The Birth of a Pegasus

"Hotshot"
Custom featuring Lonesome Glory head on a Halla body.
I used the head and chucked the body. I need the body now.

Take one phone call from a woman in Hawaii who found my number (for some unknown reason) in a magazine there and was looking for a special gift for her granddaughter, add the discarded lonesome glory body, plus some wings and you have the birth of a pegasus.

A Lonesome Glory body and a Rejoice head.

Drilling holes for the wings.

Adding the head and wings using Zap a Gap glue.

Its a huge wing span.

Blocking in epoxy for the neck.

...more to come.

Happy Events

"Happy Event"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylics on Mixed Media paper.

Speaking of happy events, one very happy event that occurred in the studio was that my blog was featured this past Tuesday on my local television station, WBRE! I was most honored to be featured on their show PA LIVE! If you are curious you can catch the episode here:

WBRE's PA LIVE!

(Thank you to Harold Jenkins for suggesting my blog be featured for the segment.)

Complimentary Color Glazes

Before the oil glazes.
She looks nice but I want her color to really intensify.

"When complimentary colors are in motion so that they weave in and out or across each other's paths upon the field of vision, then the contrasts between them are intensified far beyond what occurs when the colors are stationary."

~Walter Sargent
"The Enjoyment and Use of Color"

Adding complimentary colors to your canvas (flat or 3-d) is one of the simplest and most effective methods that can be used in order to make the colors appear richer and more vibrant.

Place the color (in this instance a purple because the horse has "orange" hues to it) in areas you wish to intensify. A glazing method is my preferred method of application because I like to have the base color show through the complimentary color. The glaze allows the base to show through slightly. I placed the lighter purple inside the "dapple" and the darker purple around the "dapple" to achieve more intensity. Glazing took several hours, but the effect is much more intense than what was originally presented.

Purple colors mixed on a white palette.

Light purple right in the dapple.

Adding a darker color around the dapple and
then slightly blending all together.

Purples were also added to the face to help
intensify the color and bring out details.

What transpired after a few hours of glazing.

Finishes

My goal this weekend was to bring both Mini Cromwells to finish and photograph them. One of the best parts about the finishes is being able to look back at how they both started out. (Both pieces are commissions.)

Mini Cromwells in the foreground with first layers of paint.

Beneficial Breaks

"The Twister" coaster at Knobles. Very beneficial to
refueling creative energies!

Sometimes it's important to put aside the work in the studio and go and do something completely different from the normal routine because it adds interest and ultimately feeds creative fires. Some days it's honestly important to do NO art work and just have fun because getting away from art and being creative is actually very beneficial to the creative process.

Today, I did just that; I left my paint, my drawings and my model horses behind to enjoy a day riding coasters and other rides at Knobles Amusement Park with my baby brother. The time away from the studio has actually rejuvenated me and a few issues I was having with one piece seem to be smaller now that I've had time away from thinking about the problem. Of course I really just had a ton of fun today. Pure simple fun feeds creative fires and keeps them fresh so don't feel badly if you feel the need to drop everything and just have fun. Its your brain's way of telling you it needs time away from you. lol

Me and my baby brother.

Carousel Horse at the museum in the park.
One of my favorite carousel horses of ALL time.
I'm completely inspired to paint a black horse now. Got one you
want painted black? Email me: jenndanza@gmail.com

Graphite, watercolor and acrylics on watercolor paper

Glazing Part II

Three pieces with a few first layers on.

Earlier I started to discuss glazing techniques and how awful the first layers on a piece sometimes look but how necessary adding strange colors can be on certain pieces.

This Arab mare definitely looked strange the last time I shared her photos, but slowly, with more layers, she's taken on a much more subdued look. All those strange colors under her current coat actually help to make the color more rich and vibrant. Those strange colors also help set the stage for the dappling that the owner has requested on this piece.

At the very end of the page you can see how many layers of glaze and detailing have brought the dappled grey Mini Cromwell to life. If you compare that photo with the very first photo you can see how things do make sense in the end even if they look confusing in the beginning.

Mini Arab mare getting a layer of shocking orange.

Further layers added create a completely different look.

Prepping oil color for dappling.
Yes, back to the shocking orange color.

Light dapples on the body.

Mini Cromwell resin after glazing and detailing work.

Happy Father's Day

Landscape
Graphite and watercolor on mixed media paper.

"Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, story-tellers, singers of song." ~Pam Brown

To my hero who rescues me every time no matter how silly the situation, my adventurer, story-teller (of great "aliens visiting Honeypot") and the greatest singer of song my ears have or will ever hear. Happy Father's Day

<3 <3 <3 <3

Live Sketching: The Casino

More live sketching. This time at Moheghan Sun at Pocono Downs. I was very fascinated with profiles and necks.



















My favorite from the entire session.

God Box Take II

Plain box purchased at a craft store.

I could not let this issue of the failed God Box go. A few days after this project crashed and burned I found myself purchasing much needed art supplies at a local art store and found, to my delight, a ton of premade wooden boxes. The one with the carved flowers caught my eye almost immediately and I felt it would make the perfect "God Box" and so upon purchasing it I began to paint it in my head.

The first thing that came to my head was black marble. I had to paint it to resemble a black marble box. It's much better than the other two boxes I struggled with and I'm very happy with the color combinations. The colors are actually fueling my ideas with a piece of furniture that waits to be finished.


Using painter's blue tape to protect the
flowered area from black paint.

Marble technique painted on the box.

I extended the marble treatment to the
inside of the box as well.

Staining the carved wooden piece.

The finish.

"Afternoon Nap"
Graphite, watercolor and acrylics on Strathmore