so I settled for just a quick study in oil on canvas, using a very limited palette of Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue and Unbleached Titanium, but I got *something* done for the pARTy, and well, I painted for the first time in a week in a half, which was good. Also put 180 bales of hay in the barn, got straw, did my usual quota of stalls…and so on, and so on…

I had to come back to edit this post to add, thanks to Kim Santini for the reference image this time around! Here we make sure all the pARTy participants acknowledge our photographer, and I go and forget!! :-P

I also took some pics of the ‘kids.’ Just one for now – remember little Leo? Well our boy is almost five months old now. Vroooom! I’ll try and post some more in the next few days. For now, I’m off to carry on with the rest of what I need to get done before I sleep!!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Thirty Days!


Is it the end of April already? One thing about being busy, time really flies by. What a difference this Thirty Days compared with the first one in November – I felt like things just improved in leaps and bounds. I guess painting 25 new paintings will do that. I’m kind of sad that I can’t just carry on – but it does really mean a schedule adjustment for me, and I need to do some catching up on the big paintings. Won’t be long until I do it again though – June is the next month that fits the criteria!

This is 5 x 7 oil on masonite panel, limited palette, prepared with the marble dust and gesso. Another sleepy baby, napping in the sun to wrap up a month of growing, and growing up!

Tomorrow I’ve got a bit of a surprise – or maybe not a surprise, if you follow me on Twitter. There’s going to be a bonus horse painting to celebrate Kentucky Derby week. Trust me, you won’t want to miss it! It’s going to be fun. So I’ll see you tomorrow, right?

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Muse vs. Muse: The Faceoff!


I was reminded today that I hadn’t painted Monster yet this month, and she might be mad about that! Somehow I’m not sure my choice of reference photos is going to make her happy. The shot was actually from a couple of years ago, and I’ve already painted a few of the images from the same shoot. The other horse is Gladys, aka “Gladzilla.” Gladys is big and athletic and flashy, and I’ve done quite a few paintings of her as well, though nowhere near as many as I’ve done of Monster. Still, Gladys has worked her way up to the number two muse around here, and I’ve always seen this image as the two of them facing off. Of course both of them better watch out, because Gracie has the potential to oust both of them!

This is 5 x 7 oil on Raphael linen panel, and my only deviation from the limited palette was a bit of Naples Yellow, and some of the leftover green mixture from yesterday.

Monster prides herself in being a mentor of sorts, though she’s kind of an advocate of the school of hard knocks (like her life has been tough, or something!). In addition to her responsibilities here on the farm with Gladys and Jubie, she’s been mentoring a young Holsteiner filly named Tia. This is her first attempt to work with someone other than a Thoroughbred, and I’m not sure how that’s going to work out! Tia’s adventures growing up are being documented on the Big Filly Adventures Blog. It’s well worth a look, and has inspired a new venture by artist and Tia-scribe Lise LeBlanc which can be seen on her website. It appears Monster has been remiss in her duties, so I might have to have a little chat with her! Or maybe it’s time to let Tia know Monster isn’t always the best mare to take advice from! So much to do, so little time, eh Monster?

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Working It


Well, finally you get to see Jubie’s whole face. She knows how to use it, stretching her neck out and skewing her features to give you the look that normally results in her getting a treat. Jubie’s stall is next to Gracie’s, and it’s kind of funny watching the two of them vie for whatever might be in my pocket. It usually works, too. Can you say, spoiled? While I’ll take full responsibility for Gracie, Jubie learned her manipulation techniques at the track.

This is 8 x 6 oil on Raymar cotton canvas panel, limited palette. The reference photo was taken by my friend and web designer.

I was up early today to send one of the mares off to be bred, so I think I’m about ready to call it a day! Tomorrow I’ll be featuring another guest blogger, so I’ll see you then!

And thanks to those who piped up and made their guesses on Friday’s painting! Sometimes I guess whining works! If only I had a face like Jubie’s I know I’d have it made…

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Learning to Be


I had to laugh at myself yesterday – I had a “day off” of sorts, thanks to my guest blogger, but I was antsy…so I’m going to admit I actually started this painting yesterday. I probably should have worked on one of my non-daily paintings, but as some changes Monday made Tuesday the busier day, I decided to be on the safe side and start drawing out this new one.

