Open Studio Days

I am going to save my current WIP portraits for another day and instead show you today some recent photos of Open Studio days at my art studio in Canton.  I am located on the second floor of a beautiful art gallery Second April Art Galerie.  Just walking thru the gallery to my space is a treat as I get to see the new art that comes in.  I often do my shopping there for gifts rather than spend money on things at the mall or walmart since I hate shopping at places like that.  The lighting and piped in music gives me a headache!  Why not support local artists? At the gallery they carry a wide range of orignal art in all price points.  Last Christmas I bought some little pottery pieces for my kids to give to teachers.  I think I paid 5.00 dollars for them and they were wonderful!  I mention that so you know you don't have to be a millionaire to support local artists.

My goals for Open Studio Days are two fold.  One I am wanting to get used to using my space as a working studio.  I do most of my painting at home but I think it is interesting to go into working studios.  I love seeing the paint and art materials and the works in progress.  I think it makes it more interesting and accessible and inviting when people feel apart of the creation of art.  I believe we are all artists at heart so I love to encourage this feeling of accessiblity.

Second  Reason:  To give people a reason to keep coming back.  We get large crowds of people into the gallery during First Fridays.  I am wanting to invite people to come back when its not so crowded.  You can browse, talk, linger... isn't that what art is for?   And its just good business sense to develop this kind of a relationship with the community.  I love the face to face interaction.  I also want people to know as artists we are not stuffy and exclusive... we are not wildly expensive... we are working with our hands and creating art to be enjoyed by all.  Anyone who knows me knows I am as far from stuffy as one can get!  :) 

I love being a part of the art community that has a wide range of styles and mediums too - from the pottery I mentioned above to large abstract paintings to tiny little intricate pen and ink to chunky wood pieces to sleek metal to digital art to exquisitie oil paintings.  I get inspired when I see the variety of people's creativity and in a way helps me to keep focused on what I want to do.  I see what others do and then I feel freed up to zone in on what I do with my art~ life~ ideas since being creative doesn't only apply to artwork.       

So please feel free to stop by during gallery hours (Tues- Sat. 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM) or during Open Studio Fridays or First Friday of each month.  Saturday mornings during the summer months is a wonderful farmer's market too in the parking lot behind the studio.  On the lower level of the gallery is a live theatre. 

For a country girl at heart I am finding lots of things to enjoy in the city too.

To see more of my work stop by White Horse Studio, suite 207 at Second April or visit my web site at http://www.suesteiner.com/

Thanks and take care!

Sue Steiner

equine and animal artist

Trotting Horse in Oils, WIP continues....

I am having fun with this one... loving the colors and the flying mane and tail. I thought as I painted this how every horse person still holds on to the fantasy, spirit and mystery of the horses of our dreams as a child. I know I love my horses maybe because they tap into that part of me that had them whisk me away in my dreams as a child. :)

This is a gift for someone so as I put more identifying marks (this is a paint) I may postpone posting for just a bit in case they stumble upon this. My hope is though as I paint this that she will feel that sense of freedom and adventure that horses bring into our lives.

To commission me for a painting you can contact me by e-mail at artbysue@hotmail.com or stop by my web site and read about the process. One of the most enjoyable parts of my job as an artist is when people choose to hire me to make a painting to be used as a gift. I feel honored and strive to capture those images that tap into those special memories.

Thank you!

Sue Steiner

equine and animal artist

Trotting Horse WIP

A Work in Progress Horse Painting

Follow along in this blog to see it completed.

I made some really good progress on this horse painting today! Hooray! This is 16 x 20 in oil. Out of words for today so just sending pictures.

Sue Steiner

equine and animal artist

pet portraits in oil

New Horse Painting WIP

White Horse Studio at Second April Art Galerie

Work in Progress Horse Oil Painting


Work in Progress Cat Portrait in Oils

I hope you had a good week end. The weather has been beautiful this summer. I opened up all the windows and had a lovely breeze blow all thru the house. Its tough to choose between being outside and being in my studio on days like that! I did end up working at my White Horse Studio last night while the actors in the current play practised in the lower level theatre. It was fun to have the laughter and chatter coming from below as background noise to my painting.

