Wild Mustangs

   After completing such a complicated painting (see Buon Cibo, Buon Vino), it is a bit refreshing to move to this straightforward composition. A simple design can seem deceptively easy. But, with few distractions from the main focus, everything is more exposed.

   I started with the sky. This I thought would be the easy part. After mixing several colors, I applied the paint carefully, not too heavy so it felt "airy" in places. The background mountains were painted next. A darker, richer sunset color was placed next to the mountains. It was then I realized the sky was just not the right color. The next morning I grabbed the palette knife and scraped off as much sky paint as I could. Not an auspicious beginning.

   However, I found I could take parts of the peachy color I had mixed the day before and add naples yellow to achieve more of what I wanted. With the bits of wet paint still in streaks on the board, this new color became what I envisioned. Next to the mountains I left a sliver of the dark peachy/red color which will tie the background to the horse.

I've blocked in the ground color with lighter peachy areas which will be the base for sunlit sections. To offset the left side darker area of the ground, the right bottom edge will be in shadow.

Before continuing on the ground, I will complete the horse. This is one of the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustangs. These horses are descendants of the first horses brought to America by the Spanish.