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Evening Skies, Pasture

2012-01-25T14:27:00.003-05:00

What's an artist to do? It is winter in North Carolina. What to paint? There are no snow covered scenes to paint. Not that I am complaining. All the colors of spring, summer and fall have turned to a dull gray mixed with a muddy clay colored brown. Enough to bring you down.....

But look up! There in the sky! It's... It's...the sky!

It seems that nature compensates for the lack of color on the ground with a dazzling show above. No more hazy summer days when the humidity won't let you see a blue sky. A clear blue, a dramatic light.....Time to paint!

I really haven't settled on a title for this painting. Something with evening and pasture. It's getting dark, it's cold and muddy. Home from work and you have to move the horses or feed the dogs before you can go inside and relax. As you trudge along you glance up and see the departing day throw a splash of color.....

It is an 8 x 10 oil painting on canvas. And it is for sale. $360. shipping included.

Painting of Charlie and Multimedia Linen Panels

2011-12-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

This post is about a recent painting and I have decided to write about it in two parts. First you get to know about the subject of the painting, the late Charlie Dashiell and below the second image about the panel it was painted on.

We met Charlie when exhibiting our art work at Virigina Horse shows. He had been repairing tack and doing leather work "since Hector was a pup," as they say. His shop at the shows was an old trailer and by the time we met him, he was organizing the concessions and vendors for a number of horse shows. Theresa and I got the chance to got out to dinner with Charlie one night before a show. Lots of stories, from when as a boy he rode a pony to school to histories of the shows and his take on some of the personalities. He was definitely one of a kind.

This painting is an 8 x 10 oil. This is at either the Upperville Horse Show or the Rose Mount Horse Show, I am not quite sure

Here is the painting in a walnut frame.

Okay, for all you artists, this painting was done on a linen panel. The texture of linen is distinct from that of cotton canvas, a bit more fun to paint on. The linen is mounted to Multimedia Artboard, a resin and fiberboard, which is an archival substrate. The linen is oil primed as opposed to an acrylic primer. The oil primed linen gives a brighter color as the oil is not absorbed into the primer, as is the case with acrylic gesso. The rigidity of the panel prevents the flexing of the paint layer that occurs with stretched linen as it changes with humidity and temperature. The panels come in thicknesses from paper thin to 1/4 inch and are extremely lightweight. Great for travel.

Note: Multimedia Artboard did give me some panels to try. I did like them and I do use them, that is why I am telling you about them. ( I don't write about the products that I don't like and use.)

Fox and Fox

2011-11-28T07:58:00.001-05:00

Here as the two latest Red Fox paintings. Both are the same size, 8 x 10 and come in a black frame with gold leaf lip, the same as the fox painting in the previous post.

Red Fox RM2 8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

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Red Fox RMI 8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

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The paintings are available for $360. with frame and free shipping.

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The Fox

2011-11-14T15:07:00.005-05:00

This Red Fox was painted while at the Duke Children's Hospital Horse Show in Raleigh. The painting surface is Italian oil primed linen which is mounted onto an archival Sintra board. A wonderful surface to paint on and it gives great texture to the finished painting.

click on image for a better view

Painting for Art Classes

2011-11-04T08:55:00.005-04:00

Theresa and I have been teaching classes introducing people to painting. The classes are held in our Studio and at The Twisted Vine Wine Shop and Wake Forest Art and Frame in Wake Forest NC. You can find out more at ArtStudentAcademy.com

Here is a short video of me starting to work on a painting to be used as a model for a class.

Tuscany to Carolina

2011-09-28T10:33:00.006-04:00

Another Acrylic Painting and another Oil Painting

Tuscan Memories
8 x 10 Acrylic on Board

$300. shipping included

Originally this painting was planned to be a model for another Wine+Art Painting Class(Party?) at the Twisted Vine Wine Shop in Wake Forest, NC. In fact, I painted it at the Twisted Vine, something about painting with a glass of wine on the table just makes me think back to the Impressionist and post impressionists in Paris during the late 9th and early 20th centuries.

But as you can see, it is a bit more complex than the last one and might be a bit frustrating for first time artists. It is destined to be hung with other works at the shop, unless of course you decide that you want it....

Turquoise and Steel 1

18 x 24 Oil on Canvas

This painting is the first in a series exploring the landscape and skies of our lakes, beaches and the farmlands of the coastal plain. You may also notice that these are larger paintings, starting at 18 x 24. Quite a change from the 4 x 6 paintings in the 1hundredpaintings blog. The painting in progress below is a 30 x 40 and an even larger canvas awaits....

Recent Paintings

2011-09-05T23:16:00.005-04:00

Here are two recently completed paintings. Both are landscapes, one was commissioned by a collector and the other painting while not a commission, was done for a specific purpose. One is an acrylic and one an oil.

Lets look at the first painting, the acrylic.

This painting was done to be used as a model for a painting class held in a nearby wine shop, The Twisted Vine. ( You can read about the class here, and the shop here.) Since our students use acrylics, so did I. After painting mostly in oils the last five years or so, but having painted watercolor portraits for over ten years before, the acrylics were interesting to work with. The first layers started out very transparent, like watercolors, on a white canvas. Later opaque passages were worked in. New colors to learn such as the difference between lightening a color by diluting it and letting the white show through and lightening a color by adding white. A good example of this is burnt sienna. You can try this with oils or acrylics.

And then you have to decide when to go opaque and when to leave transparent passages alone. And this was supposed to be easy, to provide a guide for students....

The second painting is an oil, a painting of a golf course. However, it is not your ordinary golf course.

