Beautiful scenery, fine dining, lots of artwork and...CHOCOLATE - what more could you ask for? The Carbon County Arts Guild is hosting a group exhibit at the Depot Gallery in the gorgeous mountain town of Red Lodge, Montana during the month of February, (starts tomorrow - and remember February has 29 days this year - leap year!!) I have two pieces in the exhibit...this is one of them. This painting was awarded an Honorable Mention at the 32nd Annual Southeastern Montana Juried Exhibition in Miles City, Montana by John Pollock, longtime art professor at Montana State University. Although I love the action of rodeo, I also enjoy interpreting the sideline activities of contestants and fans.

There will be an artists reception on Feb. 10, 2012 from 4 - 6 pm.  There is also an fundraiser that involves CHOCOLATE the following evening at the Rock Creek Resort south of town. For more information: www.carboncountyartsguild.com

There's something intriguing about cows... I'm thinking it must be their mostly calm, tranquil nature. Even their eyes have a tranquil look to them. Not often do you see them bucking and snorting out in the pasture like the horses do. They just seem content most of the time. And with their deep red coats and white faces, Herefords are fun to paint.

This painting was inspired by the Nokota horses, native horses of North Dakota. I had the opportunity to observe them (or descendents of them) in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, beautiful Medora, North Dakota.I was particularly struck by a roan stallion that had the thickest mane I have ever seen on a horse and it shone like silver in the sun. I knew nothing about these horses, but observed that there were many beautiful roans, both blue and red. Since then I have discovered that there is an organization that was started to preserve the breed, The Nokota Horse Conservancy. One thing for sure, if these horses survived the winters in this part of the country, they are definitely a hardy breed. Here is their website - www.nokotahorse.org.  

Here is a big red roan (or strawberry roan) out on the prairie enjoying the sun and wind. It is painted on a 6 x 6" gallery-wrapped canvas and is part of the Heads Up! Mini-series.

There is an endless variation of color when comes to horses, which gives me a lot to work with. I enjoy the challenges of all of them, whether they are paints, sorrels, bays, palominos, buckskin, greys or whatever. I liked the calm and sweet look of this horse, like anyone could climb on board - which may or may not be true! I also like the touch of red provided by the halter.

I wish everyone the very best of the holiday season - all the joys & blessings of this time, and I hope that we all have a "dashing" New Year!

What is this horse thinking? I just wonder what animals think of us humans sometimes, the way they look at you, kinda sideways, like "are for real?" I always enjoy exploring the colors of white in a painting and this time I contrasted the cool blues with a warm background, great fun.

I was going to call this "Blondes Have More Fun" but this horse looked a little too noble and wise for that! I have not painted too many Palominos up to now, maybe because I had never really known any before. However, I have met one now and he is a bit of a character, (what do you expect with a name like "SpongeBob" )? and I do love exploring the colors of horses. This is #13 of the Heads Up! Series.

The wide open spaces of the prairie can be quite beautiful and peaceful - maybe a bit lonesome at times. Here this young horse seems content to munch alongside a couple of visiting birds.

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It's entertaining to me to watch a calf as curiosity overtakes fear and it ventures away from it's mama to check things out. Mama is never too far away, though. Part of the 100 for $100 series. Click here for more info.