Another Western piece

Learning the Ropes

14" X 18"

Original Oil

Here is another western piece I am bringing with me to the San Dimas Western show opening April 29th. What I found interesting about creating this piece is the fun contrast between the abstract muddy ground and the detail of the near horse, ropes, and chaps. I have some tight and loose painting in Branding Day (see earlier blog), but I exaggerated the difference in paint treatment in this piece. Pushing the color in the shadowed side of the calf to include some rich purples led to some interesting color mixing.

Someone recently asked me what medium I use. I don't use a medium. The Rembrandt oil paints I use are buttery enough to move really nicely when applied to my gessoed board. Also the lack of medium keeps the colors vibrant.