The painting is 12 x 24 on oil primed linen. A transparent ground of Charvin French red was applied (Why do French paint companies come up with such names. Why not use the pigment names so we know what we get. Cadmium Red, Cad. Red Light, Cad. Red Deep. Make it a little easier for us easily confused artists) The French Red has a very orange cast to it when applied in a thin layer. Then comes the nice soft buttery oil paint with enough pigment load to actually be opaque. Except, the oil primed linen has a very slick surface compared to an acrylic ground. So a first layer was blocked in rather transparently. Once paint was on the surface, your brush would remove paint rather than blend it. So plan your work. Get the color right and get the shapes right.

After it had a chance to set up and dry somewhat, the surface was more receptive and would grab the paint. Overpainting and blending became possible. Like the acrylic, I had to decide what to leave as is and what to paint over. (The answer is that most of the painting was overpainted, however a lot was left from the original session. Most of the area above the grass. The shadows of the hills were let mostly alone. The dark shadows in the sand traps also. The sky was painted over three times, using the grain of the canvas to let some previous colors come through.

A fun to paint painting. It's always great when a painting works out and you get to enjoy creating it.

Painting at Blowing Rock

2011-08-19T03:42:00.007-04:00

We have just returned from two weeks at the Blowing Rock Horse Show in where else but Blowing Rock NC. Actually, it has taken a week or so to recover from the show and get caught up here and back to work in the studio and out in the field.

The Blowing Rock Show actually started months ago with creating a painting for the show's poster and t-shirts. This painting was fun to do, including setting up the props and trying to get the level of wine in the glasses just right...too much, have to sip it down some-oops...drank to much, have to pour more....you get the picture. (Actually I had a three hour drive home after the session and the wine very quickly got warm.)

The posters and t-shirts proved very popular. All sorts of show participants wanted one....

Of course, after setting up our exhibit it was off the Wall (also know as the Wine Wall) to paint the view of the John's River Gorge. It was evening when I started painting and after an hour or so the sun was setting so fast that you couldn't keep up with the changing light and colors.

A number of dogs had portraits painted of them this year at the show

And a miniature portrait of a trainer on the rail watching was a gift commissioned by one of her clients

A final note, "The Wall" is how I refer to that location. "The Wine Wall" is a name used by others. My "recovering from the show" had nothing to do with wine, just a continuous period of painting and working outdoors. It seemed that by the time you were done for the day, it was time to get started all over again. A wonderful time at a wonderful show with some wonderful people. Until next year...

Children on the Beach

2011-07-05T22:29:00.003-04:00

Here is the completed painting, On the Beach, 24 x 30 oil on canvas

You can see the earlier stages of this painting on the 1hundredpaintings blog

I worked from a photograph the children's mother took a number of years ago. Capturing the late afternoon/early evening light was my goal here. Of course being able to recognize the children is the foremost requirement. Nearly twenty years ago I was lucky enough to be able to study color theory (actually color practice, color theory usually falls apart when you start putting paint on the canvas) with an artist who studied with a student of Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, on of the greatest painters at capturing color and light. His work is well worth study.

Below are details from the painting.

Sunday Afternoon in the Park, Impressionism Revisited

2011-05-17T10:19:00.002-04:00

Sunday in the Park. An afternoon concert in the open air. I have my easel and canvas set up amongst the crowd and am painting the people watching the show. This must be how the impressionists felt, outside painting people enjoying themselves.

There is a great leap from painting trees and flowers on location to tackling people. At this point look for a few clues to help you. People who seem settled in. If they have chairs, food and drink they probably will stay for a bit. Couples can give you nice interaction and if one leaves for a bit, the other will stay. At this time, I avoided painting people with children and pets. They can be gone in a flash, never to return.

I was able to paint this couple for most of first set until someone sat on a wall between them and me, blocking the view.

Below a painting looking out at the spectators. The trick is looking out at all those people and colors and think, how am I going to paint all that in the time available. A back lit subject kept my canvas in the shade. Hat brim pulled down, but still a lot of bright light. Sunglasses on as soon as I finished.

Sunday-Concert in the Park

4 x 6 Oil on Canvas

$100. shipping included

Painting Greens

2011-05-10T23:03:00.002-04:00

It looks like the title to this post ends up inadvertently being a pun. Today I began the actually work, that is getting out on location and the putting paint to canvas, on a new project. Sort of an artist in residence at the North Ridge Country Club in Raleigh NC. The project is a series of paintings of views of the courses, some done on location and possibly some painted in the studio.

Here is the first study, the product of this afternoons work at Hole No. 8 on The Oaks Course.

Getting back to the pun, while mixing colors to paint the Pine Trees, the Oak Trees and the young newly planted trees. The grass of the fairway and the grass of the green, the grass in the foreground and the grass in the distance, I remembered one of our students at this past Saturday's workshop (Painting in the Rose Garden) asking me, just how do you get the greens in the landscape correct. Now there is an answer for him, go paint at a golf course. After a couple of months, you will have all the shades and tones of green, all the mixtures and colors figured out or you will have given up or gone mad.

You can see our classes here: ArtStudentAcademy.com

The Lorenz Grand and Stardust Ballroom

2011-04-13T20:01:00.005-04:00

The Lorenz Grand (and Stardust Ballroom) is a home theatre in SC. Here is a step by step look at the creation of a Gold leaf and Mahogany sign for the lobby

First rough designs were drawn (no. 2 pencil and paper)

Getting closer to a design

After the drawing is done, a full scale pattern is made.

The sign blank, stained and varnished

The finished pattern is perforated.

A pattern is made for the scrolls

The perforated pattern is pounced onto the sign. (Powdered French Chalk in a bag is rubbed over the pattern to transfer the design)

The transfered pattern

Gold size is painted on.

