Linda Shantz Equine and Animal Art

And Here We Go Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 01:13:00 +0000

I'm late! I'm late! (Peaker)

Some of you might remember a year ago, on October 31, I was heading into what promised to be a very busy November. Not only had I decided to do a painting a day, and accompany each with a blog post, I signed up to participate in NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, endeavouring to write 50,000 words of a novel. I managed to do all of it, somehow. It's looking like this November isn't going to be a whole lot more relaxing!

I wasn't really planning to do NaNo again this year, until my best friend and long-time writing buddy Sheri challenged me. I'd done the same to her last year but ended up going solo, but far be it from me to turn down a challenge, apparently, so I started throwing around ideas. When I hit one that inspired me, I was in. My working title for this new project is "Passive Transfer" and well, it's inspired by that seemingly endless breeding season we had this year. Yes, that means it's centered around horses. Surprise!

I won't be tackling a painting or blog post a day at the same time, this year. I have enough art commitments to fill that void, three of which start on Thursday, November 5th. First is the 140 Hours of Fame Art Auction, with my painting "Fresh Snow." Next is day one of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, at which my drawing "Adjustments" will be part of the Fine Art Showcase. And finally, Thursday night is the opening for the November exhibit at the AM Gallery in Milton, where I will show some originals and giclées. Add to that a few commissions in various stages...should keep me hopping

But, apparently, that's not enough for me. I'm also moving dear Miss Monster to a barn with an indoor arena, so that I will have absolutely no excuses to start riding again. It's the same place I kept her three years ago. Hopefully we'll start making strides towards something productive in that department! I'll take her over there tomorrow, and probably plan to ride on Tuesday. Monday I'll take my work down to the Royal, and Tuesday the work goes to the AM Gallery.

Hey, there's plenty of time! We get a whole extra hour tonigh to kick things of, as Daylight Savings ends!

Recall!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:44:00 +0000

While this doesn't take away from my feelings about the painting I posted yesterday, I found out today that in fact, that is not the work accepted for the Royal Showcase! So, hope you enjoyed the story, and the painting, but don't go looking for Promises Promises if you make it to the Royal this year! I won't get into the reasons for this...suffice to say it involved communication issues!

The piece that will be down at the Royal Fine Art Showcase is Adjustments, a pencil drawing, pictured above. I'll admit it fits the criteria for the show to a 'T.' The important part is, I will still have work there!

There is more Royal-related news to follow...but I'm going to keep you waiting for that.

The Royal Fine Art Showcase, 2009!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:34:00 +0000

I was quietly and somewhat nervously waiting to hear the results of the jurying for this show last week. I have long thought there needed to be such a show at the Royal - kind of *the* equestrian and agricultural event, at least in this part of the world. There have been a few different attempts in the past, and I've taken part in those I've known about, and they've always been successful to a certain extent, but there's been no continuity. Apparently this is the second year in a row for this new one. I hadn't heard about it last year, for some reason, so when I received the information this year, I was excited!

We were only allowed to enter one piece for consideration. Given the criteria provided, I wasn't sure what to enter, so I just went with what is probably my most popular new painting at the moment. You've seen it before, here. This is Promises, Promises, an 18 x 24 oil on canvas.

The Fine Art Showcase will be on display in Hall C of the Direct Energy Building for the duration of Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which runs November 5-15, 2009. There is an awards ceremony on November 13 at 2:30pm. It's my understanding that the painting made it into the top ten, though the rank hasn't been disclosed. I need to wait until the 13th to find that out!

It struck me after learning of the painting's acceptance how the significance of this piece has changed considerably since it was first shown. I know the average viewer is not going to know what lies behind this image. On the surface, it's a cute painting of a couple of pasture mates playing halter tag, a game that has probably been going on in horse-dom for as long as horses have been wearing halters. Now, when I look at this, I'm reminded of what goes through my mind those times I've had a seriously ill horse. The balance between power and fragility that I've mentioned, and the seeming inevitability that each time you get through one of those ordeals with a 'win' so to speak - the horse pulls through, and goes on to live a healthy life - somewhere there is someone else who has lost a friend. The horse on the right is Jay, who made it through emergency colic surgery almost two years ago, and now is living a happy retirement thanks to a placement through LongRun. On the left is, of course, Gladys, the fated one. And so it goes.

