Horse Painting Session

Many thanks to Steve Doherty for mentioning some of our recent outdoor painting adventures in the Plein Air magazine newsletter.


I've hardly told you yet about our impromptu horse painting session. The O.H. R.A.T.S. club (Old Hudson River Art and Truth Society) convened recently to paint horses and donkeys at the Southlands Foundation farm in Rhinebeck, New York.

Garin Baker, Susan Daly Voss, Kevin Ferrara, and my wife Jeanette wanted to try to walk in the hoofprints of some of our equine-painting heroes, especially Heinrich von Zügel and Sir Alfred Munnings. (Thanks, Christoph for finding this amazing photo of Mr. Von Z and his students.)

The farmer, Lenny Miller, posed with Turk, a prize Belgian gelding, while the stableboy Cody held two donkeys. Here's Kev painting Joy. Our session lasted an hour and a half, with breaks for Turk to walk around and blow off steam.

I laid in Turk with his head down munching hay, but then he got full and lifted his head up. 

Garin got so interested in Lenny as a subject that he wants to come back and do his portrait -- never mind Turk! 

The experience was challenging and electrifying— especially with the guinea hens screaming in our ears. Someone once said that painting live animals is the Mount Everest of plein air painting. I agree, and I feel like I barely got past base camp. 

------
READ MORE

Doherty's Plein Air Newsletter
Doherty's article on Munnings
The Southlands Foundation hosts the 4H club. Thanks, Lenny and Cody.

Previously on GurneyJourney:
Joy the donkey
Painting Turk in watercolor pencils and gouache
H. von Zuegel