The gold leaf will adhere to the gold size

All of the gold leaf areas are painted

The gold size has to reach the right degree of dryness before the gold leaf is applied

23kt Gold leaf is applied to the gold size

The sign with gold leaf

Gold leaf is engine turned

A clear varnish covers the gold to protect from scratching

The sign ready for outlining and shading

Black outlines and maroon shading and lettering finish the sign

Painting Aiken - Art Workshop April 16 and 17

2011-04-09T07:52:00.005-04:00

Join me April 16 and 17 from 10-4 and step OUTSIDE with your oil paints and easel while I share with you mytechniques and tips for creating beautiful "plein air" paintings. For complete information and to sign up, visit http://www.aikencenterforthearts.org/. 803/641-9094

Creating a Painting

2011-03-03T20:24:00.002-05:00

You can follow a painting as it is being created. I have been taking photos as I progress with this painting. The painting is an oil on canvas, 24 x 30. A bit larger than the 4 x 6 paintings you will find at the 1hundredpaintings blog.

So follow along and we will both see how this turns out.

The subject of the painting is a brother and sister at the beach. You can see that the canvas was toned, however instead of a red ground, it received a dull yellow color. The layout was roughed in with pencil and the painting begins.

First, painting some of the darks, then the white of the boy's shirt. This begins to show the range of values (the lights and darks) in the painting.

Some more shapes are roughed in...

The sky and the ocean are painted. More darks in the dune grass behind the boy and some shadows in the sand.

Of course, the photos are taken at irregular intervals, keep getting into the painting and forget about the camera. Maybe a timer....

Check back

Painting at the Vet School

2010-11-09T22:13:00.004-05:00

Painting a pastoral scene on location often means a drive out in the country, but at the western end of Hillsborough St. in Raleigh is the NC State Vet school. Between the modern classrooms and laboratories and the I-440 Beltline is this bit of country life, barns and cows, green fields and trees.

So on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in October I drive into Raleigh to stand on the side of a six lane road and paint a rural landscape.

Here is a photo of my easel with the farm

And the finished painting.....

Barn at the Vet School

9 x 12 Oil on Canvas

Something Different

2010-09-07T17:28:00.002-04:00

What can you do with a fox painting? Of course, you could get prints made. Even lampshades, But here is something different, You can now find one of my most popular fox paintings on neckties.

Red Fox Necktie $49.95
as usual, shipping included.

Busy Busy Busy Part 2

2010-09-01T09:05:00.007-04:00

In the last post, I told you about the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show. In the last two months I have also been busy doing something else that I love to do. Gold leaf and hand lettering names of boats.

The first two boats are Lightning Bugs, electric boats from Budsin Woodcraft. The ideal boat for a sunset cruise around the lake, quiet enough to hold a conversation whilst sipping some champagne.

Next are two videos of lettering on two Chris Craft boats. The first is a 1947 model. Since it is a post-war boat, it is considered a Classic. This is the same type of boat as seen in the film "On Golden Pond"

This next boat is a 1931 Runabout. Since it is a pre-war boat, it is an antique. Both of these boats will be at the Antique and Classic Boat Show at Lake Wheeler in Raleigh, NC on Sept. 25th. I will have photos of them in the water afterwards.
For information on the boat show go to VintageBoat.org

Here is Indiscretion, a 1964 35' Fino Runabout a classic Italian boat built along the lines of the Riva Aquarama. She was lettered after a new paint job. The work was done while she was getting her bottom paint and final fitting out. In the photo below she has not yet gotten her teak rails and chrome lights. The lettering and transom will be getting a coat of clear awlcraft. The reflection on the swim platform was accomplished by wetting it down to simulate the final look. The final paint was incredible. The entire boat and everything in it was painted, then sanded with 1500 grit sandpaper and finally buffed out to a mirror finish. The second photo is a look at the bow inside the paint booth and shows off her lines. Just the boat to be scooting about on the Riveria in the early sixties.

December 2011-CORRECTION-I received an email from a Fino owner who has actual facts:

I happened upon your blog entry from last year regarding this boat. I am a Fino owner myself, and have been assembling information about these boats, including the current whereabouts and condition of the various individual examples. Contrary to your post, these boats were actually built in Florida between 1970-1973, and approximately 28 were constructed (mine was #9). The design is certainly influenced by the Italian "Riva", but the designer was Walt Walters, who designed many well known offshore race boats in the '60s and '70s.

In the next post you get a look at one of my painting workshops that was held a Jerry's Artarama Raleigh Store

Busy Busy Busy,

2010-08-30T22:45:00.005-04:00

Let me tell you a bit about what has been going on through July and August.
First, the Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show took place the last week in July and the first week in August. I was honored by the BRCHS Foundation when they asked me create the painting for the poster, t shirts, cards etc.

The painting is 24 x 36 and was auctioned off at the Horse Shows Gala party to benefit the foundation.
While the horse show was underway, you could have found me throughout the grounds painting scenes of the show, including a "Foggy Day at Blowing Rock"

In addition the paintings of the show, I had many requests for specific commissions. I am still working on them.

But more that the Blowing Rock Horse Show has been going on, but I am going to leave that for the next post.

Black and White Painting in Color

2010-07-02T22:57:00.003-04:00

Today's painting, a horse head, was referenced from a black and white photo. But I can't paint in just black and white, I need color. Starting with a red ground ( artspeak for background ) on my canvas, I laid in the basic dark dark shapes. A few of the not so dark darks and then I jumped to the lights. Not straight white, a bit of orange and ochre to warm it up.

When painting in public, you get to talk to fellow artists of varying skill levels. I talk to quite a few who work in pencil or charcoal but are reluctant to paint or who have tried painting and were unhappy with the results. Let me use this painting to illustrate a couple of helpful ideas.

First, if you draw exclusively in black and white, be it pencil or charcoal or whatever. Make it easy for yourself and try working with only black and white paint. You already know how to discern tthe values ( darks and lights ) and to see the shapes, so just work with learning how the paint works. How it feels going on the canvas. How to thin. How it covers and how it blends. Play with that.