I am getting close to completing my cat portrait. I had to lighten up the eyes and let that layer dry before I finish so it still has that spooky look to it. While I was at my studio my kids texted or called on my cell about every 5 minutes. The calls were not emergencies-- at least not what I consider an emergency. To a teen and preteen though maybe it was since they were food and friend related. So needless to say I decided to not do the most important part of this portrait in the middle of working out those important details!

I am also posting the under painting of my current horse portrait. My husband was out of town this past week and missed his input on my paintings. He is not an artist but is very helpful in critiquing. I added the fencing (roughed in right now) but need his eye to tell me if I've got it right. LOL! I got to run my more recent work past him and got that important feedback.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

Updates... trying to finish up a few things...

Work in Progress Portrait in Oils






I am afraid I won't be done in with my portrait to meet the deadline for an art exhibit I wanted to submit this to. I suppose the good news is I have commissions I am working on. The bad news is that I wanted to have new work for this show. Well there are always other art shows. Regardless it was a good experience since I am wanting to do more portrait/figurative work.



I also was happier with this painting before I had this painting session. Trying to rush just doesn't work with this kind of stuff. I am sure anyone who does creative work is also familiar with the times when things just flow and click and then the other times were it doesn't. I am learning how to manage working at home (with kids and interruptions) or at my studio (where I invariably forget supplies) and meet deadlines. Some days it is better than others. I think the most difficult thing is that in order to paint I need to be alone and quiet... not always so easy to do and still feel accessible to family.



I've got two animal portraits on my easel too that I will show on this blog another day. Ready for a day of painting... in between car pooling, kids friends, car repairs..... hmmmm what else?



Tomorrow is Open Studios at Second April Art Galerie. A group of artists who have studios on the second floor of the gallery are opening up their spaces, working and inviting people to stop by. It is turning into a really fun thing to do. If you are local consider stopping by sometime. :)

Take care,

Sue Steiner

Taking the big step.....

Ricco a year ago

Ricco now

Ricco is my yearling. One of the great pleasures of the past year has been to watch this amazing creature grow and develop. I had to laugh the last couple days when something ~finally~ clicked in Ricco's head when he learned how to take ... the big step. Anyone who has been challenged by what seems like a huge obstacle in front of them may be encouraged by this story.

I'll explain. Ever since Ricco was just a little wee foal he has been confronted by the ~big step~ outside the barn. I have a cement aisle way. The stalls have rubber mats but the aisle is textured cement which creates a step down of several inches out the back of the barn leading to my paddocks and pastures. All the horses know its there and just step down from the barn as I lead them in and out ... except Ricco.

Ricco has been challenged and frustrated by this step of maybe 6 inches from day one. He also has maneuvered this step almost every day, often twice a day (in and out) with success. But he seems to still feel the same frustration each time he faces this step. Ricco would gather all his strength and courage, coil his little body and LEAP over this 6 inch step like he was climbing Mt. Everest every single time I had to take him in or out of the barn. I figured with time he would learn that all he had to do was lower his foot and step out of the barn but sometimes learning has its own time table.

Ricco reached a major milestone this week. My great big yearling (he's easily over 14 hands) learned this week that he can step d..o..w...n and just walk out the barn. :) I am SO proud of him! I knew he would catch on. I do admit I thought he would catch on much sooner but in his equine brain this must of been quite a puzzle!

I also thought of how people also can get hung up on what we think of as big steps in life. Ricco never realized he was growing all this time but the step stayed the same. What was big a year ago is very manageable but he just couldn't trust his own growth. Ricco maybe doesn't even realize how big and strong he is! Ricco has been flexing his muscles and stretching his legs - doing all kinds of things this past year out in the pasture while the step has not moved, has not change a bit. Its still just a few inches from the ground.

Maybe we might find in our own lives a challenge may not be the obstacle we thought it was. Maybe we have grown and developed and the obstacle before us is not what we made it out to be in our minds. Maybe its just a little thing that might of tripped us up at one point in time but really .... its just another step along the way.

