Horse Portrait 'Work in Progress'

I painted most of the day in the Buggy Barn today so a 'work in progress' photo will be coming soon.

This horse portrait WIP is what I started a couple days ago. This is what I like to do in the evenings to relax. I find detailed graphite sketches and watercolors to be very relaxing. Acrylics and oils can be very energizing me and pastels are somewhere inbetween as far as how it feels for me to work in the different mediums. I think thats why I like to switch back and forth.

Mural painting is physical and provides interesting obstacles and challenges. It is very different than painting in a quiet studio with perfect lighting and a controlled enviroment. I think the interaction, exposure and impact is much greater than say, my watercolor florals which speak very quietly and delicately. Watercolor florals make for nice dining room or living room art to bring a peaceful, calming whisper or gentle breeze. Murals, on the other hand have much louder voices! I do want the buggy barn mural to feel lively! Anyone with a flock of chickens, a few horses and some barn cats know a barn is a very lively place at times!

I think the roosting chickens are turning out well although I am always anxious to get back to it after stepping back for a few days and make some adjustments. The time inbetween helps bring new eyes to the painting and the comments of the visitors at the store really help! Thank you all who commented and stopped to chat! Stop back by again to see the progress! I am hoping to move to either kitties or a fox by next week for the mural. My plan is to do something more on the eye level of a child so they can be more a part of the mural. Kids are such natural artists with big imaginations I am enjoying the kids reaction very much. I think art helps to keep the kid in all of us alive so nuture your 'inner kid' and enjoy and buy art!

To see completed work or more of Sue's pet and horse portraits go to http://www.suesteiner.com/