A second step is to work on a colored ground. You can use charcoal and white chalk or pastel on a blue or tan paper. Here is where it gets interesting. The white black and the ground color can be used to create cool and warm colors. Using a warm colored, say a tan paper or background you can use the black and white chalks with the tan showing through to create a range of warm tones. Now if you take your black and white and mix a range of grays without allowing the background color to show, they will have a cool, bluish cast compared to the color of your background.

Try creating two value scales (a row of ten squares going from black to white) side by side, one with the black and white mixed opaquely, the other with the colored ground showing through (work from your ground color adding white as you get lighter and using the ground color and black to create your darks. Do not mix black and white together in this scale)

In the painting below, white mixed with orange, ochre and red are used in the lights. The darks range from a deep mixture of blue and brown, to greenish midtones to bluish halftones and both warm and cool reflected light. A lot of fun, playing with a black and white image. If you find this interesting, I will be teaching a workshop in August. See below for more..

8 x 8 Oil on Canvas
$240. Shipping included

The workshop will be in Raleigh NC at Jerrys Artarama on August 14, from 10 - 4.
For more go to Jerrys Raleigh store.

More Small paintings

2010-06-22T16:52:00.011-04:00

A summer's Sunday evening in Middleburg Va. The town has quieted down but the sun is still bright and high in the sky. This is a view down Washington St. I am always amazed that by painting this shape in one color and adding another color blog there you end up with a painting of a scene.

Of course, all that throwing of color on the canvas has work and time behind it. Working with the same colors on the palette for years will enable you to mix colors almost unconsciously.
And we have to learn how to translate the incredible range of values (light and dark) of the world around us into that narrow band we can create on canvas. How do you create the luminosity of an awning glowing from the sun behind it with just paint? How do you paint a black wall in the sunlight?

When painting is going well, and here I am using "painting" to refer to the action of painting, not the object on the easel, I seem to be holding a running conversation with myself, or more accurately, I find that a part of me is telling me what to do next, "Mix a bit of cadmium orange into that blue. Make that shape darker in value towards the bottom. Bring that line over to the left..." All that practice and lessons learned come back as they are needed. Then at some point I will look at the painting and think to myself, "Wow, did I do that?"

To me, this is one of those paintings.

Middleburg Afternoon
4 x 6 Oil on Canvas
$100. shipping included

Of course, it isn't always this way. Sometimes I look at my subject, at the canvas and the palette saying to myself, "How the heck am I supposed to do that?" or "What am I supposed to do now?" A painting will often go through a stage that an artist friend call "the uglies." So persevere and you can bring it on through.

Small Paintings Horses and Water

2010-05-04T12:00:00.007-04:00

Here are a couple of small oil paintings, 4x6 on wood panels. These will definitely be used to create larger works. They were painted while exhibiting at at the Aiken Spring Classic Horse Show in Aiken SC. Hot sun, temps in the 90's and humidity made the subject very appealing. I will definitely be working on larger versions of these subjects.

Normally, these paintings would be on my 1hundredpaintings blog but I wanted to get them up now and there are three or four paintings scheduled before them on that site.

Cool Drink
4 x 6 Oil on Wood panel
SOLD

Afternoon Swim
4 x 6 Oil on Wood panel
$100. shipping included

Finished Painting - A Series, Leadline Class

2010-03-20T22:02:00.004-04:00

Lead Line at Blowing Rock
12 x 16 Oil on Linen

This is the finished painting I began earlier as shown in this previous post,

http://sfilarsky.blogspot.com/2010/01/painting-series-leadline-class-at.html

Painting the town

2010-03-08T21:57:00.003-05:00

It feels great to be out painting in the sunshine and warm weather. I'm trying to take advantage of these days to get out and paint. Painting the town is a series of paintings I am working on of small towns, the countryside and city scenes from here in central North Carolina. Painting outdoors "on location" is a entirely different animal than painting in the studio.
In the studio you take your time, for time stands still for you. You study the painting, mix a color on the palette. Look at it, try it on the canvas. Maybe its not quite right. Get it right try it again. That's better, but the brush stroke is a bit off. Try it again. Meanwhile, Sunday afternoon, out on the side of the road.....

Bridge over the Neuse River
8 x 10 oil on canvas
$350.
This old bridge crosses the Neuse River at a small community called Falls of the Neuse. The falls were replace with a dam and the community is now part of the city of Raleigh. The area has a distinctly NC mountain feel to it with the road winding down hill to the river. I will definitely be painting here again

When you are painting outdoors, time is moving. You take what you learned in the studio and just do it. The time you spent mixing colors from different combinations of paint have made matching the colors almost second nature. But the sun moves, the light changes and the shadows shrink and grow and wander around. No time to let you mind wander, it is a matter of focusing exclusively on the painting and the scene. Not that I am oblivious to what is happening around me. I stop, look around, talk to people who wander over, but when painting I am totally painting.

Farm on Harris Road
8 x 10 Oil on canvas
$350.
This farm near in Wake Forest NC has been turned into a park rather than a subdivision.

On of the most obvious differences between painting outdoors vs indoors is the range of value, or the amount of the shades of dark and light that you see. If you are using a photograph to paint from this is easy to see. Take a photo of a scene outdoors. Then look at the shadowed areas in the photo. Just flat dark shapes, yet if you look at that scene you can see what is in the shadows. The shadows just aren't as dark as the camera shows. So I keep this in mind when working from photographs, something to take back into the studio with me.

Five Points
8 x 10 Oil on Canvas
$350.
This area is closer to downtown Raleigh. A collection of shops and stores at an interesction of five roads. A really interesting part of town. To the left of the painting is a neighborhood of big old homes. To the right side would be neightborhoods of 1920's bungalows. A very paintable area, I'm just waiting for Spring to get here and give me some green leaves and flowers to paint.

I have touched on a few of the differences between working outside and inside. I always seem learn something to take back to the studio and the studio work helps me improve my work outdoors..