This time, we had to deal with the harsh reality of how quickly tragedy can strike. But a few weeks later, I followed the story of another mare - at the same stage of pregnancy as Gladys - who amazed the surgeons, defied the odds and came through the other side. I know I'll keep following her recovery, and pray that she continues to do well, and next spring produces a healthy baby. Maybe we tell ourselves things as we try to make sense, but in a way, for me, this kind of restores the balance.

School Days!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:30:00 +0000

Today I took a drive to Pine Valley Training Centre to pay a visit to our boy Billy. The weather has kindly warmed up for us, and the trees are brilliant right now - and you can't much beat the landscape up in King, so it meant for a pleasant drive. Billy even came right over to the fence to say hi when I got there - and I even remembered to take him his favourite treats, so we were both happy!

Billy obviously likes having a job to do, because he's being a star. Soon he'll get a holiday for a few months before starting back up in the new year. Needless to say, I snapped a few pics while I was there. He looks like he's going through another growth spurt, so he's a little all over the place right now!

Pine Valley is operated by Paul and Gemini Caine - apparently a website is in the works! I also got to meet Gemini's pony, the very handsome James. :-) Doesn't this look like a face that needs to be painted?

Nothing Like a Fall Day at the Races

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:29:00 +0000

...to get one back to the easel! I seem to have hit a bit of a dry spell of late, and being as I've always been one to say 'just paint,' it's a bit inexcusable in my books. It's a bad sign when even the cadmiums have started to dry out on the palette - definitely means it's been too long! I did pick up the brushes and started a small study for an upcoming commission one day last week, but sadly, that's as far as it's gone!

Yesterday was Canadian International Day at Woodbine, which featured three Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" races. It was cold and windy, but the sun was shining and that made for some great photos, in my book. The light this time of year is so amazing, definitely inspiring when it comes to potential paintings.

The International was won by Champs Elysees in what was his last start before retirement, so it was nice to see him win. He just oozed confidence in the walking ring before the race. The EP Taylor Stakes for fillies and mares was also on the card, and 40-1 shot Lahaleeb won convincingly. The third "Win and You're In" race was the Nearctic, and Ontario-bred Field Commission finished on top there.

Now, all the dried paint is scraped off my palette, and it's time to lay out a fresh one. Hopefully I'll have something to show for it before it dries out again!

Studio Tour, Done for Another Year

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:16:00 +0000

The weather was a bit up and down last weekend, but I don't think that put a damper on the Milton Studio Tour. Thanks to everyone who came out. It's always fun to meet some new people and see familiar faces from past shows!

For the tour I had a sale of sorts on many of my small originals, most of which you may have seen during the Thirty Horses, Thirty Days projects. Which reminds me, I need to update that blog with June's contribution, even though it was cut sick by some horse trouble. Some of those small originals still available are listed on my online Etsy store. I've also listed some of the more recent open edition reproductions.

The rainy, cool weather has continued this week, making for muddy paddocks and horses. The kids are in today, just to give paddocks and hooves a rest! It's supposed to clear up over the weekend...and it's a holiday weekend here in Canada, as we celebrate our Thanksgiving. Not that I get a holiday; in fact, my usual weekend help is off this weekend, so I'm working more instead of less! Anyone want to come muck some stalls? There may be pie in it for you!

I've been back at the easel this week, working on the piece I started during the yearling sales last month - an 8 x 10 oil on Signature linen panel. Still just loosely blocking in colour. I've also been working on finishing a pencil commission, which I'll post once I've got the final okay that it is indeed done! And this weekend I'll be working on my next email newletter, so if you're interested in receiving that, be sure to sign up - there's a link in the right-hand column of this blog, or to make it extra easy, click here and you'll be taken to the sign-up page. At least you should be!

Well, back to work, so that I can have more progress to post on that painting. I'm ready to start some new ones as well, and also have some more commissions to get going on. See you again soon!

On a Cheerier Note...