Thanks for following along! To see equine and animal art please stop by my web site at http://www.suesteiner.com/ and consider following this blog to see art work in progress pics, photography and horse stories, of course!

Sue Steiner

equuine and animal artist

Play Day....

I had every intention of sitting down to my easle to work on a commission. Instead I prepared panels (yuck) and then painted this abstract carousel horse. Its painted using thick paint so in real life there is all this layering adn texture that adds to the drama... or so I am hoping! :) This is fairly big 24 by 30 maybe ... on gallery warp canvas.

One advantage to having a studio (in the Canton arts district) ... I now have a place to put the non-commission art like this! Aug's First Friday is just around the corner so new work is always a good thing so the regulars to these events get to see something different.

I do think I need to reserve Mondays for playing from now on... I am sure I am not alone in struggle to get focused on Mondays-- maybe if I didn't fight it and just expected it......

To see more animal art go to http://www.suesteiner.com/ or follow my blog here. :)

Sue Steiner

horse and animal painter

Animoto.com

Open Studios at Second April Art Galerie

Dog Days of Summer

Mixed Breed, Rescue

Chihuahua

Black Lab Portrait

German Shepherd Portrait

Shih Tzu

As we head into the 'Dog Days of Summer' I will be at my Open Studio on Friday at Second April Art Galerie painting dogs!

August's First Friday in Canton theme will be The Hound Dog Days of Summer .... what better way for me to show my animal art than with colorful dog paintings?

I am posting some dog commissions I've done for you to enjoy in the meantime. After my Open Studio I will share with you the latest canine additions. I have recruited a top model for this Friday's Open Studio that is a cute black and white, blue eyed dog named Jenny Craig. She doesn't even need to go on a diet! In fact by the look of her perky eyes and bright expression my guess is she finds lots of ways to fit exercise into her day!

To see more animal art stop by on Friday at White Horse Studio at Second April or go to my web site at http://www.suesteiner.com/.

Take care!

Sue Steiner

animal and equine artist

Dog Artist

Female Portrait WIP

I've been posting recent paintings of chicks.... the poultry variety. Today I have a painting of a woman and not a chick! :) I started this a couple weeks ago and then had to put it aside to work on some commissions. I am still evening out skin tone and shading which is a challenge for me since I do way more animals than people but I love people portraits too. Hope to do more figure and portrait work if for nothing else just because I like it! So this is definitely a work in progress. I've not gotten to the hands yet.... I was afraid if the face wasn't going to work there was not sense in doing the hands but I don't want the face to work but not the hands either!! Another challenge! I guess time will tell if it will come together.

I am wanting to keep the brush stroke expressive in this. I actually love the brush strokes where the hair meet the background even though it has almost an unfinished feel to it. I am probably going to leave it like that -- my ultimate goal- whether I reach it with this or not, is to have bolder, more impressionistic brushstrokes further away from the focal point (which on portraits is the eyes/face) and get a little more refined in those areas but trying very hard to not overwork this. We'll see if I can pull it off.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

portraits, people and animal

More Chicks....

Banties in Oil

These Little guys are fun to paint! We used to have large flocks of free range chickens and banties. The banties multiplied faster than you can believe! When the hens sit on their eggs it is referred to as going 'broody'. Often times the hens would lay right next to each other so then when the chicks hatched they would be imprinted on both hens. The hens than would wander around the barnyard together with all the chicks like an ever moving cloud floating around the two hens. To me they looked like yellow cotton puff hovercrafts! When newly hatched their little legs so so tiny its hard to see them as they scurry all around. The whole group would hunt for insects and the hens could 'tag team' to protect the babies.

My daughter was quite young when we had our first clutch of bantam chicks and worried about the newly hatched babies. I explained to her that the mommas would take care of them, secretly hoping they were capable. No sooner were the words out of my mouth then we saw just a few feet in front of us a hawk swoop down to the hens and chicks. Fast as lightening one hen flew up in the air to counter attack the hawk and the other hen crouched down and spread her wings as all the chicks hoovered underneath. My daughter and I were quite amazed! They were very effective in taking care of themselves! I later wondered what kind of communication happened between the two hens beforehand to know which one would attack and which one would crouch down and provide cover?