This is 8 x 10, oil on masonite, with my usual limited palette. The panel was only very faintly tinted, and I was really surprised how much of a difference that made! As is often the case, this isn’t a great photo because the paint is still wet, but even still, I think you’ll probably see how strong the colours are. Seems my Cadmium Red decided it wanted a leading role. I actually decided I would post an in-progress photo on Twitter to see what kind of feedback I got and when it was positive, I thought I would just go with it. Of course those helpful commenters aren’t seeing the painting first hand….yeah…it’s bright! Oh well…nothing wrong with some colour! All I can think is how now I have to clean my brushes, and Cad Red, being a strong colour, is going to be a bit reluctant to come out!

Oh, the “story”….this is Gracie, last summer, with her mom, Twine. I love watching the foals grow up, and it’s always cool to see them start the reciprocal grooming. All part of learning to be a horse! And if you’ve ever spent any time with foals, you’ll know that if you scratch them on the withers, they’ll try to return the favour!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Day 19: The View From Here


So today’s painting is another one that had me laughing much of the time I was working on it. I was looking through a friend’s photos on Flickr the other day and came across this one. I’d obviously seen it before, as I’d commented on it! I emailed her and asked if I could paint it. She kindly said yes (though there was some bribery involved) so here’s the result! This is Bear, a big, good-looking Thoroughbred gelding who was a decent event horse in his day. I met him when I visited my friend in New Jersey last September, and he is a very handsome boy!

This is 5 x 7 oil on masonite. I did deviate from the limited palette to get the greens, using some Terra Verte straight out of the tube as my starting point, and there’s some Naples Yellow in this too, in addition to the usual colours.

Part of why I was laughing as I painted this was that it could very well be my own Monster, with that silly expression. Have I painted a Monster painting yet this month? I don’t think I have. Well, I’d better do something about that! Almost two-thirds of the way through!

Tomorrow it’s time for another guest blogger, so make sure you check in! Thanks for stopping by.

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Another Saturday Afternoon (not) at the Races


Three weeks in a row now I’ve been able to watch a few of the Saturday afternoon races from Woodbine on Sun TV. I guess that wouldn’t seem like a big deal to those of you out there with satellite, but we still have old-fashioned TV at our house! And, once again I’ve done a racehorse painting. This chestnut Thoroughbred was leaving the paddock for one of the races last Labour Day.

This painting is 8 x 10 oil on masonite, and I stuck to the limited palette again. I’ve been wondering why all of a sudden I’m having trouble working on masonite, and I think I’ve figured it out. My studio is in the basement, and when it’s cold, I have a heater on. With the warmer weather, the heater doesn’t need to kick in, and the air down here must be a little damper. That means my initial layers don’t dry as quickly as I’m expecting them to, and it’s causing me problems! Guess that means I’d better get the dehumidifier out, and hopefully that will help!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Houston says, no problem…


Another non-Thoroughbred today. This is Houston, who was rescued from a pretty horrible fate, and is now owned by a friend of mine. This is 5 x 7 oil on masonite, with the limited palette again. I have to admit there are days, dealing with these sometimes goofy Thoroughbreds that I’d like to just hang out with a laid-back guy like Houston here!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Stretch!


Well, it looks as if we’re at the halfway point of this month’s project! Hope I’ll be forgiven for painting another foal. It is April, after all, so it’s kind of appropriate! And don’t forget the growing/growing up theme for the month.

This is a 7 x 5 oil on Raymar panel, using the limited palette. It was interesting (well…not always the exact word I had in mind as I worked!) to see how much I had to re-adapt to this surface, after using it for many of my paintings in November. I had planned to order a bunch more of these – in fact I did order them, only to find out the shipping charges were a lot more than I wanted to spend this time. So instead I went local and bought a bunch of masonite panels (have I groaned lately about how much I dislike prepping panels?). Oh well, better to Shop Canadian anyway, right?