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:33:00 +0000

I know it's been rather sombre around here of late, so some lighter content is in order! A couple of weeks ago I went to Woodbine to see the return to the races of a classy fan favourite, Jambalaya. I painted this guy a few years ago, winning the '06 Singspiel Stakes. The last time he ran was when he won the '07 Arlington Million, and has since been on the shelf with an injury. The great news is, he's back, in fine form. You can read about it on owner/trainer Catherine Day Phillips' website. And that's my photo of him coming back to the winners circle after the race. He looks pretty proud of himself!

Our two babies on the farm are now weanlings. They seem resigned to their new life, and have become good friends. They do like to show their spunk on these cool mornings though!

Three days until the Milton Studio Tour, and there is plenty to do. These cool grey days don't do much for motivation, but there's no avoiding the final preparation. Hopefully the rain will give us a break this weekend. The fall colours have started, so it should be a great time for a drive around the Escarpment!

Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:44:00 +0000

I've been negligent in responding to the comments after the last two posts, so I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who commented or sent emails in response to the news about Gladys. Last week I learned that another member of the farm 'family' here had to be put down - if you've been around here long enough, you'd remember Jesse, who helped run the place for quite some time! She was companion to Sass, Monster's mom when I first brought Sass home. When Monster was born she was the babysitter for my bratty foal. Jesse also helped raise Peaker, and babysat Gladys. I've missed Jesse since she left the farm a couple of years ago, so this was definitely sad news.

This weekend is the Milton Studio Tour, so I've been pretty busy getting ready, probably a good thing. The studio is more of a disaster than usual as I package notecards and prints, and I've been back and forth to the framer a few times. Hopefully we'll get perfect weather on the weekend - nice but not too nice, if that makes sense - and have a good turnout! If you're interested, let me know and I'll tell you where to get a brochure which has a listing of all the artists, as well as a map of the route. Hope you can make it!

A Gladzilla Retrospective

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:11:00 +0000

If a picture is worth a thousand words...here are a few in memory of my flashy muse.

Above: "Promises, Promises" Gladys and Jay. Jay was recently adopted through the LongRun Retirement program.

The wall-eye in all its glory - one of my November 09 daily paintings.

One of the April daily paintings, which I called "Famous Blue Raincoat." This painting recently sold.

One of the first November daily paintings.

I called this one "Faceoff: Muse vs. Muse" because that's my Monster on the left, seeming to issue a bit of a challenge! This was also a daily painting, done in April 09.

A scene that was familiar last winter - Gladys and Monster waiting by the gate at feed time, facing the house. This quick study sold as part of the FASM fundraiser at From Heart to Hand this past March.

I have many, many more photos of the big girl, so there very well may be more paintings, in time. To wrap this post up, I'm going to share the photo that earned Gladys her nickname, "Gladzilla." It's sadly ironic, but the horse at the front on the right is Muffin, who we lost a little over a year ago. I'm sure the two of them are keeping things interesting in their new digs.

Fragile

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:44:00 +0000

I’ve said before, that horses are a confounding combination of power and fragility. Gladys was the epitome of that statement – a bold, big mare with a delicate digestive tract, which was her final undoing. A week ago tonight I had to say goodbye. She was one of my favourite muses. We’ll miss her around here - she leaves one big empty stall.

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are...

~ Sting, "Fragile"

Shop Canadian!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Today was my third day in at Woodbine's Sales Pavilion. I have lots of room in the lobby - and my own TV monitor to watch the races. What more could I ask for? The strange thing is I haven't managed to get out to walk around the barns and see any horses! I started out today, camera in hand....but got waylaid at Fincham's Harness and Bit by Bit Custom. It was still a productive visit - Bit by Bit is able to replace the zipper in my impact vest, and I finally bought a new helmet at Fincham's...a new helmet for which Bit by Bit will be able to make a nice new helmet cover! At least when I do manage to get back riding regularly, my safety apparel will be in impeccable shape.

I started a new painting yesterday at the sale, and got a fair bit accomplished. This is just 8 x 10, oil on Signature's linen panel. I bought two of these panels to try them about about a year ago and this one is just reaffirming my intial reaction - I looooooove them. They're more expensive than Raphael, but with the concerns I had with my most recent Raphael purchase, I think I'm going to make the switch. An added bonus is Signature Canvas is a wonderful company with which to deal.