I thought it was interesting how different the paintings looked against the different colored backgrounds. I also thought how crooked they are lined up in those photos! LOL! I can't hang them straight on the wall either! Why is it everything I do has to be off kilter? :)

Take care!

Sue Steiner

animal art and pet portraits

Hot Chicks! Chickens that is....

'Hot Chick', pop art chicken in oils by Sue Steiner

I had to smile thinking of wondering what this title will do as far as the search engines go? I suspose I may ahve just disappointed a few people when they discover it is a chicken! LOL!


I painted this chick this morning. Got new paint and am enjoying experimenting with a brighter color palette. I painted this on 6 x 6 square cradle boards. More to come....

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

painter of colorful animals and horses... and chickens

Cat Portrait in Oils, Step 2

I got a chance to do a little more work on this painting. This is a memorial pet portrait of a much loved , big, orange tabby named Carl. His owner tells me he was bursting with personality and a wonderful companion. My hope is that this painting will help ease the ache that we all have felt over the loss of a beloved pet.

At this point I am just laying down my road map of lights and darks. I've got deep blues for darks and heather greys, light orange cad. for lights. Burnt Sienna is what the canvas has been toned with. This cat has the most amazing ginger colored eyes. I've not gotten to that part yet as you can see above! Looks just a tad spooky right now but it won't stay like that for long.

I liked this pose because it reminds me of my own cat finding a 'perch' to watch all the activity from with an all knowing expression on his face!

To see finished work go to http://www.suesteinter.com/ or to inquire about commissioning me for a portrait e-mail me at artbysue@hotmail.com or stop by my studio in Canton above Second April Art Galerie.

Take Care!

Sue Steiner

equine and animal artist

Farm Animal Mural Video

Farm Animal Murals and Life Sized Horse Paintings by Sue Steiner

Today we had the 2nd Annual Local Artisan Festival at Lehman's. I added to the farm animal murals by putting the finishing touches to a ewe's face and began working on the lower part of this section which will include twin lambs, a barn cat and a rooster.

On the day of this filming the local Mennonite churches were quilting in preparation for the MCC Relief Sale in Aug. that takes place in Kidron.

Open Studio painting demo, 'Go Fetch'

Go Fetch, in oils

Chuck picking up his painting during Open Studio.





I painted this during my Open Studio today. A group of artists at Second April Art Gallerie and Studios http://www.secondapril.org/ has gotten together to have a weekly Open Studio. I settled in and painted Toby, our ever eager 'Go Fetch Dog'. He has everyone who comes to our house trained to throw the ball for him. He greets them by bouncing a tennis ball at their feet until they throw it for him to go catch. He really is irresistible!




I will likely continue on with this painting but you can see it now as a 'work in progress'. I am compiling a collection of my colorful dog, cat, horse and chicken paintings to make into notecards and prints that I will sell at my studio or thru my etsy shop, available by clicking on the sidebar.

Take care!

Sue Steiner

animal and equine artist

Step 1, Cat Portrait in Oils

I did my initial rough sketch of the cat last night on my cradle board. Sometimes I do the actual drawing with the paint but this time I did it with conte' crayon and pastels. I will isolate this layer and then block in the big shapes.

On Friday I will be at my studio for Open Studios. I plan on having some hands on activities for people browsing thru the gallery and studios. One activity I thought to do would be drawing and finger painting. :) I love doing my initial drawings by using my fingers! Even with the drawing above I worked the pastels around first with my fingers. Helps to just get the big shapes first.

I enjoy including people in the process of these commissioned portraits if they enjoy that kind of thing. For some people its hard to envision the finished product and for others they like watching it come together. I think, if nothing else than it brings people into the creative process and cultivates an appreciation for art in general. I guess that's my hope anyways! On my end I do it because it is good for me to break up the solitary activity of painting so thank you for following along!

