RUN WITH THE WIND: A New Painting

RUN WITH THE WIND. Original (SOLD).
Prints available in my shop. 

"We all have a hungry heart, and one of the things we hunger for is happiness. So as much as I possibly could, I stayed where I was happy." -Mary Oliver

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Painting this piece reminded me to go with what I see in the paint... even if I've never painted it before and have no idea what painting a horse would really be like.

Because when I saw a horse in all of my layers of this painting, I knew it was a horse, but a really odd shaped and weird horse. 

Yet the horse was so distinct, I could't not paint it in.

I hadn't even had my girl painted yet, which is usually where I begin. Then if there's a secondary character, it might fall into place. But the girl is always first.

It felt so awkward to just have this horse on the canvas. But I went with it and from there I found my girl and this dream catcher painting fell into place.

It really doesn't even look like the same painting here. But after I'd finished a few other pieces, I was left with this girl.

I adored the colors, but I couldn't relate to the character. 

So I just created a background over most of it to cover the face and try and find something new.

And that's when the horse appeared.

RUN WITH THE WIND. Original (SOLD).
Prints available in my shop. 

She is called RUN WITH THE WIND as a little reminder to go with the flow and allow everything to fall into place.

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ps. My newest class SERENDIPITY just started. If you're interested in painting lots of different characters the entire year, find details and register here.

pps. I've just returned from teaching at the Lucky Star art retreat in beautiful Hill Country in Texas and can't wait to share some of the stories and photos with you soon.