"Hilton Head Harley" Original Horse Oil Painting by Georgia Artist Cathy McIntire

"Harley", Oil on Gallery wrap canvas, 36"x36"
Currently at Watson Gallery

I had a chance to meet this gorgeous, friendly Clydesdale while I was in Hilton Head with some friends. There was a stable close to where we were staying, and we could see him and lots of his "friends" in the pasture every time we drove by. I took my camera one evening on the way to dinner, in hopes of getting pictures of the horses, but the owner of the stable waved us away saying it was closing time. I was pretty disappointed, as I didn't know if I would have another opportunity to get pictures.

On our way out of town we went by one more time and pretty much hit the jackpot. Well, sort of. I got several pictures of Harley, as well as some of his stablemates. My last blog post was about one of the small white ponies at the stable. I have more reference photos to work from, so I'll be painting more equine works in the next several weeks.

This is the reference photo I worked from:

I took out the white and made him solid. I hope he's okay with that...

I also altered the background, eliminating extraneous detail and adding color and texture to strengthen the visual impact of the subject, namely, Harley.

I've always loved horses. As a little girl I entered a contest to win a shetland pony. The picture in the magazine showed a gorgeous palomino colored pony with flowing mane and tail. I have to give my mom credit for letting me even enter. (I lost.) After I married, my husband gave me a quarter horse named Teaka. Yes, we kept her in the back yard. He built a fence and a stable for her. It was great to go into the kitchen in the morning for that first cup of coffee, and look out the kitchen window to see Teaka staring back.

Having Teaka gave me a chance to really study the physical structure of horses. I wasn't actively painting at the time, but I guess everything we learn gets stored for later use. Horses are truly beautiful animals, and Harley is amazing in that, at that size, he is so gentle, patient, and friendly to all who come to see him.

Demo Painting

Beyond The Horizon, 11"x14"

This fall I painted at the gallery as part of an art walk event. I'm a studio painter, meaning I'm not set up to paint on location anywhere other than my studio. I do happen to have a lightweight easel, so I took that. I emptied a rolling cart of drawers filled with acrylic paints and put in my needed oil paints and supplies to create an easily transferable taboret. I packed that, standing up, along with the easel and a TV tray, into my Element, using the easel as a wedge to keep the cart from falling over.

Since I knew I was going to do this I put a first layer of paint on a small 11"x14" canvas. I chose a landscape as subject matter because I've done so many I knew I wouldn't have to make any critical decisions about it while painting. I'm sure some painters do their best work while on location, but I get too focused on the activity of people around me (that's why I'm a studio painter).

I think of demonstration painting as more a teaching experience than productive painting time. I know folks want to see an artist paint because it is so interesting to see someone "do that". (So do I!) I answer a lot of questions, which I am happy to do.

What was most interesting to me about this demo experience was that I ended up very pleased with my painting. I thought I had gone too far with the lights in some of the grass colors, but once I got it home I decided it made a much more vibrant painting. The lightest grrass colors look more like the sun is shining brightly on them.

So, a painting I thought would be a dud ended up getting a hanging wire and a title.