Painting at EPCOT

International Flower and Garden Festival

Fitting that I would be assigned the United Kingdom with my English/Irish ancestry. Smashing!

I loved every minute. The architecture inspired me. Interacting with the guests as I painted was pure pleasure. Most of us artists never miss an opportunity to yak up our inspiration and technique to anyone who'll listen. Children provided special delight with their inquisitive questions and comments. Kids today? Smart far beyond years. I was so impressed with their intense study of my works in progress and resultant thoughtful remarks.

My foray into plein air painting caught the eye of one Mom who requested that daughter be a quick study included into this street scene. A special gift for Dad. I answered yes of course, and painting was sold.

Same for painting below except it was Mom's friend and accompanying daughter.

The results were new friends visiting from New Jersey. Thank you for making my day so extraordinary!

I'm honored to have been invited to this prestigious event. The generosity of everyone involved was amazing. The EPCOT staff was absolutely incredible and wonderful to work with. I think I behaved myself and hope to be invited back next year...

"Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language." - Walt Disney

Painting at Epcot

Studio painter I am.

So it was with great curiosity that I considered an invitation from Florida landscape painter extraordinaire Linda Blondheim. She organizes a group of painters to ply their craft at Walt Disney World's International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. After assuring me there's plenty of architecture for subject, I decided what the heck. You see, I don't care to paint landscapes; i.e. trees, bushes, grass, etc. There's all that green and miles of branches and gazillions of leaves, blades of grass and on and on and on. How to edit all that bramble? I'll gladly leave it to the specialists. Therefore, you'll find me in jolly ol' United Kingdom painting castles. Perhaps I can improvise a knight in shining armour aboard a mighty steed. March 26th - 28th.

In other news: here's my latest painting:

"Water Training" oil on panel, 20" x 16"

It's tight, a bit stiff, but I'm quite happy with the lighting and water effects. More info on the piece here: Water Training

"It seemed to me that it was possible to translate light, forms, and character using nothing but color, without recourse to values." - Pierre Bonnard

After the Extreme Cold

Fast and wide, the Oklawaha River put on an extraordinary show today. Our very wet "dry season" combined with an unprecedented cold winter created conditions of rarity and delight.


The water was incredibly high and the current swift.

And oh, the alligators! The critters were out in numbers as the air finally warmed above the water temperature.

Most were timid, however, as if the extreme cold had left them feeling vulnerable. Even the usually congenial turtles who adore striking a pose would have nothing of our stalking canoe. Snakes were not to be seen and I searched for them in earnest. Most likely still sleeping away the deep chill.

Only the big guns allowed approach and even they slid into the watery depths as we neared. Nervous was the atmosphere.

Next month will mark the beginning of breeding season and caution will be the operative word. The gators will become territorial and hold their ground making even a seasoned reptile lover such as myself hesitate. But today I was queen of the river!

“I have an underwater camera just in case I crash my car into a river, and at the last minute I see a photo opportunity of a fish that I have never seen.” - Mitch Hedberg

P.S. As we returned to Gore's Landing, a big fish suddenly propelled itself high out of the water towards me - barely missing the canoe. For a micro-second, in mid-air, our eyes met with astonishment and our mouths went agape. It was the heart-pounding moment of the afternoon.

Un-reliance

We artists can sometimes get lazy. Relying too much on photographic reference, our paintings can conjure a feeling of artifice. They stiffen and fall flat. Feel contrived. Overly orchestrated.

To avoid the bland, I turn to drawing from scratch. I love to draw and wonder why I don't sketch more often. Other artist's drawings intrigue me. Drawing can illustrate line, direction, speed, chains of bodies in space, ovoids, nuance, milieu, tenor - okay, so I'm sounding like my art history professor and you get the point.

In an attempt to express the dynamic:


I considered foreshortening the front leg. In a large canvas this could be effective, on this small panel I decided it would look awkward.

"Lively Wave" oil on panel, 14"x11"

Fun exercise. It ended up with a slightly Asian feel. Like it? Make me an offer...

“When you do dance, I wish you a wave o' the sea, that you might ever do nothing but that” - William Shakespeare

OBS Pics

Another cold and windy day here in Ocala, Florida. Here's a few pics from yesterday's OBS Day at the Races and this morning out at the Select Two-Year-Old Sale.

See? See the crowd when we're not over saturated with racing? Okay, so we only have live racing one day a year and due to the economy, some prime sponsors had to rescind leaving us with a mere four races. But the entire county (it seemed) savored every hoofbeat.



It was great to see all the horse people I so dearly miss. In talking with the curious while ever-promoting my downtown studio/gallery, it was quite sad to admit I'm not painting horse racing scenes. And this is a horse racing blog. Boo-hoo. Gotta make a living, kids and diversification is the key to survival. Take a moment to read this article featured in our local Ocala Style Magazine: We're in for Lean Times. Says lots with honesty and some viable optimism.

"I'll be back." – The Terminator

Splish Splash

Ever go riding into water? Be prepared to get wet.

Most horses love water and are excellent swimmers. They stomp, play, blow bubbles and find great joy in splashing themselves and everyone else in their vicinity. Some will attempt to drop and roll with rider still aboard.

