Welcome. I am an artist and a good one. What I am not is a website designer, though I need my work to be visible. Please find your way to horsepainterblog.wordpress.com as it is a platform that seems to work for me.

I hope your summer is going well and that you have something or someone to feel grateful for. In 2008 I experienced a super cool splurge of abstractness.  Not sure that’s a word. I created about ten abstracts over the course of a few months.Yesterday in my studio I was revisiting a few abstracts and taking apart frames to freshen up the mats and clean the glass on both sides. Here are a few of those abstracts I am so grateful for because they make me happy in a way that only art can which means there are no adjectives to describe this feeling. None. These are watercolor with powdered chalk pastel.

 

Have you had the pleasure of being part of a Canoe Journey? In my community we get to observe and participate, somewhat, by sharing amazing meals, making new friends, and getting close and personal to the beautiful canoes from our region.  This year there were around 72 canoes on display in front of the House of Awakened Culture in Suquamish, WA.  I am in the process of painting a series from the images I took of these lovely canoes both during the welcoming on our beach and as they set on the grass in the sunshine.  This year I learned that buckets of water may be splashed on the canoe if it is hot outside so that the wood stays in tact.  I had the pleasure of meeting the man who crafted their canoe from a cedar tree 780 years old.  So beautiful. I enjoyed meeting and chatting with a woman named Shannon with the Cowlitz, shortly before the canoes headed to Alki Beach. Her daughter is wanting to attend Tacoma School of the Arts, which is where I have worked for the last 3 years so I got to tell her how wonderful it.  Talk about kismet.

Below you can see some of the spectacular canoes and a painting that I finished yesterday.

I am so excited to be teaching some summer drawing classes.  There are 4 spots left for Saturday July 23, 2:00-5:00 Liberty Bay Gallery, Poulsbo, on Front street.  This class is for teens and adults.  Please join us!  We would love to see you.  🙂 Below is an image that one of my students created last year in Beginning Illustration.

So far I believe the mix of values in my painting creates an effective framing for the dog, Bella, to shine.  So happy with this progress.  And no white paint!  Booyah. Bella will be shipped off to her human very soon. Still working on many details.  I will post the final painting very soon.  Thanks for checking in!

Actually the background for this painting landed on my fourth attempt. And I’m happy with the looseness yet legibility of the background.  Bella the dog is showing herself on my paper now. I’m excited about the progress and plan to spend the better part of  this day in the studio with the windows open and hearing the rain outside. Actually humidity offered by the rain will definitely help in my paper not drying so fast while I’m working!  Thanks rain.

The focus will be on attaining drawing skills or honing your present skills to take you to the next level. I am a certified Visual Arts Teacher and professional working artist who has a passion for empowering students through skills acquisition in a positive atmosphere.  Join us in a creative endeavor.

Where: Liberty Bay Gallery, 18830 Front St, Poulsbo, WA.

When: Saturday July 23, 2-5pm

How to sign up: Call or text Michele 206-940-3248

                                       Email: michele@horsepainter.com

Online at Schedulicity.com search ‘art classes’ for ‘Poulsbo’

Bring: Sketching supplies if you have them, sketchbook or drawing paper (8 ½” x 11” or larger)

More dates to come.

Mistakes and ugly paintings are so great.  This is what helps me to strive for and find new methods of applying paint to create what I see in my mind, on paper. I’m pretty excited about the results today for this background.  It’s just the beginning of course, but a heck of a lot better beginning that the first two attempts. There will be a dog in this painting, as it is a commission. She is black. My challenge overall is to watch my values so that they don’t get too dark.

 

Recently I had the pleasure of hand delivering a painting to my client in Seattle.  I got to paint a palomino named Oscar who looks like quite the character.

Bella the Great Dane is now beginning to command her presence on my paper.  She is black so I know I’ll have fun creating some contrast. More on her soon.

Hi all.

My website, www.horsepainter.com is functioning again after changing hosts.  The folks at GoDaddy and one dude at Sitestar have been super helpful during this process.  Unfortunately though, my site does not automatically come up, when I Google it.  Though it is a challenge for my skill set, I am slowly tackling this issue.  If you want to view my website, enter the address into the url box above.  Thanks for your patience.

And now I am returning to a painting of a cute palamino.  I will post progress images soon.

 

Oh how I am missing my artworld.  Life took a turn and I chose to take a long term sub job teaching calculus, pre calculus, and geometry and the high school I so dearly love and believe in.  Now I know for sure, I want to teach only art in order to strengthen and then diversify my skills.  Teaching my students art helps me to breathe and I look forward to my next teaching position.

I am blessed presently, as this school year comes to an end, to be working on two commissions.  One of a large black great dane and the other of a very cute and a little bit round quarter horse that will be given as a Birthday gift to the client’s wife.  I will be back soon with some images of my current work in progress.