Andalusian Charge!
Posted May 30, 2008
Does this Andalusian stallion look like he charging onward and upward? His brilliant white silhouette is surrounded by a tapestry of color. What was going to be a high key oil painting with very pale colors seemed to have a mind of its own....with more and more rich colors being incorporated into the design every time I worked on it. I do like the drama!
This painting will join 15 other Andalusian paintings as I load my car next week and head down to the Fiesta Midwest at Roberts Arena in Wilmington, Ohio. I checked the fiestamidwest.com website this morning and the schedule posted online is full of fun! (It takes a while for the schedule to load at the bottom of the page... wait for it!)
Luckily my husband has agreed to go along and work in my booth so I can be in and out -- out taking photos of Andalusians when I'm not in my booth. I love talking to people in my booth, but it can get claustrophobic to spend hours on end in a 10x10 booth! Especially when there will be 90 Andalusians just a few yards away looking so beautiful!
I hope you're able to "Charge" on down to the Fiesta Midwest! Stop and see me if you do! I promise to be in my booth at least some of the time!
posted by Karen Brenner
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Three on Three
Posted May 26, 2008
Basketball isn't the only sport with 3-on-3 competitions. At the Camargo Hunter trials, my favorite class to watch was the one with three horses jumping together over the jumping course. It was delightful.... And it was the theme of my earlier painting, Girls Just Want to Have Fun. These same three competitors are pictured in my newest painting, Three on Three.
You'll see this painting has a little different style for me... a bit less representational. There are a couple other paintings coming along in my studio which I hope to continue experimenting with this new style.
What to do you think of this looser style?
posted by Karen Brenner
2 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Karen,
I like the looser painterly feel of this new piece. Hope you will be doing more of these!! I am looking forward to seeing where you are going with this!! --
Kathi
Love your paintings. Couldn't help but share these photos I took of a foal frolicking in a pasture this weekend. http://kotybear.blogspot.com
- Kinsey
Horse Sculptress
Posted May 21, 2008
One comment about my YouTube video (Equine Artist Karen Brenner Takes on an Apprentice) was that my Quarter Horse DJ should try his hand (teeth?) at sculpting instead of painting. That made me more appreciative of my mare Sorpresa, who is already a diligent sculptress! (And I had never acknowledged her artistic talent!)
Below I've posted some photos of Sorpresa's sculpture work.
 
And, she is so multi-talented, I would be negligent if I did not also send an example of her cosmetology talent. A few winters ago she cleverly bobbed all three Quarter Horses' tails to an extremely short new look. This past winter, she'd only chewed (or should I say "styled") DJ's before we put hot red pepper powder mixed with baby oil on the others to cur-tail her zeal.
Here's Sopresa's tail trim job on DJ's tail from this fall. It's grown out a bit....
If you missed DJ's apprenticeship, click here to go to YouTube and see the video.
Artistic talent lurks everywhere!
posted by Karen Brenner
1 Comment -- Click here to add your comment
Now that is truly finding the silver lining. :)
Lynda
Dappled Beauty
Posted May 18, 2008
Yes, it's Andalusian Mania part 3 -- my third Spanish horse painting completed this month! Beware - there is one more almost done! How many Andalusian paintings will I be able to fit in my car to take to the Fiesta Midwest in June???? I won't know until I load them up.... I have a new display stand, which is going to take up considerably more space in the vehicle. I just hope I can still fit in ANY paintings!
Why the new stand? My old stand takes two people and one battery operated drill/screw driver a solid three solid to put up. It's made from 2"x2"s and is quite complex. And it looks very nice when up. But it fell over on it's last outing -- when I decided I would NEVER do another show.
But then I learned about the Andalusian show -- Fiesta Midwest. And, if you didn't already know, I love, love, love Andalusians. And, even not counting this month's four new Andy paintings, have lots of others already painted. So.... I got a new display stand. And signed up for the show! In its test run, it only took me one hour to put up the new stand in my family room!
Hope to see you at the Fiesta! Here is a link to the Fiesta Midwest website to learn even more!
And here's a link to some of the other Andalusian paintings I hope to fit in my car!
posted by Karen Brenner
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Can This Quarter Horse Learn to Paint?
Posted May 17, 2008
Last summer, after watching a YouTube video of a horse painting a picture, I decided to see if DJ, my smartest Quarter Horse (yes, that's him pictured above with a little dirt on his face and a clover leaf stuck between his teeth), could learn to paint. I recruited my husband Will to record the lesson with my digital camera. Well, I finally had time to learn how to take the files and create a YouTube video!
Click here to go to YouTube and see the video.
posted by Karen Brenner
6 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
DJ should stick with his day job of bossing the mares around. - Becky
Maybe DJ should try sculpture instead of painting. - Travis
DJ looks so cute painting! He tries so hard! - Sharon
What a great video! I particularly like the hats. ;-)
Harmony,
Janet
I love the YouTube video! That was really cute, especially the end "credits!" How's Will coming along with that barn-painting? :-)
Holly
With a little more practice, I see a Rembrandt in the making. - greyhorsematers
Hereje Again!
