Elsie & Elsie

Two Elsie resins in the field.
The bay roan a commission, the grulla is for sale!
The journey in color began on both of these Sarah Mink "Elise" resins at just about the same time. One mare was being painted bay roan, while the other was being produced in a grulla. The nature of production on both these colors is based in glazing and both mares received many many coats of color by way of glazing techniques.

I was hoping to finish both around the same time so I could photograph the finished pieces together. In the final photos there is no mistaking the bay roan from the grulla.





This Elsie resin is FOR SALE
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More Cookie Art

More fortune cookie art this week. This one a donation to the "Art FUR All" Exhibition happening at the Mill Street Loft which is run by my good friend and fellow Pratt colleague Todd Poteet.
I thought it fitting for the mice to come out and play for this one. More information concerning this event and the sale of this donation to come on my Facebook page as I have more information.



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Restorations

My focus as of late has been on restorations. I enjoy fixing the show horses especially while Im at the shows and this Donna Chaney "Boxing Shire" came to me a bit worn from handling and showing. He had grown a bit yellow all around and a bit of sprucing up was needed.

I thought it might be interesting for some to see just what goes into restoring a leopard appy when they turn a bit yellow. Basically, the entire piece has to be repainted white and then details added back in. I only took a few shots of the process but I believe the viewer can get a good idea that it can be involved.

Once again, this horse is ready for the show ring.

First step, get the white areas bright.
Adding white with such a delicate pattern creates more work but
the first step is to just repaint all white areas.
Once the white is freshened up
the details can be slowly fixed.
Finished and ready for the show.

More

More finishes done in the studio. This time the finishes have been produced on a Sarah Mink "Elsie" resin (in bay roan) and a Brigitte Eberl "Mulette" resin (in dappled grey.) Both pieces took much longer than normal to paint because of the haring patterns, but I believe both created a good amount of challenge for me and I'm very pleased with how both turned out.

Both pieces have been produced using a variety of mixed media including: pigments, oils, acrylics and inks. Both pieces are also commissions and will not be for sale. My commission books, however, are open. If you'd like to work with me on a piece and have something specific in mind, please don't hesitate to contact me. (jenndanza@gmail.com)

Elsie resin in bay roan








Mulette resin in dappled grey

"In The Field IV - Protective Embrace"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylics on Archival Bristol Board.


"And so, at last, you sleep, in the circle of my arms
that push back the shadows so that you can rest-"

~Pablo Neruda

Live Sketching - Sadowski's Cafe, PA

More live sketching this weekend. This time at a small corner bar in a town about a 1/2 hour away from my studio. The St. Patrick's Day celebration was alive and well at the bar and there were many interesting people to draw. My favorite of the night was the band. In particular, I enjoyed trying to capture the lead singer. His hands and forearms were beautiful, both of which I botched terribly while drawing. It's back to the Bridgeman book and constructive anatomy lessons for me I'm afraid.

Here are the sketches from the night.

"The Wish"
Acrylic, Watercolor and Graphite on Archival Bristol.

Live Sketching: The Lighthouse Inn, PA

Saturday found me sketching once again at a dart tournament at a local bar. The bar was pretty seedy but the people to draw most interesting. I have found that I'm able to capture likenesses much quicker now and that is a relief. I struggled with this for a long time. Next sketching goal? Handle more full scenes and perspective.

Repair: Head

Custom who lost his head.
I've been offering repair at live model horse shows recently and it's been going over very well. Seems there is never a lack of repair that is needed on show horses.

This show horse came to me in sorry sad shape and he has been the worst repair Ive seen to date. But everything can pretty much be fixed if you have the right materials at hand. Such a repair is actually done with two simple items: Zap A Gap glue (its like Crazy Glue) and regular household baking soda.

The glue and baking soda come together and form a very strong bond. The rest of the repair is just lots of sanding and matching paint, which is always the fun part.

Glue, baking soda and lots of sanding help put
the head back on the body seamlessly.
Gesso repaired area to help see areas that need
more sanding or repair.
Paint using acrylics, oils and pastels to match color.
Finished and ready to go back in the show ring.

"The Kite II"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylics on Archival Bristol.

Live Sketching- Bankos

Tonight I enjoyed good company, good food (amazing crab cakes!), good drinks and good sketching at a local bar. Although I promised myself I'd sketch full scenes I just couldn't resist jotting down only the faces once I started. My favorite from the night was the guy with stash!

Here are sketches from the night.













This looks nothing like
the guy but it developed good line quality.