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| Cowboy Brad / graphite and white charcoal on tan paper /14 x 11 |
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| Brad / graphite on cream paper / 24 x 18 |
Back home from my trip to Los Angeles just in time to attend Wednesday life session with a real live cowboy. Brad owns a ranch and breeds Curly Coated Bashkir horses and also breeds paint mustangs. He is deeply involved in charity work and frequently auctions off a paint foal in order to give the proceeds to a children's cancer group that helps families pay for treatment. He surely will have a special place in heaven. He was a very rugged guy with a well tended mustache and a flat brimmed hat. The hat challenged me the most as it was deep black with very little nuance or color and seemed to absorb rather than reflect the light. The tassels hanging over his shoulder are called a Storm Chaser and apparently work to hold the hat in place in case of high wind! He was a great model. Never having heard of curly coasted bashkir horses, I did a Google search and this is what I found:
Sound like a true gentleman - lots of cowboys carry angel wings under their shirts.
ReplyDeleteLove the drawing and the way you captured his expression through his glasses.
He was a true gentleman - I have come across more cowboys in the last two years (since moving to Reno) that in my entire previous life. My impression is that they are an interesting, gentle and hardy group of people - cowgirls included! I am glad you like the portrait. I like the drawing on the toned paper much better as I feel there is more of him in that rendition.
DeleteDoes he resemble Teddy Roosevelt? Love the painting and the little curly pony. Wonderful drawing, Susan
ReplyDeleteHe does resemble TR now that you mention it!
DeleteMagnifique, ces portraits sont superbes!!!
ReplyDeletebonne journée , Cath.
I am truly happy that you like my portraiture - many thanks!
DeleteYou captured this chap beautifully, what a character!
ReplyDeleteThis open studio of live models has really given me a chance to draw such a diversity of human characters! I love it!
DeleteWow! Your drawings are outstanding! And what a great model! I love the effect you get with the white on that tanned paper. Beautiful work, as always :0)
ReplyDeleteI, too, am loving the toned paper with the white charcoal highlights. They add such dimension.
Deletewow..amazing!
ReplyDeleteMerci, Ashok!
DeleteHi Susan.
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly a brilliant Portrait draughsman and painter. What a character your sitter is eh? and what a wonderful person he is to donate a Curly now and again. Full marks to him and to you for your drawings of late. All the best Susan.
I`m off to do some painting now.
Vic.
I fear I may be too realistic with my graphite drawings but don't know how to loosen up. Loosening up in paint is much easier!
DeleteSusan, I believe I like your life sessions almost as much as you do! I LOVE seeing your portraits!!! Brad certainly looks like a true-to-life cowboy - you rendered him wonderfully. The second photo you posted reminds me so much of my farrier, Scott. I wonder if I could get him to sit still for half an hour???
ReplyDeleteI agree - Brad will definitely get a special place in heaven for his good works. Interesting about the bashkirs - I didn't know anyone in North America was breeding them.
Thank you so much for your utterly wonderful post, Susan!
Kathryn XX
I think you would have so much fun drawing (or painting) your farrier! Perhaps he will agree one day! Those curly horses took me by surprise - how unique they are!
DeleteYour portrait work is amazing, Susan. The first sketch is beautifully painted... he
ReplyDeletelooks like the perfect model we all look for!!
I agree - he was perfect. He had trouble deciding which hat to wear (he brought 2 to the session) but ended up with the flat brimmed hat which added a bit of elegance to his ruggedness.
DeleteYour drawing skill is amazing, I keep repeating.
ReplyDeleteBalerina does not look happy to be left alone unfinished.
I hope your LA trip was not too depressing.
Bashkiria is a region in Russia, but I never heard about this breed. So I went to Wiki and found out there were no links at all. That's an example how art blog can help to develop knowledge in any sphere..
The ballerina is intimidating me! I will overcome my fea of her quite soon, I hope! Here is some information on the Bashkir horses that you might find interesting:
DeleteThe origin of the Curly Horse is a mystery and is debated to present day. It was once believed that these curly coated horses were ancestors of the Russian Bashkir of Bashkortostan, however in recent years this was found to be untrue and unfounded. Research done by Shan Thomas for the CS Fund and resulting in the report, Myth and Mystery: The Curly Horse in America , indicates that the Russian breed most often found with the curly coat is the Lokai breed, found in the Taijikistan region. This information came many years too late and the name "American Bashkir Curly" had stuck. The American Bashkir Curly Horse Registry (ABCR) members voted to keep it to spare anymore confusion. With the birth of the International Curly Horse Organization (ICHO), the 'Bashkir' title was dropped and the members chose to simply go with North American Curly Horse, sighting the fact that they truly are an American Breed. So in describing the Curly horse you will see many variations of the title, such as American Bashkir Curly, American Curly horse, North American Curly horse or just Curly Horse.
I found this at the following link: http://www.curlyhorsecountry.com/history_curlyhorses.htm
I had never heard of these horses before and was quite surprised at their thick curly coats! And I do agree - blogging has greatly enriched my knowledge and my life!
Ik vind je schets van de cowboy fantastisch goed.
ReplyDeletegroetjes,
Simonne
I greatly enjoyed trying to get him down in pencil - thank you, Simmone.
DeleteBonjour ma très chère Susan,
ReplyDeleteJe suis éblouie par ces deux magnifiques dessins... Ils reflètent merveilleusement l'âme de ce sacré bonhomme qu'il doit être. L'aisance de vos traits confirme votre immense talent.
Est-ce à cause du froid qu'il règne dans cette région que les chevaux ont ce poil qui tend à être une fourrure ?...
Pour en revenir à votre personnage qui vous a servi de modèle, j'admire sa générosité.
Gros bisous à vous chère amie et un grand merci pour votre si gentil message.
Thank you for your wonderful note, MartineAlison - I am trying to express more than a graphite likeness with these life sessions and your words make me very pleased! I am not sure about the curly coat on this breed of horse being protection from the cold - it may very well be!
DeleteBonjour ma très chère Susan,
ReplyDeleteJe suis éblouie par ces deux magnifiques dessins... Ils reflètent merveilleusement l'âme de ce sacré bonhomme qu'il doit être. L'aisance de vos traits confirme votre immense talent.
Est-ce à cause du froid qu'il règne dans cette région que les chevaux ont ce poil qui tend à être une fourrure ?...
Pour en revenir à votre personnage qui vous a servi de modèle, j'admire sa générosité.
Gros bisous à vous chère amie et un grand merci pour votre si gentil message.
Susan! Susan! Susan!
ReplyDeleteYour portraits are outstanding! You are so very talented. I am thrilled to see so much great work from you! Besides your fantastic portraits I can't forget how much I love your ballerinas, horses, and your life drawings! Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
Your art buddy!
Michael
My dear friend, Michael - that lonely ballerina is sitting half finished on my easel in the corner but I am afraid of her. I don't know why but until I can overcome this fear, she will have to wait for me! Thank you for your kind words!
DeleteSusan, your work is so inspiring, your oil paintings and the head studies are awesome.
ReplyDelete