Years ago Wes and I traveled to Paris to celebrate a decade together. I photographed everything, hoping to return to my studio with lots of source material for future work. Back home, one image rose to the surface.
Fontaine de l'Observatore, detail, horses by Emmanuel Frémiet, photo by the artist
The musculature of the rearing animals sprayed by water and the mythic aspect of the merhorses caught my attention.
Fountain, oil paint on linen, 14"x24"
I decided to make a small painting as a starting point for figuring out where the image was going.
Pretty quickly (and as is often the case) I knew I wanted to go much bigger.
sketch for Horses, charcoal on linen, 48”x56”
It was great to draw the horses large, and use my whole arm and body to find the movement and gesture they contained.
Horses, charcoal and oil paint on linen, 48”x56”
I sketched in the fountain around them, and the grass that lay beyond. I tinted the background red, preparing the way for a blue sky. Putting light blue on top of a red wash would make the color pop and glow.
But as I added paint, I saw turmoil emerging - in the marks representing water and in the paint on the animals. The fountain containing the horses was constraining the image: I painted it out along with the foliage in the background, and saw that the red sky made sense.
Horses, charcoal and oil paint on linen, 48”x56”