A Haze of Possibilities and the Way a Horse Sees

A Haze of Possibilities / oil on linen panel / 16x20

Having painted this composition with a trio of horse and jockey combinations before without satisfaction, I determined to try it again.

I learned some quite interesting facts about equine vision this week. Horses do not see the same way humans do - they have only color receptors for the blue and green spectrum and cannot discriminate reds - apparently much the same as a person with red-green color blindness. The theory is that this may cause the horse to rely more on contrast to judge distance to and height of an obstacle when calculating take off. When a horse is approaching a jump he will see it in sharp focus, but will lose this focus around 3 meters away and may not be able to accurately judge distance to the jump. He will perceive the jump differently from his rider not only because of the difference in color perception but also because he has a much wider field of vision due to his eye placement. This adds to the importance of the connection between the horse and rider as they approach a jump.

Having long been fascinated by the interaction, partnerships  and cooperation that are established between man and beast as they interact together during moments of great intensity, it is part of my underlying drive to paint steeplechase as a way of expressing this relationship.

Harmonic Resolution

Harmonic Resolution / 16 x 20 / oil on linen panel

Finished this afternoon. I am intrigued by the blue background and greenish sky. I may try that combination again in another painting.

Finally Painting Again

I am feeling very tight and unsure of myself after a long hiatus. I have been thinking about working on this piece as I left it unfinished when we moved - so decided  to see if I could re-energize and finish it. As you can see, my brushwork is suffering as well as my use of color. I felt a lot of  hesitation and loss of confidence as I painted today so will have to work on these things. Its like starting all over again after  almost a month away from the easel. In any case, I hope to be posting more frequently although there is still a lot of renovation work going on in the new house, But my home office and my studio are up and running and I intend to find the time to paint. Oil on linen panel 36x24.  And a close up below.......

Obeying the Quantum Rulebook

Back to basics after a rather long hiatus. I love the high key pastel jockey and how he harmonizes with the wild beauty of the landscape. I love the level of his comfort with his beast and their current position in time and space. Oil on linen 16x20