The painting is of the finish of last year's Queen's Plate - that's Not Bourbon out-bobbing Ginger Brew. I don't have the most recent update on this painting, as I didn't take a photo of today's work, but I'll show how it progressed yesterday.

Now, much to my surprise, I feel compelled to paint, and far be it from me to ignore that compulsion! Off to the easel!

Wonders Never Cease

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Busy days are the norm around here, and on top of the usual, I was determined to get on Miss Monster today. Much to my amazement, she was great! I don't know what it was...maybe I should have taken her temperature! She was very sweet as I was tacking her up - Monster and sweet aren't generally words that ever make it in the same sentence! Not taking anything for granted, I longed her first...other than a few canter strides, she was a star. I expected her to have something up her sleeve when I got on her...but this good mood of hers continued! I didn't do a whole lot with her, lest I push it...and well, I admit I'm more than a little out of shape. Now, I just have to carry on. It'll be good for both of us! Sorry, no pics - I haven't managed to teach any of the other horses how to work the camera!

Last night I finished the painting of Sealy Hill, and I need to get it framed for this weekend's exhibit at the CTHS Yearling Sales. I've been printing some giclées, and now I need to see how far I can get on that painting of Bear Now. I'm not sure I can do anything about that tonight - I'm running out of hours!

Sidetrip

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:17:00 +0000

I decided to take a little break from the Sealy Hill painting this morning, to try and jumpstart another one of the WIPs that has been languishing around here. This is 18 x 14 oil on Raphael linen panel, and it has been stalled in the underpainting stage for a few months now! You can see where I left it, at the end of this post back in May.

I dove right into the colour today, rather than refine the underpainting any further. Everything is just very loose and quick at this point - I just wanted to establish some of the colour. I stopped here, because it needs to dry before I do anything more or I'm going to start smearing paint all over! So far I've managed to limit that just to my hands! Next step will be to adjust some of the background values a bit, and then cover up the rest of the underpainting - the rider and the tack. The horse, once again, is Bear Now, last year's champion older filly in Canada.

Now I can go back to Sealy Hill feeling a bit fresh - because it's at the nit-picky stage, I needed this little breather!

The Fun Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:29:00 +0000

There's no time to waste these days, with the next event close on the heels of last night's Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I was mistaken about how my painting would be auctioned - it was actually part of the live auction. The painting fetched $3500.00 - pretty exciting. If you'd like to read about the induction ceremony, you can go to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame website. It's always great to see these paintings do well at fundraisers. Only Dubai in 2007 topped this one for me.

I neglected to thank a very important individual the other day when I posted the final painting. I'm always saying a painting is only as good as the reference photos, and in the case of Somebeachsomewhere, I had none of my own to work from. Thanks to a series of great photos taken by Kim Fisher of TROT Magazine, I had no shortage of great images to work with.

Next on the agenda is preparation for an exhibit at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's annual yearling sale at Woodbine. I'll have some work set up starting the same time the horses start showing - September 5th. As a result I'm hard at work trying to finish up a few of the paintings I've got around here. One of the notables is this 18 x 24 oil on panel of Sealy Hill, Canada's 2007 Horse of the Year. I'm into the fun stuff now - the warm colours and details that will bring things to life. I love the transformation that happens with this stage. Still a ways to go yet, but for some reason things go a bit faster at this point! Hmm, wonder why...

Time to get back at it!

Somebeachsomewhere ~ 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:38:00 +0000

And here it is! 18 x 14 oil on Raphael linen panel of Somebeachsomewhere.

I took the painting to the photographer this morning - after some more crazy thunderstorms last night, the clear blue skies and light breeze made for a nice drive to Waterloo. Pirak Studios is where I get my artwork shot. Every time I talk to people about doing reproductions of artwork, I stress the importance of starting with a quality digital capture, and they do a great job at Pirak.

This afternoon I went to the framer, though I've brought the painting back home in order to put a coat of retouch varnish on it to protect it - something that can't happen until after it's photographed, but needs to be done before framing! Once again I'm fortunate to have a great framer who so often does jobs on a tight schedule for me! Corby Custom Framing is in Carlisle, Ontario.

