Midnight Pony

This cute painted pony now lives in the home of Carol's grandson who is two and a half.
Carol has been my student for many years and is a talented artist who has faithfully painted and made a commitment to herself that only discipline and hard work are the answer to becoming really good.

Those who see her work are amazed at how good she is. I am not amazed. I have seen her grow and struggle and laugh softly at herself as she relentlessly pursues her dream of learning to paint. I am very proud of Carol and am honored to be her teacher.

This cute pony is part of the illustration endeavors I create for my ETSY site, TwoPaintedPonies.  I have loved painting colorful, decorative illustrations since I was a child and would put paper books together of childlike stories, usually about horses, and illustrated them with my drawings.

I love color and contrast and enjoy experimenting with simple elements of design. Simplicity is the key. I usually make a black and white sketch in my journal of the idea I wish to execute. I make a simple center of interest:a pony, a bird, a baby llama, a mermaid, or a unicorn. From this very simple concept a design is developed in my mind, and I use the five elements of contour shape: a dot, a straight line, a curved line, an angle and a circle to make interesting designs on my composition.

This is pretty much the opposite mindset I use when creating my fine-art paintings. Illustrations, to me, are very controlled, while my paintings reflect the wild and free area of my heart  and are for the most part spontaneous and intuitive.

Much like my dad who animated some of the most treasured characters we have grown to love, he also had a painting side as an impressionist. Two very opposite places in the mind!

Giclee Prints            Large Note Cards