Posts Tagged ‘abstract
Which Color?
One of the number one questions I always get is – do you let the pony pick the colors?
Most of the time, no, because lets be honest – we’d have millions of paintings that were apple green and carrot orange. 🙂 In actuality, Minnow has no problem choosing paint colors, but really there is no rhyme or reason to what he chooses – and honestly he’d much rather be wielding the brush anyway. So the task of paint color selection usually falls upon my shoulders.
Choosing paint colors is not an easy task. Sometimes I mull for hours over the right shade of blue to paint a canvas. A lot of times I doubt my color selection all together – which ironically these sometimes turn out the best in the end. Sometimes where we are painting influences my choice of colors.
When painting on Chincoteague during the summers we gravitate towards bright island colors and ocean hues. When painting at home on the farm in the fall we sometimes have deep reds and rich brown tones.
In the beginning of our painting adventure I gravitated a lot towards browns and earthy tones, now I much prefer the bright and vibrant colors. Ultimately color preference is in the eye of the beholder and there really is no right or wrong answer. However, sometimes I just can’t help but feel “stuck” when it comes time to fill the boy’s brushes with paint.
But while browsing through Pinterest the other day (which by the way this is by far my new favorite website – you can follow us here), I came across the mecca of color selection websites, Design Seed.
With millions of color pallets I’m suddenly inspired to provide the boys with a whole new arsenal of paint colors this year. It’s also a wonderful selection tool if you just can’t decide what colors for your custom pony painting.
Now if the 20 degree weather would just disappear so we could get back to painting!
Painting in the Winter
Typically during the cold winters here in PA we don’t get to paint much. The temperatures drop to record lows making the paint freeze and it nearly impossible for the ponies to put their brushes to canvas. But, sometimes we luck out and get a day that isn’t too unbearable and that’s just what happened yesterday. With temperatures in the mid 40’s on Sunday, Minnow was so ecstatic when he saw me lugging his easel out of storage.
We dusted off the brushes and Minnow set to work creating a bunch of mini paintings to bring with us to the Horse World Expo this February.
Minnow has no problem letting the creative brush strokes flow in the winter, in fact he’d paint everyday and all day if I let him.
No, instead what sets the schedule for our winter painting sessions are my hands. We paint as long as I can bare it before my fingers feel like I might be getting frostbite.
In the end I’m happy to let my wonderful little pony wield his magical brush so that I get to see his finest creations.
And sometimes the “aftermath” is just as beautiful too.
And as if my approval of Minnow’s beautiful work weren’t enough – he always seems to draw his own little fan club when he paints…
You can check out Minnow’s new mini paintings in the shop!
Painting, Laughter, and Dachshunds
On Monday we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL day and broke out the paints.
Minnow was really excited (if you can’t tell by the look on his face).
Even Ammo enjoys our “painting days”, especially since he always gets to be designated cheerio clean-up dog.
Minnow painted two amazing paintings, one of which I fell in love with and decided to add to my personal collection.
- “Fluttering By” by Chincoteague Minnow
- “From the Mountain to the Sea” by Chincoteague Minnow (personal collection)
Of course I couldn’t leave out Minnow’s brothers, Blitz and Boomer, when it came time to paint.
Blitz had a blast throwing around the paint this time, and got in touch with the messier side of his artistic creativity.
I think his newest painting really reflected his “messy artist” mood that day.
- “Chincoteague Waves” by Chesapeake Lightning (Blitz)
And after patently waiting his turn at the easel Boomerang was ready for some fun.
Boomer is definitely the goofball of the bunch – always making paintings filled with laughter.
His smile is always contagious.
- “Dancing Feathers” by Chesapeake Boomerang (Boomer)
After 4 plus hours each of the ponies had had their turn at the easel.
As per usual, by the end of the day everyone was covered in paint, including me.
Check out all of the ponies’ available paintings in their SHOP.
April 11th Paintings!
On April 11th the ponies got to work on some new paintings. I regret it taking me this long to get them up on the blog!
It turned out to be another gorgeous day – the perfect kind of day for painting. This time I made sure to have time for all three of the boys to paint.
Minnow painted several new mini paintings to be sold in the shop as well as two new canvases.
"Purple Haze" by Chincoteague Minnow
I can picture the purple haze of an evening sunset washing over Assateague Island, where Minnow was born 18 years ago. This painting has a peaceful calmness about it, and I bet Minnow was remembering his days on the island when he painted this.
Purchase this painting in the shop.
"Magical Shooting Stars" by Chincoteague Minnow
The burst of gold streaks across the night sky as a shooting star passes overhead. It lights up the darkness as Minnow and his Chincoteague Pony brothers stand grazing in the pasture. The ponies close their eyes and make a wish on this magic shooting star, a wish for more carrots and a mountain of grass. Because after all, isn’t that what any pony would wish for?
Purchase this painting in the shop.
Next up to paint was Boomerang. I really regret not having the video camera set up for his painting session because he had me laughing the entire time. See, the most recent trick that I’ve taught Boomer was to smile. Sometimes when the ponies learn new tricks they have it on the brain, meaning they begin to offer it a lot because they are sure that’s what I want them to do.
So when I handed Boomer his paintbrush dripping with paint, he began to try and paint WHILE smiling. Only smiling and holding a paintbrush in your mouth is easier said than done. Needless to say his painting technique was a little less than organized, but I couldn’t help but laugh at his silly antics.
So since Boomer was having a little difficulty containing his excitement at the thought of painting, I decided to let his big brother Blitz finish up the canvas he had started. Sort of a collaborative effort. I also wanted to make sure all the boys had time to paint before it started to get too dark.
It always amazes me when the boys paint – how differently each of them approaches it. Blitz learned to paint by watching Minnow out his stall door. Minnow truly was his teacher, I was and am merely the “tool” they use to get their paint. But even though Minnow has taught Blitz to paint, their styles are so drastically different.
I consider Minnow to be more of a “Jackson Pollock” style painter. In every sense he’s an action painter. Paint flies all over, one minute he’s stroking the brush up and down and the next he’s swirling it around on the canvas. You never know what to expect when Minnow puts his brush to canvas.
Now Blitz, he’s what I would call an OCD painter. He picks up the brush, eyes half closed, and meticulously strokes the brush in a sweeping up and down motion – on one section of the canvas only. Try to take the brush from him mid-stroke and he won’t have it. He’s not ready for more paint until he’s satisfied with the number of strokes he’s made. His whole process is very methodical, almost like he’s painting a fence.
Blitz added his own “fence painting style” strokes to the canvas Boomerang started and they produced this really neat collaborative painting…..
"Ocean Blue" by Chesapeake Boomerang & Chesapeake Lightning
Boomer and Blitz may not have grown up on Assateague Island like their ancestors, but that doesn’t stop them from dreaming of the deep blue ocean. It floats around in their thoughts, a longing to dip their hooves into the salty waves as they crash along the beach. Perhaps someday they will get to experience the ocean, but until then all they can do is paint what is in their dreams.
Purchase this painting in the shop.
And of course, Ammo the Dachshund was there to clean up the mess after a beautiful day of painting.