The Fox in Snow Series

2010-03-07T22:23:00.006-05:00

I am currently working to complete the 18 x 30 oil painting below of a fox walking throught the snow. This painting began now that I think about it over 4 years ago. I painted this fox three times before, from a 2 1/2 x 3 1/2" oil to a couple of 4 x 6 oils to the 18 x 30.

Here is the first, a ACEO, the size of a baseball card, though this is an original oil on canvas done in 2006.

Then last year came back to it, this time as a 4 x 6 oil. A bit easier to see when painting. I added some snow covered hemlocks to create a background.

Here is another version the same size as above. We have been having a bit more snow than usual this winter, so I simplified the design, just the fox and the snow.

Here is the start of the latest painting. I worked it on a red background. Patiently working on drawing the fox before painting the snow.

A this point, I have decided that I have worked enough on the fox to have some fun, so I got out the 2 inch brush and squeezed a pile of white paint on the palette and went at it. I had planned to paint the row of hemlocks in the background again, but I wanted to show the fox as a survivor, making it through the winter. I decided to paint the blue of the sky instead of trees. At that time I had already painted a line of green where the base of the trees would have been. I decided to keep that as a distant tree line, with our fox crossing an open field or frozen lake.

A this point my wife came into the studio. She is a portrait artist M. Theresa Brown and we often critique each others work. Well maybe we make suggestions to each other. She suggested that I paint him walking across grass next to stone wall. A great idea, so it looks like this painting won't be the last in the series of Fox walking in Snow. Check back the finished painting should be up in a couple of days.

Out and About on a Saturday

2010-03-07T08:47:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was another reminder that Spring is almost here. After some work around the house, I loaded the easel and headed out to paint. Now I could have found some secluded spot in the woods or an old farm field, but after mostly working in the studio, I decided that I would go where there are people!

The Café
8 x 10 Oil on Canvas
$350.

This building is in a nearby town. I liked the afternoon sun on the brick and the shape of the copper roof. I did misjudge the weather. When you walk out of our house in the winter, the wind is blocked by the house and the trees that form a windbreak behind it. The sun shines on the porch. When I set up my easel it was in the shade and the wind, under-dressed would be the word. Can you get hypothermia at 50 degrees F? Actually you can, not that I did.
So here is the latest plein air (French for Outside) painting. I will be returning to town to paint again, the combined paintings to create a portrait of the area.

's painting will be someplace a bit more rural, maybe the view for the side of a busy highway. I try to capture those little vignettes of landscape that are in our commonplace views.
So I will add a jacket to the supply list this morning, and not set up in the shade...

Evolution of a Painting - Two Cows Too

2010-02-04T08:26:00.002-05:00

I have always intended to show sort of a step by step, work in progress series of photos of a painting from beginning to end. Usually what happens is I take a photo of two and the beginning and then the painting takes over and when I am almost finished,I realize that I forgot to continue with the photographs. BUT NOT THIS TIME!
I managed to paint and photograph as the same time yesterday. Rather than a series of photos, I put them into a short ( 25 sec.) video. (The music is from the editing program )

The painting (it's for sale is a 4 x 6 oil on canvas will be posted on my other blog,

http://www.1hundredpaintings.blogspot.com

Painting a Series Leadline Class at Horseshow

2010-01-17T15:37:00.009-05:00

I don't think this would be considered a series just yet.. I am working on a painting, 12 x 16 that I originally did as a 4 x 6 oil for the 1hundredpaintings blog. Here is a look at that painting. You can click on it to see the original blog post.

Here is a photo of the 9 x 12 painting in it's early stages

Here we are a bit further along. The trick here is not to lose the spontaneity of the little painting while refining the details. Her expression is rather tricky to paint also. It doesn't take but a dab of paint of the wrong value and she will be pouting.

January already Website and Workshop

2010-01-11T10:33:00.006-05:00

The Christmas portrait and painting rush is over and now its time to get down and get organized. Taking care of the business. Updating our client and collector list. We moved the website to another hosting company and the names to another name registrar.

We will be updating the paintings on our portrait website. Most of the work we did the last three months were given as gifts, so we didn't want to ruin any suprizes by posting the images on our website.

We have added a couple of videos and a downloadable brochure on choosing a portrait artist. I am also posting paintings on my 1hundredpaintings blog:
http://www.1hundredpaintings.blogspot.com

WORKSHOPS
More workshops this year:
http://www.portraitsnc.com/whatsnew.html
I will be leading workshops in Wake Forest and Theresa and I will be conductiong seminars in "art as a profession, how to make a living" at the Jerry's Artarama store in Raleigh.

Off to the studio...

Varnishing Oil Paintings

2009-11-12T21:26:00.001-05:00

The photo below is a detail from one of Theresa's portrait paintings. It is a 32 x 48 oil painting of a woman and four horses. She finished it this past summer and we have been displaying it at shows ever since. A couple of weeks ago, between shows, I got the chance to varnish the painting. This is not polyurethane or a varnish you get at the hardware store. Picture varnish is an entirely different animal. First, it is clear. Second, while it protects the painting, it is delicate compared to modern wood varnishes. Third, it is reversible. It can be removed at a later date without damaging the painting.

What it does do it take the painting to another level. The darks become richer and the lights pop out. Think of the difference between a car with a beautiful shiny paint job and one painted with flat grey primer.

Look at the difference between the horse's head on the right and the one on the left. The fence board really shows the difference between the dull unvarnished and the varnished side. Note the girl hair, the side on her left has been varnished the right side not.

Working on a Series of Paintings

2009-11-03T07:02:00.007-05:00

Here is an ongoing series of paintings of a woman leading two horses out to pasture. So far, three different size paintings have been finished.These paintings are based a fews photos I took in the middle of portrait painting reference photo session. Actually, that does make sense, I was with my wife, portrait artist, Theresa Brown,we taking photos for her to use as reference in painting a portrait that she was commissioned to do of a woman and her horse at Chadale Farm in Cary, NC.

