Studio Work, Winter 2011

This winter I decided to make a body of work using the visual vocabulary of the horse that I have acquired over the years in a fashion that would take me out of my usual habits and pursue a few ideas about process that I haven't had a chance while doing the 'plein air' thing.
Working towards a group show at Emerald Downs this summer I have found it a challenge to contain the size of my efforts to the allowable largest size in the show permitted of 48". 
I have discovered roller brushes and acrylic latex which has enabled to get me out of the habit of muscle memory.  I only wish I had more space.  Perhaps 100' long walls.  Wouldn't it be a gas to splash colorful horses all over?!

It's unfortunate that the process I'm using isn't more handy and I could use it 'en plein air'.  Maybe that is what I will try next?

This piece is 30x40,  I use Greek names to elevate the poetic substance of the piece.  It helps me to think of the horse out of my conventional context.  I used acrylic latex over a previous oil painting with heavy body.  There are some cool impasto layers that imprinted on the roller bushes and made tracks across the surface of the canvas.

  I later exploited this element and made stencils.  Truley establishing the vocabulary of images into a lexicon of visual vocabulary.  I actually have a box of stencils I can bring out anytime they fit.  I'm thinking stamps might be cool but the roller has done well as a stencil tool.

Jazzed, I used the roller directly and ran out of room on a 30x40 canvas so I got out a 18' roll of canvas but my wall was too short and I could only use 14'.  Guess I better find a bigger wall!

Unfortunately taking a photo of a large canvas in my cramped studio doesn't make for a very good representation.  Sorry.  I don't quite know where I will go with this piece and I wish I had spent some time doing an underpainting so maybe this one will go away and that will happen but it sure was fun!