I’ll keep it short tonight. I know I’ve fallen off listing some of these on Etsy, so I’m going to go do that with this one right now. Have a look around while you’re there!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Gracie, Gracie, Gracie!


I thought I might have to play a wildcard today, they way my day was going. Fitting in a painting was going to be a challenge. I did the drawing on the canvas after coming in for some breakfast, then had to take a horse to Mohawk for some x-rays, then run those x-rays up to our friendly neighbourhood surgeons. Then of course there were stalls to do, horses to juggle, and a Studio Tour meeting tonight. I got a bit more work done between finishing stalls and feeding, then when I got home from the meeting, had something to eat, and started painting again! The great thing about doing a painting every day like this is that it does a lot for one’s confidence, and almost halfway through the month now, I’ve hit a reasonable stride. That’s not to say I might not fall flat on my face one day soon!

Today’s painting is 7 x 5 oil on canvas, and our model is one of my favourites, one of the yearlings, Miss Gracie! I didn’t really have the time to do her justice last week, so this, at least, is a better effort. I’m back to the limited palette, which is bound to look a little bland after Donna’s great colour yesterday!

Tomorrow is another busy horse day, as everybody is due for trims, but at least I don’t have any meetings to go to. I spent last night prepping panels, which is not my favourite pastime, but I’m running low on surfaces to paint on! I have contemplated the walls…a mural might be nice!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Saturday at the Races


I’d kind of hoped to get to the races today…how I think that’s possible right now, I don’t know! Fortunately Sun TV was once again showing some races from Woodbine, so I was happy. I decided to do another racehorse painting, which is a challenge for this daily painting thing because racing paintings tend to be a bit complex. So this is what I went with.

My reference photo was from Queen’s Plate Day last year, and this is a crop of an already close-cropped photo I took in the walking ring of the winner, Not Bourbon. By cropping it I didn’t have to deal with hands and shanks and the bit, that sort of thing! I still need to do a racing painting of last year’s Plate. This year is the 150th running, and that fact has my brain working a bit. I’m sure you’ll hear more about that eventually.

I decided to treat myself and use a Raphael linen panel for this. It’s still just 5 x 7, but the surface is just so amazing to paint on. I also threw the limited palette out for this one. Yes, this is what an artist does for fun….

Just for *more* fun I’m going to add a photo of the new kid and Clever. I think a video of what came before this would be more entertaining. This colt is following in his half-brother Billy’s footsteps when it comes to being caught – it’s a bit of a rodeo, hence the smile! He was a bit better today than yesterday, at least!

Time to go clean brushes…hope you’ll check in again tomorrow!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

The New Kid in Town


Well, I decided not to waste any time painting the new guy. Something about sleeping babies, they’re always so sweet. This is another little 5 x 7 oil on masonite panel done with the limited palette. I do envy the way foals power nap. That skill would come in handy, I think!

The little guy got to go outside for the first time today. Clever sticks pretty close to her kids, especially early on like this, so it was hard to get very good photos of him. I’ll attach one so you can see just how long those legs are! I’m sure I’ll get better pics in future.

I’m going to list this little painting in the Etsy store, so hop on over there if you’re interested. Tomorrow I have another guest blogger for you, as taking Gladys on her road trip will dominate my day. Make sure you stop by to check that out!

Thanks again for following along!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Day Seven: Can’t Help Myself…


Foals are always popular…and I always love painting them, so here we have another baby. Maybe it’s really just wishful thinking on my part, as I still wait for Clever to foal. At least now she’s looking like it will be in the next couple of days! Leo agreed to stand in again in the meantime. I know I’ve slacked off the last few days on my theme songs, but for this one it would have to be Ben Folds’ Lullabye…”Good night, good night, sweet baby…”

This is 5 x 7, oil on masonite panel using the limited palette again. Painting low light settings is always a challenge and normally the reference photos for such paintings is dark and somewhat grainy…but it’s kind of fun to see what you can pull out of them…at least when it works out!