We had finished one session and Theresa and the client were reviewing the photos, so I prowled around with the camera. I almost missed the trio below, fumbling around trying to change lenses. I think that I was able to get about five shots.

The first painting of the series is a small thumbnail, 3 x 5 on panel, to explore the color and light and placement of the figures on the canvas. Sorry to tell you that it is already sold.

Here is a larger small study, 4 x 6 on canvas.

This is the largest painting of the series so far, 9 x 12 oil on canvas. You can see I have gone back to the first study for reference, but placed them more definitely in a location.

What's next? I am not sure. I might do an even larger, 16 x 20 or 18 x 24. It's really a lot of fun, So many variables to work with. Location of figures in the landscape and within the painting. The interaction of the woman and the horses. The amount of detail. The color of the late afternoon -evening light.

Or I might stay with this one and possibly publish prints of it and work on another series. I have already had a request for a similar painting with a blonde instead of a brunette.

The painting above is available for sale, $425. shipping included. Go to: http://www.smfilarsky.com/Recent-Paintings.html

Behind the Scenes

2009-10-07T21:50:00.005-04:00

As I was removing duplicate image files from my backup hard drive, I came across a couple of photos of "works in progress" Here are three paintings in various stages. Unfortunately, it seems that after I take a photo and start painting again, I get caught up in the process. The next thing you know, I have finished the painting with no photos of intermediate steps.

These three paintings show different stages in the creation of a painting.

Layout of the subject

Above and below show two different approaches to a painting. In the painting of the three corgis, I have gone directly to the subjects, while in the painting of the two jack russells, I worked on the background along with the subjects. The first method stems from my watercolor portraits. With watercolor it can be very difficult make corrections, so when working on a portrait it is important to get the likeness of the subject down before spending time on the background, clothing etc. Oil gives a bit more leeway since wiping off and repainting passages are much easier.

Here are the finished paintings.

Yogi at Blowing Rock, 9 x 12 oil

Three Corgis, 12 x 16 oil

Two Jacks, 8 x 10 oil

Painting a Series, Developing

2009-09-27T22:23:00.002-04:00

Here are two recent paintings I based on smaller 4 x 6 "thumbnail" paintings. Both of the smaller paintings are part of my One Hundred Paintings Blog

Farm near Unionville

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

This is the "thumbnail painting"

Farm near Unionville, PA. I came across this farm driving around Unionville and Doe Run PA near Kennetsquare and Chadds Ford. I had left the Devon Horse Show one afternoon to paint and take photos. I had been painting down the road (still am not happy with that painting, but I may make another stab at it)and was back driving when I saw this barn in my rearview mirror. Quick U-turn (the Honda Fit has its advantages over the Ford E-350 SuperDuty Van!) and some photos.

Jack on Plaid

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

The "thumbnail" for Jack on Plaid

Speaking of the One Hundred Paintings Project, I have now started Phase Two, Second Hundred Paintings. The blog will still be the same, http://www.1hundredpaintings.blogspot.com but I will allow myself to paint different sizes, both larger and smaller.

You can sign up for Email notices about new blog posts at the blog

Off to College

2009-09-10T12:23:00.003-04:00

One thing we notice painting portraits - Time keeps moving. This painting is of a girl leading her horse to the barn before heading off to college.

This 9 x 12 oil painting is a commission. In the photographs I worked from she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Unfortunately, the colors get lost between painting, digital camera and computer monitor.

Back to Blowing Rock - Josie

2009-09-10T12:11:00.002-04:00

No, it's not a bear. It's Josie. Josie is a dog, a Newfoundland. A big shaggy Newfoundland who has become a feature of the Blowing Rock Horse Show. Her owner is Doug Beach, horse show board member and owner of Twigs Restaurant in Blowing Rock. We took Josie to the top of "the Hill" to include the pine trees and view of the showgrounds. I worked from a number of photographs, some in sepia tone, some black and white and some in color.

Josie

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

Pig Paintings

2009-08-28T00:34:00.002-04:00

Two of the paintings from my One Hundred Paintings/One Hundred Days Project provided the inspiration for larger works. The Sampson County Arts Council is holding a art show entitled "Show Your Swine." I expanded on two of the 4 x 6 paintings to create a couple of 8 x 10's. I know it doesn't sound like it's any bigger but they are over three times the size.

These two are hanging at the show. A note about Sampson County and pigs. The Arts Council 2010 calendar will be exclusively filled with images from this show. They like pigs in Sampson County. A wonderful reception this evening with with a piano player, wine, pigs in a blanket, pork tenderloin and barbeque and a rather large turnout.

Back to the Beach ( Haven )

2009-08-27T23:15:00.003-04:00

I was up in New Jersey, visiting at the shore, when I ran across this painting in one of my collectors homes. I realized that it had gotten away without being photographed.

The painting, which is 9 x 12 oil on canvas, was painted in Beach Haven NJ. from a park which is a block off the ocean. What's so special about a water tower? If you look around you probably notice that water towers all seem to be a light blue, green pale sort of color. When the time came for this tower to be painted, those were the plans for it. But a hue and cry was raised. It seems that the orange tower has been used for years as an aid to navigation by boatmen and mariners. The orange color stands out against the blue sky and its uniqueness lets navigators know that they are off of Beach Haven.

You can see more seascapes at my website

http://www.sfilarsky.com/Landscapes-and-Seascapes.html

And a number of paintings for sale at my ebay store

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/sfilarsky-paintings

Come to think about it, one of my first, "take the easel and oil paints outside" plein air paintings was done a couple of block from here when I was still in high school.

Saratoga Paintings

2009-08-13T23:24:00.003-04:00

Here are some paintings of the Saratoga Race Track. These paintings are currently being exhibited (and joffered for sale) at the Beresford Gallery on Union St. in Saratoga Springs, NY.

