Of the Earth

This series is an exploration of The Horse, focusing in greater detail specifically on their beautiful eyes and form....yet constraining myself to only using graphite and charcoal marks, and oils in earth-tones and blacks. By not allowing myself to also reach for the bright colors I typically incorporate in my paintings, I have learned a great deal as I work in this limited palette, in my quest to continue to study how to paint form and motion in different ways.

I am particularly grateful to a collector who came to visit me in my studio at a point in time when I had one of these pieces in flux on the easel. I had every intention of adding a full spectrum of color to the piece, but she insisted she loved it as it was, before much of the marks and strokes were covered with color. Her strong emotional response to that painting inspired me to stand back and intently study the line work and movement already in full play in the piece, and in its' softer earth-toned palette. I decided to finish the painting in its' altered state of marks, random brush strokes, and earth-tones, and to explore this series in greater depth. I believe that being a good listener, as well as learning to trust my own instincts, has helped me to grow immensely as an artist.