Next Thursday is the induction ceremony, where the painting will be part of a silent auction to raise funds for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. I just wanted to mention and thank the 'support crew' that made it possible for me to meet the deadline for this project! I'll have more details on the limited edition canvas giclées to be produced from the painting once it's available. Again, proceeds will go to the Hall of Fame. If you're ever at Woodbine, be sure to have a walk around - it's located near the entrance at the west end of the grandstand.

In the midst of all this running around I also did a photo shoot of some of the beautiful warmblood youngsters at Inish'Or. Haven't had the chance to get them off the camera yet, or I'd share some of the pictures! Now it's time for something to eat - somehow I missed lunch! Wonder how that happened...

A Little Bit More...

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:36:00 +0000

I'm still working away at the Somebeachsomewhere painting. I'm pushing to get to a certain point right now, and then it will have to spend a day out of my sight so that I can attempt a fresh look and get those final touches done...all in the next week! I'm gradually working up the detail, and the paint coverage. I don't know if I posted the specs on this, but it's 18 x 14 oil on Raphael linen panel. It's kind of fun just showing a little bit like this..the part you don't see is fairly complete, so I'm holding out on you!

Back to work!

Where I'd Rather Be?

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 01:42:00 +0000

I'm hard at work on the painting of Somebeachsomewhere - hence my title! It's usually in the dead of winter when I'm freezing out at the barn holding horses that this horse's name comes to mind. I have to admit, it's one of my favourite racehorse names ever. I think he's probably given his owners a lifetime's worth of tickets to such destinations!

I told myself I wasn't going to post this painting until I was done, but I can't help giving a bit of a teaser. While I'm really happy with the composition (and hope I'm not the only one that finds it appealing!) I've been a little unhappy with the paint-to-panel part, until tonight. I had to get past the pressure and just paint - try and recapture some of that freedom I have when I'm doing the daily paintings. With a painting like this, which I know is going to be seen by a lot of people, I spend a lot of time worrying whether it will measure up. For now, at least, I have to forget that. The photo quality isn't best, which is the norm for pics of wet paintings taken at night!

Out at the barn, the latest layup - who has actually been here more than two months now - is ready for some turnout! Seeing her outside, I'm just amazed at how big our little Miss Peaks is. She's not looking like the svelte filly I took photos of at Woodbine this spring right now! She's a 'good doer' as the saying goes - Peaks likes to eat! Twine and Leo were definitely nosy neighbours! That's Peaks above, and I'm sure you can figure out Twine and Leo!

Okay...back to work. I'm going to try and put a bit more time into the painting before calling it quits for the night.

Oh, The Pressure!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:44:00 +0000

A trip to Saratoga inevitably provides an endless stream of inspiration for an equine artist, particularly when directly involved in Thoroughbred racing. After three days of taking photos at the beautiful track - followed by a visit to good old Woodbine on Sunday for the last jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, the Breeders' Stakes, I'm itching to get at it. Unfortunately for me, I have some pressing paperwork and prior commitments that take precedence at the moment. I am dealing with some serious easel envy today, having just read fellow Saratoga-goer Kim Santini's blog post! It will be interesting to see how we both interpret our trip, as often we were standing side by side taking photos. Photographer Juliet Harrison was also with us, but we're going to have to wait to see her black and white work, as Juliet is off to Scotland now!

It was a fun day out at the barn today. Yesterday, for the first time, I put flymasks on the babies, knowing the game would be to see how long they lasted! I was amazed they left them on yesterday, though one of them got Gracie's off (from the opposite side of the fence, no less). Today, however...Clever's colt had his off before noon, and about an hour ago I saw Leo's was about to follow. It's all a game with those two boys!

Priority number one in the painting department at the moment will be the piece I'm working on for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame silent auction, to be held the evening of the induction ceremony, August 27th. I've been asked to paint harness horse extraordinaire, Somebeachsomewhere, one of this year's inductees. So while my Saratoga paintings must wait a while, I'm looking forward to painting this great horse. My panel is prepped, and I've started sketching. I won't be posting it until it's done, but in between stages I'm sure I'll be able to get at some of those images floating around in my head following out trip. All I'll have to do is buy some Ben & Jerry's to bring the atmosphere back!

