For some time I had been thinking of painting our horse, Rio, who passed away two years ago at the age of 30. I looked up a few photos to work from, but kept avoiding getting started because I was afraid that wouldn't be able to do justice to his memory. Rio was one of my best friends for many years and carried me on his back on many adventurous rides. Finally, one day in my painting class, I started sketching from one of my photos and then just went ahead and painted with the idea that it would only be a trial run for a later finished painting. I chose the photo with our other horse, Zach on his left and Maureen on his right because they all belonged together. Zach and Rio were very good buddies, and Maureen loved them both. Rio's tongue was often hanging out and I left it showing that way. We think that it was because of something they did to him in his younger days in quarter horse racing. When I was about half done, my teacher, Monica, commented that it would have been better to paint the background first. I agreed, but then couldn't decide what kind of background to use, and thought it would be better to just leave it out. Now that it is done, I think that it worked out pretty good and I don't need to do another, at least not right away.
In my painting class, Monica demonstrated a couple of approaches to painting fog, and asked students who were interested to give it a try. I found a photo from one of our horse camping trips of an old fence and morning fog. I think it turned out pretty good, but I didn't get a chance to show the class because before the class met again, it was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
After a couple of weeks of the shelter in place order, I felt like I should use the time for painting, but somehow just couldn't get moving. I finally painted this scene of Castle Rock and Pine Creek Canyon at the western edge of Mount Diablo State Park where I went hiking in February. One of the best things about my painting class is that I can stay motivated to paint when I can share it with others. Without the class, it is not so easy.
One day at the barn, while watching Maureen riding in the arena, I noticed a lizard sunning himself on the deck. He was a cute little guy and I thought it might be fun to paint him, so I took a photo with my phone. I've never been very fond of reptiles, but I've grown to appreciate all kinds of life.
At the end of January, we spent a weekend in a rented mountain cabin with our sons and their families, and played in the snow near Bear Valley. While the kids were sliding down the hills, I looked around for some untracked snow and took a few pictures. I loved the way that layers of snow perched on the rocks.
