Half & Half

The painting today is of a beautiful ovaro Paint. The horse is wild, living on the plains. I met John, the photographer of the reference photo, on the Flickr website. John is known as calljohn1 on Flickr and his photos are worthy of an afternoon viewing. John was raised on a Pennsylvania farm and moved to Oregon in the early 70's. His love of photography and horses led him to following and photographing, the wild horse herds in Oregon, California and Nevada. Meeting John and seeing his photos made for, "A Painting Day".

"Half & Half", 6x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

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Megan

It is Friday and painting this little study was a fun way to finish the week. The painting is, Megan, my friend and neighbor's horse, just down the road. I enjoyed moving the paint around and hope to paint a larger work from this study. Megan is a special mare and painting her portrait, made for, "A Painting Day".

"Megan", 6x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Dario

I have been posting a lot of horse paintings and thought I would post a favorite painting of a Golden Lab dog, Dario. I will be adding to my canine collection as time goes by. Dario was one of my first dog portrait paintings. I fell in love with his warm color and his caring eyes. The painting went to Santa Fe for a show at Galerie Esteban, in Santa Fe. He found a home opening night. Painting Dario made for, "A Painting Day".

"Dario", 10x10-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre sold

LAS HERMANAS #1

Here is the final painting for the Las Hermanas triptych. It has been an adventure working on the three works, Las Hermanas #1, #2 and #3, all lined up on my easel, so all stops and starts meet and greet one another. I am happy to say the piece is finished, framed and on it way for a showing in Montana. Let us hope it finds a happy home in the wilds of the "Big Sky" state. I am happy that "Las Hermanas" made for "A Painting Day".

"Las Hermanas #1", 9x9-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre
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Ranch Woman

I am totally baring my soul with this painting. I really would like to do a series of "Ranch Women" paintings. Ranch woman have a certain spirit that comes from owning land, tending children and family and working the ranch. To paint these women, would be an amazing painting challenge. I am not a figurative painter but have decided to start thinking about what goes on with a figure and start studying how to paint a figure. The painting today is one of a ranch woman I found in Missouri. She was testing a new horse and she knew that it was not the right horse for her but it was a sweet thing and it was so hard to say, no, to the sale. There are soft hearts involved in the picking of the right horse but you know you have to find the "one", because it will be with you for a long time. Yes, the painting is an attempt to paint a self portrait. I guess we can say this is the baseline and hopefully each new Ranch Woman painting will get better as the paint goes down. Thinking about the Ranch Woman challenge made for, "A Painting Day".

"Ranch Woman, 6x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre
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Bay View

My "Eye of the Horse" project continues with today's painting, "Bay View". Every horse owner has a favorite horse breed and in most cases they have a color of a horse that is a favorite. The dark brown of a Bay horse is a favorite of mine. I enjoyed painting "Bay View" and it was, "A Painting Day".

"Bay View", 6x8-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Roseta

Las Hermanas #1 is still in progress so I thought I would post a painting sketch I did of Roseta. This little one is a sweetie. She also reminded me of another story about Baja California, Mexico, while I lived there some years ago. We did not have an alarm clock in Baja, because we really did not need one. Every morning, like it or not, the roaming hobbled donkeys would serenade the locals out of their peaceful sleep. I really never got used to it but did enjoy seeing the herd of donkeys as they went from ranch to ranch. Hearing the donkeys, just outside my window, made for, "A Painting Day".

"Roseta", 6x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Las Hermanas #2

This is painting, "Las Hermanas #2" of the triptych in progress. When painting, you have time to reflect and memories come flooding in at times. As I said yesterday, my time in Baja California, Mexico came to my mind. With no running water and no electricity on our ranch we had a small reservoir and a generator. Many of our neighbors did not have these luxuries and would go to the river each day for water. The horses on the surrounding ranches would be herded down the dirt road to the river twice a day for water. It was quite a sight to see the horses as they past our ranch and the dust they stirred was enormous. There was a rhythm of the day to day life in Baja. The memories came back to me to make, "A Painting Day".

"Las Hermanas #2", 9x9-inches, o/c

Las Hermanas #3

The painting today is one of a triptych in progress It is called "Las Hermanas", The Sisters. I am starting with #3, a big grey-roan mare. While painting this mare, it reminded me of times my husband and I had on our ranch in Baja California, Mexico. We grew flowers for the wholesale flower market, on our ranch in Baja and would go down to the ranch and spend several days at a time outside the village like town. The only language spoken was, Spanish and there was only one phone in town, that everyone paid to use. A very enterprising indivdual had a good business in the phone business. I will tell you more of the story when I post Las Hermanas #2 and #1. Living in Baja made for, "A Painting Day".

"Las Hermanas #3",9x9-inches, o/c

Bison

If you love Montana, you will love Ivan Doig's writings about life in Montana. I have read several of Mr. Doig's books and plan to read all that he has written. He writes of the settling of Montana and the buffalo that roamed the range during that time. The more I have read, the more I have wanted to paint the American icon, The Buffalo. The painting today is the first of my buffalo paintings. Look for more to follow. Reading books by Ivan Doig made for , "A Painting Day" file:///Users/Ruth/Desktop/www.ivandoig.com:.webloc

"Bison" 9x12-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Pasture Mates

A few posts back, I introduced Prince & Isabelle. Here they are once again. They are pasture mates and obviously good friends. Prince appears to be taking a quiet moment, while Isabelle keeps a watchful eye. The kinship of Prince & Isabelle made for, "A Painting Day".

