Our 2023 Brochure Cover: Painted Horse at Sunrise

Not all paintings are created the same way. Some just jump on to the canvas, some are produced methodically, some begin one way and end up another, and every once in awhile, a painting just doesn't work. That's the way Painted Horse at Sunrise began. 

This was always going to be a piece from my imagination, so the dramatic red sky went on the canvas first. So far, so good. I had wanted to paint wildlife in a mountain setting but every animal I chose ended up a smear on the canvas after I wiped it away. Nothing worked. My confidence cratered. Finally, I made one more attempt and left it for the night. The next morning — ugh. It was awful. Since I tend to paint somewhat "impasto" with layers of thick paint, and, since acrylic dries quickly, I now had texture and patterns I didn't particularly want on the canvas. Toss it? Gesso over it? I decided to give it one more try. I added the mountains, repainted the hillside, stared at it awhile and decided to fall back on one of my favorite subjects — the horse. A paint horse, I thought. Wait —  A PAINTED HORSE!  Finally, the project became fun and less of a candidate for the rubbish bin. When the horse itself was done, I added the prickly pears and the elongated shadow. The gentle undulations of the Sandias went on the canvas as "suggestions" and I finally had a painting I was pleased with. But it was almost "the one that got away."