So Much for Quality Control

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:03:00 +0000

I know I've raved about Raphael linen panels many a time on this blog. I've loved the surface from the first time I tried it. With a cross-border trip in the works, last month I ordered some panels, stocking up on a few sizes, and had them delivered to my friend Juliet in New York. The panels are shrink-wrapped, and I don't take that off until I'm ready to use them. The size I needed for a new painting was one I'd ordered in that latest batch, and brought back from a trip to Saratoga this past weekend. The trip was amazing, but how could a trip to Saratoga be anything but?

Imagine my disappointment when I removed the shrink wrap tonight to find, first of all, that the surface has changed, and secondly that the linen is not completely adhered to the panel. I checked the second panel of the same size, hoping at least one of them would be good - without luck. This is the downfall of ordering online from a company on the other side of the border! Given that the company I ordered from, ASW, is not known for its customer service, I'm left with trying to come up with a way of fixing the panels, somehow. Attempting to return them would be even more of a nightmare! It's a sad, sad day! Thank goodness I have a supply of the old panels, but it doesn't look as if I'll be ordering anymore Raphaels. And now to come up with an alternate support for a painting that is already on a tight deadline! Eep!

A sad post like this at least needs a cheery photo, so I'll post one or two from the trip. In typical Saratoga fashion, it rained one day, but we were blessed with two days of sunshine. Now I want to go again! And I don't want to wait for next year!

I Think, Maybe...

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:29:00 +0000

I know this is a shock, after the last few weeks of *nothing* but I may have actually finished a painting tonight. I'd actually hoped to have it done a couple of days ago so that I could take it to the photographer, but that didn't happen. I'll be going back there soon enough, I'm sure, so this one will wait till the next trip.

This is the painting from the image that got the most votes on the poll I posted many months. All the babies around here are a lot bigger than this now. I do have more recent pics of this foal, but...well, they're on that hard drive from which I'm still hoping files will be recovered! The painting is 11 x 14 oil on Raphael linen panel. It may get a few touches here and there, but I'm posting it now anyway!

A week from now I'll be in Saratoga, so these next days will be packed. Meanwhile, my friendly neighbourhood peacock is still around. I think the horses are almost used to him now. I've grown a bit tired of him, personally! I want him to go home!! Stray dogs I know what to do with...stray peacocks, on the other hand, I don't!

"Excuse Me, Sir, Are You Lost?"

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:29:00 +0000

As I was finishing up in the barn tonight, something was getting the horses on one side of the barn going. Hummer let out one of those snorts and went spinning around the stall, and Jubie was transfixed on *something* behind the barn. I took a look around, and didn't see anything, so I went to the house. Then I noticed Monster locked on something...and look what I saw walking through the front paddock! Monster proceeded to lose it, and ran to the far end of her paddock, while the visitor walked through! Usually bunny rabbits are exciting as we get around here...though I'm not sure this qualifies as wildlife! He's got to belong somewhere, doesn't he? I wonder if he lives with that Brittany that showed up a few weeks ago. Not really a good combination, if that's the case!

A Little Bit of Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Things have been a little hectic these last few weeks. I did get in one painting session after my hard drive died - call it a coping mechanism - but since then just about everything else has gotten in the way. I'm really hoping things settle down a little now. Hay is in, repro work for the mares is up-to-date for a few weeks, and so on. Finally, tonight, I got back to the easel. That last session I started working on the colour in the background of my painting of Sealy Hill, so I picked up where I left off tonight. First layer on the background has been taken care of, and some drying time is in order. This one is an 18 x 24 oil on panel.

I just wanted to share a cute pic I took today. I took some photos of an older Border Collie for an upcoming portrait, and accompanying her was her much younger Bichon friend, Seymour. Seymour was mesmerized by the girls in the front paddock, and the three of them did their best to drive him crazy. I was just shaking my head, because you know that if I was on any one of them, this little Bichon would have suddenly become a werewolf or something, right?

This Week's Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:59:00 +0000

"Why do you put blindfolds on the horses?"

(They're not blindfolds...they're flymasks, to protect their eyes. They can see through them.)

"Why are you gelding him?"