"Pasture Mates" 12x12-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Reference Photo by Anne Louise MacDonald file:///Users/Ruth/Desktop/www.hugahorsefarm.com.webloc

Dreamer

The painting today of Doc may show the combination of Juliet's reference photo, my brushwork and Doc's kind way, the best of the three works. This is my favorite painting of the three Doc sketch studies. Enjoy the painting and enjoy Juliet's main photo website, file:///Users/Ruth/Desktop/www.lechevalthehorse.com:.webloc Getting to know Juliet and her work has made for, "A Painting Day".

"Dreamer", 8x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Juliet's Boy

Today, I am posting the second painting of Juliet's horse, Doc. I have had fun painting Doc. He has such distinctive dark eyes and the warm brown coat of a Buckskin. Juliet has photographed Doc many times along with many other horses over the years. If you would like to see more of Juliet's work, follow this link file:///Users/Ruth/Desktop/http-::www.blurb.com:bookstore:detail:592164.webloc to see a preview of her book, "White Horses". Turning the pages of Juliet's book, made for, "A Painting Day".

"Spirit", 6x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre
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Quiet Moment

The painting today is, Doc, a very special horse in the life of Juliet Harrison. Some years ago, I was lucky enough to meet Juliet through the Equine Art Association. Juliet is a most interesting person. She is a horse lover, artist, author and photographer. There is much to say about Juliet and if you go to this site, http://www.escapeintolife.com/interviews/white-horses-juliet-r-harrison , you will be intrigued with Juliet's story about her life and her life's work,horses, art and photography. Meeting Juliet and seeing her horse, Doc, made for, "A Painting Day".

"Quiet Moment", 6x6-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre-Sold

Art Lesson & Burro

Today I am posting a little burro painting. The reference photo was found for Brittany, a visitor, who wanted an art lesson. It was a cold morning and the studio heater had not kicked in, so Brittany and I are bundled up for the lesson. Brittany made an impressive drawing and in the photo, you can see, we are working on getting the first thin wash of paint on her canvas. I hope to work with Brittany again. She has an artistic flair and a willingness to learn. Brittany's wish made for, "A Painting Day".

"Burro", 3.75x3.75-inches, o/c, by Ruth Andre-Sold
Art Lesson-Brittany & Ruth, Photo credit, Lili Kaiser
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Mystery

This is a painting I did awhile back but want to share it with you. It is a painting of one of my mares, Mystery. Mystery is a most sensible horse and knows more about what to do out on the trail, than most riders. She is a Missouri Foxtrotter with a smooth gait and sweet disposition. On the way to a trail ride in the Ozark area of Missouri, I missed the turn off to meet the other riders and ended up on a back road with no turn around area and a fallen tree down on the road. It was not the best place to be and I knew I had to saddle up and ride out to get help! The wind was howling, branches were falling from trees but Mystery stayed her good sensible self and we rode a few miles to a phone. I called my good friend and riding pal, Jim. After I got the work over for getting my truck and trailer stuck in the woods of the Ozarks, Jim came to the rescue. It is times like these you know the reason you pick good horses and good friends. I did not leave that day without another bawling out from Jim, but he saved the day and will always be my friend. Mystery is a good friend as well and having her in my life made for, "A Painting Day".

"Mystery", 60x40-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre

Baby Face

A local rancher has a branding-day in the spring and invites his friends to join in on the work and play. This little white face Herford calf had gone through the line and must of been wondering, what was that all about? This little one had such a sweet face and he made for, "A Painting Day".

"Baby Face", 8x10-inches, o/c, by Ruth Andre

Baby Elk

Babies, no matter the species, are pretty much all adorable. This painting, Baby Elk, is a heavy dose of sweetness. He caught my eye. He looks to be a puff of fluff with big brown eyes. Seeing the baby elk in the wilds, made for, "A Painting Day".

"Baby Elk", 14x14-inches, o/c, by Ruth Andre sold

Wild Sorrel

The wild sorrel horse painting is another alla prima oil sketch. I am really testing myself to paint and finish a painting in one session. The reference photo was taken on Assateague Island by photographer, R. Mejia. R. Mejia says, the horses run free on the island and love to stand in the surf, taking in the ocean breeze. Seeing this beautiful horse made for, "A Painting Day".

"Red Sorrel", 6x6-inches, o/c, by Ruth Andre

Pretty Boy

Pretty Boy is a local horse, living with two beautiful mares. I guess we could say, he is also a happy boy. Pretty Boy is a Quarter Horse gelding and is a favorite model of mine. This painting was a sketch-alla prima-wet paint over wet paint, painted in one session. Sketching with a brush made for, "A Painting Day".

"Pretty Boy", 6x8-inches, o/c, by Ruth Andre

Bella

This little painting of Bella, the Raven, was my first attempt to paint a bird. These little creatures are very fine and are unique from eye to beak, along with the color of their feathers. Painting a new animal takes a lot of concentration. It is like looking at something brand new, never seen before, once the brushes start moving. I like little Bella and she made a wondeful model for, "A Painting Day".

"Bella", 5x5-inches, o/c by Ruth Andre SOLD