I am not a morning person, but getting up a dawn to head over to the race track and watch whats going on is worth it.

8 x 10 Oil on canvas

8 x 10 Oil on Canvas

You can also find some small paintings at my One Hundred Paintings Project blog:

www.1hundredpaintings.blogspot.com

Bringing the Mountain Home

2009-08-13T17:20:00.008-04:00

Between shows and the One Hundred Paintings Project, I have been away too long from this blog. We returned from Blowing Rock last week after two weeks of painting and showing. The horse show paintings are on my website:

http://www.smfilarsky.com/Recent-Paintings.html

After the shows were over for the day, we would walk about 1/4 mile down the road to a small stone wall with a view of the John's River Gorge. After numerous trips of sitting and watching the sunlight and shadows and clouds move across the mountains and taken lots of photos that looked like nothing when you got home, I finally carried my easel and canvas down and set up on the wall to try and capture the view. I intended to take a small canvas to capture the light and color as it moved across the mountains. I found that I only had a 12 x 36 canvas prepped and ready to go. So it was to be a larger painting. I put them in the Honda Fit and drove down. There are no parking places at the wall so the honda "fit" just fine in what space was available. I began painting, at first getting the shapes of the mountains. Its amazing how much the camera flattens the scene when compared to what you view with your eyes. I painted until the sun was almost beginning to set. One hand holding the canvas and easel and the other shading my eyes from the lowering sun. Or maybe one hand holding the brush and the other jumping between the canvas and my eyes. A second trip would be nessecary.

The next two evenings it rained. Or was it three evenings. Time was running out. Sunday was the last day of the show and it started out foggy and raining. It cleared up by the afternoon. And the evening was looking promising. Theresa had already left with the dogs in the Honda leaving me with the big van so driving was out of the question. I left our display set up and carried the easel and canvas down to the wall. Thankfully, the weather cooperated, and I was able to paint long enough to get it on the canvas.

Thinking about it now, it was almost like painting a seascape with the ocean in slow motion. Rather than waves constantly changing, the mountains would be in sun one minute and in a shadow the next. Ridges and hollows would be there but when I looked back up from the painting, the would be lost.

Later, back at the studio, a little touch here and there and after twp years of visiting the site, I finally finished my first painting of the John's River Gorge. I envision spending a week or a month painting that location. Taking numerous canvases and changing them as the day progessed and the weather changed.

John's River Gorge

Oil on Canvas 12 x 36

John's River Gorge is available for purchase. I have a 3" gold leaf "plein air style" frame for it. Painting and frame are $1850., unframed $1650.

SOLD

Home from the Show

2009-07-01T10:11:00.004-04:00

Boy, the One Hundred Paintings in One Hundred Days Project has kept me pretty busy. I have been posting paintings to that blog daily and neglecting this one. We recently set up our art exhibit at a local horse show, the NC Hunter Jumper Assoc. Show in Raleigh NC. It was hot, but since we were inside, we were out of the sun and had plenty of electricity to run numerous fans. ( No AC )

While there, I worked on paintings for the One Hundred Paintings Project. A lot of the little paintings were sold at the show in addition to online. I completed a portrait while at the show and finished a landscape of a red barn and hay bales.

Portrait of Heidi
8 x 10 Oil on canvas

Red Barn Round Bales
9 x 12 Oil on Canvas

One Hundred Paintings starts

2009-05-13T18:17:00.002-04:00

In the midst of getting the One Hundred Paintings project started and getting ready to head to Keswick VA for the Keswick Horse Show and Lititz, Pa to the Quentin Riding Club for the Bluestone Horse Show, I got a chance to head to the coast for a day.

Of course, it wasn't about hanging around the beach or fishing or boating. Well a bit about boating. I was back at Budsin Woodcraft, builders of fine wooden electric boats. We have featured them in a past newsletter, but if you missed it, check out their website.

www.budsin.com

I went down to letter boat names of the transoms of some of these beauties. One boat was headed to The Point, a resort on Lake Saranac in the Adirondack Mts of New York. One was headed to a private lake at the Beaver Lake community in New Jersey and the last one will be going to the producer of the TV show Cheers. Here's a shot of it. The name is done in 23kt gold leaf with red and black trim.

With a high temperature that day of 60, I didn't miss the beach at all.

Don't forget to visit

www.1hundredpaintings.com

to see the first of the one hundred paintings.

One Hundred Paintings One Hundred Days

2009-05-08T21:53:00.003-04:00

I am starting a new project later this week. One Hundred Paintings in One Hundred Days.
You can follow the work on the blog I specifically created to show the paintings as they are completed.

Here is the link to One Hundred Paintings blog
www.1hundredpaintings.blogspot.com

Here is what I wrote there to introduce this project.

One Hundred Paintings in One Hundred days. That's my goal. A new painting to be shown everyday. Most of these will not be large paintings. Probably in the 4 x 6 inch range. The paintings will be for sale. The price, One Hundred dollars.

So what's the big deal. Just a little painting a day. Yes, but that is in addition to what is already going on in my studio. I will still be working on larger paintings, painting at the Horse Shows, setting up and exhibiting Theresa's and my work. Traveling to the shows. Not to mention, setting up all the backend to be able to show these to you.

Why? Productivity. I am always able to get more done, the busier I am. So I am going to make myself busier.

I hope you will come back and check on my progress. I am counting down to the start. When? Sometime in the coming week. No, I am not stockpiling paintings. I am getting this blog ready. Adding a mailing list for those of you who want to recieve email updates and just trying to get the logistics squared away.

