taking chances

I used to be such a snob.

I didn’t think Frederick Remington was a real artist because he painted cowboy themes.  I was that peculiarly annoying thing: an East Coast snob.  But I was young.  One must forgive the young for their annoying stances — especially when it’s your own young past self!

Anyway, I was at the Museum of American Art last weekend with an agenda: I wanted to make a drawing after Childe Hassam’s painting “Tanagra, The Builders” (which I posted recently).  While I was there I also did a certain amount of wandering around and encountered this tour de force by Remington.  It stopped me in my tracks.

Frederick Remington, “Fired On,” 1907, Smithsonian American Art Museum

 

In all humility I made a rapid sketch of the main horse, rapid because by that time I was supposed to meet some other people, and I only had a few minutes to spare.

I’m glad that I make these fast drawings these days.  I used to feel intimidated and it cost me some wonderful opportunities.  There’s nothing to lose and much to gain in simply drawing the world around you.

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Having Fun

Regular readers of this blog know I like to make copies.  I also like to have fun.  A while back when I was drawing horses I made these two drawings which live on the same sheet thanks to the invention of construction tape (used to make a larger sheet by combining several sheets together).  I was copying horses from Japanese art.  Unfortunately I can’t remember who the artist is.  Hiroshige, Hokusai, someone else?  I dunno.  But here they are. 

My copies are definite interpretations.  Mine lack the rigor of the originals (boo woo) and also have a laisser-aller element that I attribute to the “fun” aspect.  If one were turning Japanese masterworks into kid cartoons, you might get a drawing somewhat a kin to these.

But, hey, sometimes an artist just wants to have fun.

Drawing Horses

I drew horses today.  (And I even got some work done on my still life!  You can read about that lament in previous posts.)

Drawing horses is something I did just for fun.  (I decided that I needed a big dose of fun, since I was becoming old sober sides.)

I played around with the color quite a bit.  I guess you knew that.  But certainly they are “horses of a different color” just like in the saying.

Benefits & Hazards of Blogging

Hazards?  Well, here’s one.  You tell the whole world (or a largish audience anyway) that you’re working on such and such.  And then you get lazy and don’t work on such and such for just the longest time.  (My big still life of flowers berates me daily for my neglect.) 

Benefits?  Well, I’ve participated in some “drawing challenges,” and they can be really fun.  You join a group endeavor.  Others spur you on.  Everybody is trying to encourage each other.  And all that. 

Lately I’ve been drawing horses for another blog.  Each month someone suggests a different image.  This month it was horses which happens to be a favorite subject for me.  Mind you, I don’t know anything about horses and rarely ever get anywhere near one.  Alas!  But I have some toy horses that are reasonably good approximations of the real thing.  So I draw the toys.  

I love it!  This one above is not a new drawing.  But I post it now to cover my laziness!