For more information on my art or studio please visit http://www.suesteiner.com/

Colorful Cat Art

This is from yesterday's painting session and photo session. The pastel on top I am calling Phat Cat and it is 16 x 20. The closely cropped face is small-- 6 x 6 maybe? in oils. I almost like it better before I got very far along.... Both will be at my studio or available online at my web site or etsy shop.

I will move on to my cat commission now that I've played. :) I also am getting work ready for an exhibit in the fall named 'Animal Instinct'. I'll share with you more about taht as we get closer. I am looking forward to it because its just the kind of stuff I like to do! Thanks for following along.

Take care!

Sue Steiner

colorful equine and animal art

pet portraits

Cat Art- Daily Painting in Progress

The place to start any kind of portrait is to have a model in which to paint. Today I wanted to do a daily painting to warm up for a cat commission I will begin soon. So who better to have 'pose' as my cat model than Moses, our tabby. I will post a series of photos in which my son is helping to get the right 'pose'- no easy feat with a rag doll cat! Just so you know-- no cat was harmed in the process! In fact he was purring very loudly. Moses was hand raised and bottle fed as a very very young kitten after being rescued from our barn while we lived on our working farm. He is one of those cats you could hang by his feet and he would purr! We haven't done that... but my kids were quite young when Moses came into our lives so he has been dressed in doll clothes, carried around like a baby and pretty much cuddled and touseled every which way with him purring very loudly all along!

I will post my Moses painting later but for now you can see our photo session.

Take care!

Sue Steiner

dog, cat and horse portraits in oil

Sweet Peas

I guess I am still on a flower kick. These fast alla prima florals are a fun way to get my painting kick in between a family reunion, a holiday and First Friday. Someone brought a vase of pretty sweet peas to put on the table for the family reunion so tonight I painted them.

happy 4th of July!

Sue Steiner

Irises, finished!

This is a commission that a regular to my studio in Canton had asked me to do a couple months ago. This painting is based on Van Gogh's 'Irises' painting. That alone is kind of intimidating. I think too the idea of all those irises kind of kept me from moving forward on this after I got about half way thru. I ended up hitting the wire for a deadline so just plunged back into it. A funny thing happened as I did. I discovered that the faster I worked and the more I gobbed paint on the better those irsies were looking! Maybe that is my own delusion but hopefully I learned something this! :) I will be able to take this to my studio tonight for First Friday-- wet but it will be there!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great 4th of July!

Sue Steiner

faces, animals, pets, horses and flower artist!

Southwest Style Horse Art

I love the dusty, earthy colors in this painting. I am considering it 90% done. :) I need a couple days to look it over and decide what else it needs. I really like the coloring on the face although I need to work on the right eye. I am considering doing another painting in this color palette of a closer cropped face since I enjoyed the loose brushstrokes around the face and mane on this one.

Today I met with some of the other artists who have studios in the same gallery I am in. We are working out some promotional types of things we will do as a group. I think one of the things I will be offering during our Open Studio time is horse drawing lessons. I imagine horse crazy little girls but hey there are plenty of people who never grow out of the horse crazy stage. Why does it have to be considered a 'stage' anyways? If you are in Canton and are interested in hearing more drop me a line or stop by Second April Art Gallerie.

I do have to say out of vanity I considered not posting this piece because for some reason (maybe the size and shape of the original canvas??) when I put the image up on the computer it looks out of whack. I am sure that has to do with some kind of distortion from my monitor and the resizing of the image which I do not know how to correct. So with that little disclaimer I am posting this anyways.

For the most part I have not censored what I post. If you've followed me for any length of time then you've seen the whole range of me 'playing' and throwing paint around to what I think of as more serious work. I think by doing that it helps take away the fear of failing when it comes to painting. I decided when it became clear a few years ago that I was going to want to paint come hell or high water because it feels good to paint. I was not going to let myself get into the position that the end product would become more important than the process. I have heard of too many painters who stop painting because they get locked up from perfectionism or being too self critical. This is my way of countering that. I want to strive to improve and grow and refine my technique but never at the expense that painting is no longer enjoyable.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sue Steiner

animal and equine artist

pet portraits