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Back When

When I'm not painting vehicles and toys I get into my other favorite subject...horses. Mainly large draft horses with beautifully detailed leather harnesses.  I find the horse anatomy a challenge, but if you catch it just right you capture the magnificence of the animal.  This particular painting called, Back When, was inspired by visiting the Rocks Estate in Bethlehem, NH. We went up in December on our way to visit the Wren Gallery and were surprised to see all the activities in progress.  The kids were toasting marshmallows on an outside fire pit, others were dog sledding, some were with their parents cutting a Christmas tree and others were taking a horse-drawn wagon ride. So we climbed on the wagon and went down passed this old mill building called the "pig pen".  That is where the road and background of this painting came from.  In the parking lot I took closeup photos of the horses waiting for the next group of people.  The wagon driver was standing in the front holding the horses steady.  So I took multiple picture of him.  On my return home, in my studio, I started sketching out what I had in mind for this work.  Through a pile of photos I came up with this composition that you see now.  It is a 24 x 36 oil on canvas.  My next horse painting will be posted shortly.   

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