I love feeling connected to the past. For a while I've wanted to paint the horses from the Paragon Carousel. They're beautifully carved, and well-maintained as a treasure of the beach town they inhabit. It's a nice touchpoint not only to local history but to my childhood, summer memories of riding the Flying Horses on Martha's Vineyard. After finishing a number of commissions for the holidays, I decided to dive in.
I'm working very slowly and deliberately, careful to watch values and form. Where first the block-in was pretty loose, color and shapes, now I'm in the more tedious stage of developing detailed forms and highlights to capture the smooth glossy finish of the horse. I hadn't set out to do such a representational rendering but it seems important to honor the craftsmanship and skill that went into creating these horses.
This one's going to be a longer work in progress. I have to shelve it soon to start another piece that I need finished in a few weeks, and I see it taking a long time to bring all the different areas to completion. An exercise in patience!
I'm working very slowly and deliberately, careful to watch values and form. Where first the block-in was pretty loose, color and shapes, now I'm in the more tedious stage of developing detailed forms and highlights to capture the smooth glossy finish of the horse. I hadn't set out to do such a representational rendering but it seems important to honor the craftsmanship and skill that went into creating these horses.
This one's going to be a longer work in progress. I have to shelve it soon to start another piece that I need finished in a few weeks, and I see it taking a long time to bring all the different areas to completion. An exercise in patience!