Horses-Oil painting workshop

My most recent studio workshop had the theme of horses and we used oil paint as our medium. After a discussion on anatomy and composition amongst other things, I demonstrated some colour mixing, then we moved on to a small painting exercise.

From a stock photo, we all painted a small canvas using a very limited palette of Ultramarine, Alizarin and Cad. Yellow Pale. The photo had some very interesting properties with the effects of the warm evening sunlight on the grey horse that was walking in shadow.

The limited palette keeps a nice harmony throughout the painting and gives the student less to be concerned with, as a couple were more or less beginners and they did an amazing job, I was thrilled with everyone's combined efforts and their resulting artwork.

Sunday continued with another demonstration of colour mixing and then the class could paint their own horse subject. It was so rewarding to be part of a class that was very devoted to the task and did their best.

Continuing with my conservation donation from my studio workshops, this month's recipient was The African Wildlife Foundation, who do a tremendous job in conserving the precious wildlife of Africa, including education of the local people and many initiatives for future sustainability.