Oct 22 2007
Horse Bells
Horse Bells, 30″ wide by 40″ high, is a departure from the floral series of paintings. These old bells hung in the Diamond J barn and attracted the my eye. I had taken Gerry Mooney, a photographer, to the ranch to host a photography workshop. During the workshop I saw the bells and shot them for future reference. Gerry then used them as a backdrop for a portrait and also photographed them separately. Actually, after I found the bells, everyone photographed them!
The advantage to using brushes and paints instead of a camera is the ability to omit unneeded elements cluttering the composition while refining color placements and the lines of the composition.
I really found painting this strong composition most enjoyable. Weaving the multi-colored ropes in and out of the shadows created depth and richness in the painting while offsetting the the more subdued tones in the painting. After the deadline forced intensity of doing dozens of floral paintings for my most recent book, I was ready to paint a different category of subject!
This original painting is available at RiverStone Gallery, a contemporary western art gallery. To give as a gift or to enjoy for yourself, see the giclee prints of this painting.