I won’t be listing this guy on Etsy, at least not right away…I need to let him sit for a few days and contemplate his future. I am happy to report that the little painting of Billy will be going to Belgium! I know he’ll have a very good home there, so that bit of news made my day. Maybe I could send the colt, too, for a few months?

Hope to see everybody again tomorrow! In the meantime, everybody think happy foaling thoughts for Clever! What do you think, colt or filly?

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Day Five: Billy Blues


Today’s model is Billy, who has made an appearance a few times on this blog! Billy has grown quite a bit since the last time I painted him, as a weanling. He’s a yearling now, so it’s probably not time best time to ask me if he’s actually grown *up*! Yearling…Thoroughbred…colt…it’s really all about fighting that growing up, I think!

This little painting is 5 x 7 oil on masonite, once again with the limited palette. He can have such a sweet eye, Billy, and hopefully I captured it here.

Seeing as I wrote a bonus post yesterday (c’mon…wild turkeys???) I’ll keep this short. It was a glorious spring day today, but apparently winter is coming back tomorrow. I, for one, will be in denial about that for as long as I possibly can!

Thanks for checking in! See you tomorrow! And yes, you can check my Etsy store for Billy here if you’d like him to come live with you. Well…for the painting…I don’t think I could offer free shipping on the colt! Not to mention what his owners might say!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Day One: So Tired, Tired of Waiting…


So, here we go, are you ready? I decided that the first day’s painting would be of Clever, who is expecting her third foal…due, last Friday! As setting due dates for horses is somewhat of an arbitrary thing, I’m not worried – as of today she is 340 days which is still well within normal. And I’m not really all that tired of waiting…yet!

This oil painting is about 12 x 8.5 inches on unstretched canvas. I toned the canvas with a good layer of Burnt Sienna, and then used the palette I experimented with last night. It’s very simple: Ivory Black, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Red Medium and Titanium White. I know I was struggling with it last night, but I actually ended up being happy with the result. And I think Clever suits the theme of this month very well, as that belly is growing every day!

I’m going to list some of these oil studies for sale in my Etsy Store as I finish them. I’ll keep them there for a short period of time at “give the poor fatigued artist a day off from mucking out” prices…that just means the ones I sell there will be priced at about what it costs me to hire someone to come do my stalls for a day! Consider it a charitable donation as well as an investment! Check the store a bit later if you’re interested in today’s study.

Thanks for checking in…see you tomorrow!

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

Growing, or Growing Up?


So many horses, so little time…that’s kind of how I’m feeling, as I head into my next 30Horses, 30Days. This time around there will be a bit of a twist, because of that time factor – each Monday I’m going to have a guest artist/blogger, and I’m also reserving the right to be a little creative with fufiling my horse-a-day obligation for one other day. As much as I’d like to complete 3o new paintings this coming month, I have to be realistic. It’s breeding season, and I’m still waiting on Clever, so my schedule is ruled by the broodmares right now. Add to that one little thing I forgot when I made the decision to do this again – that being it’s tax season – and I’m going to have to keep hopping to get everything done that needs doing. And I thought it was going to be simpler this time around, as I’m not attempting to write 50,000 words of fiction! Right…

While I’ve not officially signed up for NaBloPoMo this time around, I will be making daily blog posts, and the NaBlo theme for April fits quite nicely with my project. It’s “Growing(Up).” Fundamentally, this temporarily dive into daily painting is for me about trying to grow as an artist…and growing up, well, with all the horses I have around at various life stages, I can find lots of inspiration to fit.

Tonight I guess I was psyching myself up. I’d considered trying out a new palette this time around, so I did a a bit of homework tonight. The credit for this palette is given to Anders Zorn – after looking at his paintings I wanted to try it for myself. Well, after tonight, I’m not so sure it’s a good idea! I’ll need some work if I’m going to find those colours! I did a quick colour chart, and a very quick little 4 x 4 painting…maybe it was a bit too much to ask, deviating from both my palette and preferred subject matter. Oh well! It’s all part of the experience, I guess.


(No, you’re not seeing things….that is supposed to be a human being! But I promise I’m back to horses tomorrow!)

©Copyright 2009 by Linda Shantz. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit her website.

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