Misty Morn

Last Friday and today I gave another painting workshop to Joanne Pollard and Tammy Mercer here at the farm. Once again, my students have done me proud.

Tammy was stuck on a portion of a painting she was doing on Morocco - trying to get depth or contrast. She played with the colors and contrast until she was happy with her results - as she should be. Now she has two painting done - one more to go of her little guy Beemer. We took some great shots of him running in the field so maybe she can get started on the next one now!

Joanne was given a gift certificate for a workshop for mothers day from her daughter. She decided to paint from an old photograph of her horse Misty Morn and her foal. The source photo was difficult - had fence posts in front of her face and was hard to see the contrast, but it was enough - with her memory to paint a wonderful first acrylic for her wall. She did a great job and was bold with her color choices - giving the illusion of the horses coming out of the mist. I hope she is happy with the outcome and enjoys it for years to come.

Make sure to brag ladies! I am planning to set up some dates for summer and fall workshops for those who are keen to attend, just send me a note or keep posted on the website for more details. I am always happy to do a workshop for folks if they have 2-3 people available as well.

Kids horse camp at Maple Leaf Meadows

Last week I was out visiting my family in Alberta and decided to take one of my horse crazy nieces to a riding camp. The camp was offered by Maple Leaf Meadows, a short drive from the city on the southwest side. It was a perfect week to build her skills around horses and to get introduced to the facility. There were about 13 kids in the camp, of all skill levels - all with the same goal - to spend the week around all things horsey.

I have offered painting workshops for kids at camps on the island before so thought I would offer to do the same here, and the camp staff took me up on it. So, Wednesday I taught the kids to paint a horse using acrylics. They did a great job and Kirsti, the leader, commented that she was amazed at how long they remained focused on the task! I find that once folks start to paint, with the right supports, they can get lost in time for hours.

Here are a few photos of Jordan, my niece with her painting and showing her new skills on one of the horses at the camp. I was very impressed at how light she was with her hands, and the big guy seemed to be quite responsive to her. Hope that she is happy with her week and her new friends and skills.

I was very impressed with the camp, the instructor and the facilities - highly recommended for those near Edmonton.