(Because he doesn't need to be a stallion ~and~ Because life will be easier for all concerned if he's a gelding!)

"How much did that cost?"

(Hmm...I guess that might have been prudent to ask, eh? Oh well. I'll find out when we get the bill. Whatever it was, it was worth it!)

I think I'm going to have to question Monster's fashion sense....

It'll Be Just Like Starting Over...

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:31:00 +0000

It's a sinking feeling - I know I'm not the only one that's been there! You're doing something on your computer, and all of a sudden it locks up, or in the case of my little MacBook, incessantly beachballs. Force Quit isn't happening, so I have to shut it down, praying when I restart I will have a happy Mac! All looked as if it was going according to plan...the lovely chime, then Apple icon...but then....uh-oh. Little MB's nine lives were apparently all used up.

In hindsight (there's always that to drive us crazy, right?) I probably should have seen the signs that things were going south, but we non-tech types like to be in denial when it comes to our computers. Add to that, my external drive was being a little flakey, so I hadn't backed up for a couple of weeks --> more denial, right? Serious disaster. I delivered the MB to longsuffering techie friend, hoping it wasn't the hard drive, and if it was, that he'd be able to rescue what was on there, because he's always been able to do it before, right??? :-D

I think denial is finally wearing off and I'm dealing with reality. And I am actually dealing with it, which is somewhat surprising, when I think of what is likely lost with that hard drive! Lots and lots of photos, of course, including all the Queen's Plate ones. And an unknown amount of rewrite/edit of chapters of the LGN, part deux. There was a bit of scanning I did over the weekend of some of my smaller paintings, but I can scan them again. They've been varnished now, so we'll see how that goes. The one thing I realized, is that keeping a blog will pay off in this instance. While I've lost the high res versions of my works in progress, it's all laid out here in this blog. I have thought of using online resources for backing up some stuff, and this most recent incident may inspire me to look into that further!

The good news is, the MB was still under warranty - advice given to extend Apple Care has paid off with the little beast, as it's pretty much been replaced from top to bottom. Doesn't say a lot for Apple's quality anymore, unfortunately, but I'm hoping I actually get a new MB out of this, because there have been so many repairs. A shiny new laptop would go a long way towards easing my pain, don't you think?

So....that's my sad story, and the reason for my most recent disappearance! Last night I just pretended I was at the cottage. Didn't turn on the TV, put on some music, and opened a book (gasp!). And now I'll see if I can find some kind of photo here on my dad's laptop to go along with this post. No guarantees that it will have anything to do with the content!

(Actually...I found a cottage picture! And the sunset is somehow appropriate, considering the sad little MacBook, don't you think?)

Pictures, As Promised!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda Shantz) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:11:00 +0000

Okay, now for the long overdue photo update of some of the kids! I am probably overly-cautious about turnout, as today was the first day I turned both Clever and Twine and their babies out together! I always seemed to have one excuse or the other, most of which had to do with getting these mares bred and in foal (or not, as the case ended up being with Clever). Breeding season is over, for us, so what will be will be from here on in! Anyway...after the initial tearing around that inevitably happens, everyone decided grass was a cool novelty and dropped their heads. Of course there was the occasional skirmish...Leo knows his mom, so he got out of there in a hurry when Clever's boy decided to introduce himself!

Little Spiderman (who is no longer little, and no longer Spiderman, actually) stood up for himself pretty well out there. Helps that he's almost as big as Leo, though two months younger! He's a real sweetheart, with none of big brother Billy's reservations. It looks like he's going to be a dark bay. He's changed so much from the last time I posted a photo of him! That super fuzzy coat isn't doing him any favours now that the weather is warmer, though! And it just doesn't come out like a winter coat does!

Gracie watched kind of like me - with trepidation! Hard to believe a year ago that was her and Billy out there. She is getting to be quite a big girl, and is actually taller than Billy.

And the photo of Billy is from yesterday, before I broke it to him that he had to give up his big grassy paddock for the moms and babies.

The other three mares are turned out in the front paddock - Gladys, Jubie, and my girl Monster. They haven't changed, at least on the outside! Maybe a year from now it will be Gladys' and Jubie's foals I'm showing off!