Posted May 15, 2008
Yes, I did just say in my blog just five days ago that Hereje is the most photographic horse I've ever met! I cannot resist this beautiful Andalusian stallion! Here he is again in my newest painting. Come see this painting --and lots more-- in person at the Fiesta Midwest in Wilmington, Ohio, next month. Details are below in the May 10 post.
posted by Karen Brenner
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Four in the Fog -- a Fun Photo!
Posted May 14, 2008
I got lost in the fantastic thick fog that filled our horse pasture yesterday morning.... Well, lost in the sense that time ceased to exist. And I could not bear to leave the field... I love taking photos in the fog. I couldn't drag myself away. I tried. I would turn and walk toward the fence, I could not make it! I'd have to turn back toward the horses shoot more photos. That's how I just happened to see the photo above appear before my very eyes! I was about to head for the house (for the fifth or sixth time) and turned and saw how the horses on the hill were almost hovering over top the closer horses. I took the shot below and waited and watched.
. . . and then the shot posted at the beginning of this blog just happened! CLICK!
Did you notice? Two horses on top of two other horses! What a fun photo!
Here are a few more of my fog shots.
Which one do you like best?
posted by Karen Brenner
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I like the third from the bottom the best. - Ashley
Calling all Andalusian Lovers to the Fiesta Midwest!
Posted May 10, 2008
Ever since I saw the token Andalusian at a Lipizzan performance, I've been in love with the breed. So noble, so regal, so beautiful! And now there is going to be an event to celebrate the Andalusian breed right here in Ohio!!!!! I'm counting the days! It's called Fiesta Midwest and will be June 5-7 at Roberts Arena in Wilmington, Ohio. There are going to confirmation and performance classes for the Pure Spanish Horses, and classes for humans about the breed standards, selecting Spanish tack and clipping your horse to look its best! They will be Andalusians from all over the Midwest for you to see and you might just end up buying one!
And I will be there with my paintings! Yes my booth will be one of many highlights!
I've been busily painting some new Andalusian pictures to take along. The first one appears at the top of today's blog. That's Hereje, a stallion from Herradura Andalusians in Denton, Texas. Herradura ranch is one of MY "Seven Wonders of the World," and Hereje is the most photogenic horse I've ever met. Click here to visit the Herradura website and see photos of their amazing stallions -- you can even watch videos of the stallions in action if you desire!
But I digress.... back to the Fiesta .....
Another Fiesta Midwest highlight (besides my artwork) will be the Friday night exhibition and dinner. This party will feature authentic Mexican and Spanish food and Flamenco dancers plus riding demonstrations including one by Laura Amandis and her majestic Andalusian stallion Acierto. Tickets are required for the special Friday night performance and dinner. They are $25 and need to be reserved by May 30. Reserve yours by emailing info@FiestaMidwest.com.
I've posted the Fiesta Midwest press release on my website for an easy reference. Also, here is a link to the official Fiesta Midwest website to learn even more!
Hope to see you at the Fiesta!
posted by Karen Brenner
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Too Sleepy to Paint
Posted May 5, 2008
When you read the title for today's blog, if you know me personally you probably think it's all about me! But it's not! Too Sleepy to Paint is a horse's name! In fact it is the first of the Beautiful Horses of Michigan "model horses" that I got to meet and photograph. Jenny plans to be driving home from the Pinto World Champion Show in Oklahoma when I plan to be in her neck of the woods in Michigan, so she came up with the brilliant idea of asking me if I lived close to Ashland, Ohio, where she was competing in a show this past weekend. Well, YES, I live very close to Ashland! So I drove over and took photos of Too Sleepy to Paint, aka "Justin," yesterday.
What a beautiful horse!
Jenny told me Justin had won the Halter Championship at the show on Saturday. One glance at this 17hh plus horse, and you realize those five judges who unanimously agreed on his award had had an easy decision to make! What a beautiful horse. Oh, did I already say that? Oops!
Well, you need to see for yourself; my photographs don't do him justice. But here are some anyway. I love the ones where he's looks a bit drowsy -- 'cause of his name. It's partially because he competed in many classes over the weekend, but also because his pretty blue eyes are a bit sensitive to bright sunlight.
Jenny told me Justin likes getting his picture taken!
What a beautiful horse!
Justin looking a bit sleepy.
Watch for Justin's painting which I'll be working on this summer. I'll post it on my blog -- and in the Beautiful Horses of Michigan section of my website -- when it is completed.
Click here to learn more about my Beautiful Horses of Michigan project.
posted by Karen Brenner
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Tete-a-Tete -- Horse Communication
Posted May 4, 2008
I love to watch horses silently communicating with each other. These two horses, waiting calmly as their riders watch the proceedings at the Camargo Hunt Club hunter trials, have a quiet tete-a-tete. This is my latest painting, "Tete-to-Tete."
Much of my horses' body language is clearly horse-to-horse communication. From a simple ear movement, a quick thrust of the chin or clamped down tail to a slow backing with a swift buck -- all are part of the language of horses. As I watch from a back window of the house DJ, the Alpha horse, has Sorpresa, the wanna-be Alpha horse, practicing her caprioles, I wonder if I could get some tips from him. He has her doing much better moves than I seem to be able to achieve via human-to-horse communication.
posted by Karen Brenner
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Gorgeous! -- Linda-The Mane Point
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