"Splashing" oil on canvas, 18" x 30"

Now I'm hooked on painting water even if it is just a big puddle. Working on this piece brought back memories of my childhood: summer trail rides ending in the pond, bareback, fistful of mane, blissful, madly in love with my mighty pony. Even this group of formal equestrians acknowledge the bliss of horse + water.

“There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.” - Deepak Chopra

Notes from First "Coffee & Conversation"

The inaugural "Coffee & Conversation" was an assured hit. We hosted a friendly group of curious adventure seekers who turned out to listen to Lucy Beebe Tobias talk about her book "50 Great Walks in Florida". Coffee aroma wafted throughout the gallery as we all viewed a continuous slide show and chatted with Lucy about all manner of exploring Florida.

The ambiance was laid back and relaxed, just as we wanted it to be. After all, it's about savoring a good walk, not hiking.

I learned about geocaching. Nine hundred something in Ocala alone. GPS required. Intriguing.

Clearly enjoying the discussion, Lucy entertained us with stories, anecdotes, history and told great snake and alligator tales. You know she had MY attention.

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Coffee & Conversation

Still need to shed those extra holiday pounds? You know, walking is the best exercise.


Saturday, January 23rd from 4:00 to 6:00pm, Lucy Beebe Tobias will give a presentation at Voilart! Gallery + Studio. It's free, just make a reservation to hold your seat. She'll discuss five walks she considers apropos to art lovers from her fabulous book: "50 Great Walks in Florida."

Lucy's talk will be the first in a new monthly event: "Coffee & Conversation" that partner Jackie Schindehette and I are hosting to feature artists, writers, poets, musicians and any other talent we think you'll find interesting. Six months of fascinating people are already booked, so do stay tuned.

Coffee & Conversation
featuring Lucy Beebe Tobias: "50 Great Walks in Florida"
Saturday, January 23rd, 4:00-6:00 pm
Voilart! Gallery + Studio
108 E. Fort King St.
Ocala, Florida 34471

January Musings

Hey, all I'm gonna say is: it'll take a lot of babies at $5000. a pop to cover $16,000,000.


That would be "The Green Monkey" of course. Looks good, doesn't he? My good friend, professional photographer extraordinaire Joe DiOrio shot this portrait just last weekend as well as a bunch of primo photos for a local Ocala farm. Check them out here. Love all the grays - reminds me of something cavalry.

Back to The Green Monkey: we won't be seeing those astronomical figures again anytime soon. I wandered over to the OBS Winter Mixed Sale this morning and picked up a hard copy of the Jan. 16th Bloodhorse. Very positive and affirmative article about "What's Working in Racing" especially after two years of doom and gloom. Refreshing insight. And all I listened to at OBS from my friends and acquaintances was doom and...right. I propose a shift in attitude. I've said all along that the biz will recover with a vengeance and emerge like a phoenix. The market corrections are at hand.

Here's a latest painting. How do you inject "dynamism" into the gentile world of hunter/jumper?

"Smooth Sailing" oil on canvas, 30" x 18"

And it's actually quite dynamic. Must feel like you've been vaulted onto the third floor balcony when sailing over those seven foot jumps.

“Dick Cheney and I do not want this nation to be in a recession. We want anybody who can find work to be able to find work.” - George W. Bush

*NOTE: for those of you who comment on this blog, I've had to re-instate word verification for awhile. The spam robots are attacking me daily.

I Survived Oh-Nine!

My previous m.o. was to look back over the year to applaud myself for accomplishments and follow that boasting with a list of goals for the upcoming year. Not necessary to rehash the extreme challenges of '09 for most of us so I will just announce that...I persevered and I'm still a self-supporting full-time painter. Thankfully. Gratefully. Everyone is aware of the economic impact on the arts and individual artists in particular who create what is considered luxury goods for buyers with disposable income. As an equine artist, I endured a double whammy as a result of the recession. I never do anything in a small way.

Amazingly, many people are not aware of the enormity of the horse industry and what far-reaching effect it's downturn imposes on those not only directly involved with horses but also the hundreds of thousands of connected manufacturers, businesses, vendors, and suppliers of equine products and those who provide related services. It's huge. Vast, in fact.

Rather than making the expensive trek to Saratoga last summer, I invested in Voilart! Studio and Gallery in a storefront in downtown Ocala. It provides street cred and access to a very interested public. A smart decision and venture with lots of potential. I'm excited. My partner Jackie Schindehette and I have ambitious plans: guest lecturers, book readings, demos, workshops, classes, etc. It's my shining accomplishment. Yay for me!

Goals for the coming year? No pressure this year but rather an embrace of a collective sense of optimism. I will honor myself as a artist who can endure, shift gears as necessary and always, always show up on time with primo goods. I'm addicted to the relentless chase for excellence. Horse racing is permanently embedded in my DNA and I affirm the best realignments and ongoing adjustments within the industry.

I pay attention.

"Babush"

"After 5000 years of recorded human history, you wonder, What part of 2,000,000 sunrises doesn't a pessimist understand?" - Robert Brault