As a lot of my paintings and our portraits are of dogs, I am going to donate a portion of all the dog paintings sold from this project to Danny and Ron's Rescue. Those of you who know me through the horse shows know all about Danny and Ron. Those who don't, you can check them out here.

www.dannyandronsrescue.com

Fun at a Local Show

2009-05-05T07:59:00.006-04:00

After the adventure of traveling to California and Florida to exhibit at some larges shows, we kicked back and stayed local. Our first show was a one-day Hunter Jumper show at a local barn, MacNair's Country Acres.
Travel time: 40 minutes. Set-up time: 30 minutes. We did not rush.
We spent time with old friends, clients and collectors and met with new friends, clients and collectors. It was a take your horse and sit under the tree and watch kind of show. The local 4-H was manning the food concession. Cooking real Hamburgers, Hot Dogs etc on a grill......
Thanks, Eastern Hunter Association and MacNair's

It was only a week later, that we were even closer to home at a local Arts and Crafts Festival in the nearby town of Wake Forest, NC. Meet in the Steet is put on by the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce and has been getting better and more organized each year. Volunteers help unload. Happy volunteers help unload.
Drive time: 15 minutes. Set-up time: A bit longer as a chance of wind and rain had us bringing out the big gun, our Craft Hut tent, rather than an EZ UP (EZ up, EZ down, EZ blow away)

Again it was FUN! Meeting people we haven't seen in quite a while. Meeting future clients and collectors. Catching up on the local arts scene.

Leave home 7:00 am, start packing up at 4:00 pm, at home by 6:00. Priceless

Another painting video

2009-04-30T11:38:00.005-04:00

I thought that I would share this painting video with you. A bit to long for YouTube. And I can't about to spend anymore time editing it. Working on other projects now.

It is recorded in real time, not high speed "fast painting." Though more has been edited out then left in. Mostly shots of the painting with nothing happening while I mix colors and decide what to paint next. The painting is 3" x 5" Don't turn up the volume, there is no soundtrack.

Meanwhile....

2009-04-28T22:50:00.005-04:00

In the midst of all the goings on (see the previous post) Theresa has been writing, with a little help from me, two books to help other artists who want to have the greatest job in the world market and sell their work. They are available as ebooks, so you can purchase and download them immediately.

Click on the images to read Theresa's description on her blog.

Meanwhile, I have been learning about e-commerce, digital product downloads, autoresponders putting together the website and newsletter. Which is free by the way, so you can sign up here. The website also offers articles on various aspects of an art career and an ongoing blog.

Catching up ....as the world turned..and the water flowed under the bridge

2009-04-28T20:35:00.015-04:00

Whoa! The last post on this blog was in February! Time to get with the program. A lot has happened since then. Get ready, this will be a long post.

Theresa and I spent a couple of weeks in Wellington FL, mostly at the Winter Equestrian Festival. I drove down a few days early to set up the camper, do some painting and get our exhibit up. It is just great on a long drive to pull over at a rest stop, make a meal and take a nap, then head on down the road again. When I got to Wellington, I ran into Vicky Moon who told me that I ought to go see a polo match before we got tied up at the horse show. I went to the Palm Beach International Polo Club on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. What a deal, cheaper than a NASCAR race ( I assume, I haven't been ) or a hockey game here in Raleigh. And free champagne at half time out on the field. A reward for replacing divots. I don't know what I expected, after seeing the old prints and watercolors, I thought it would be like golf on horesback. More like football or rugby. I took a lot of photos and some video as refernce for future paintings. After halftime, I walked down to the end of the field where the ponies and grooms were to get some behind the scenes shots. Now speed ahead from February to April. I had been with the Lechuza Caracas team, which lost 21 ponys at one time due to a improperly prepared vitamin and mineral supplement. One of the polo paintings is completed and it features a Lechuza player and pony. Is this one of the ponys that died? I couldn't tell you.

Click on image for more
Check back for more polo paintings.

After all the fun, it was time to go to work. At the horse show. Theresa got and completed two commissions right at the show. A norwich terrier and a girl and her pony. You can see them here www.portraitsnc.com/recentworks.html

Click image for more Wellington Paintings

Meanwhile, I was painting the showgrounds as always and also I was asked to paint the H'nD Stable to be given as a present to the owner.

H'nD Stables Click image to see more barns and commissioned paintings

NEXT STEP: The drive to California
Here as some entries in Theresa's blog about our journey

http://mtheresabrown.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

Some of my recollections.

We didn't quite make it to Memphis TN as planned the first day, but that was alright, we missed the tornados. Spent an hour watching the weather channel for the travel weather. Never did see it. Do they have any helpful information on that channel anymore. We went driving merrily along until we reached the Arkansas Welcome Center where the nice lady told us that there was snow in Oklahoma. Not only that, but I40 and the city of Amarillo Texas was totally shut down due to a blizzard. We stopped at friends in eastern OK, only two inches of snow. A beautiful drive the next day. Remnants of snow all around but the temp was in the sixties. Got to Albequerque NM. Late, followed the GPS to the Tumbleweed Steakhouse. Drove in the parking lot. Saw various groups of people hanging out in the parking lot. Drove out of the parking lot. Found an Applebees. Next morning tried the weather channel again, no luck. But the local news mentioned snow near Gallup and that I40 was closed on the other side. Went outside to load van and gas up. Froze your buns off. Next thing we know, we are driving through a snow storm. The NM highway dept. was nice enough to install windsocks along the road so you could see which way and how strong the wind was blowing, even when it wasn't snowing. Got to Gallup, stopped for coffee and to clean the snow and ice off the windshield. I40 was now open. It had been closed due to an accident. Got to AZ, and by the time we reached Winslow (they have a statue of Jackson Brown standing on a corner there) it was a beautiful day. In Flagstaff also beautiful, with snow on the San Francisco Mountains. Stopped in Williams AZ for gas and to wash the van. It looked like it had just spent February in Buffalo, New York. Found Cruiser's Grill on Rte 66 where we ate ribs back in 2001. Stopped in for ribs. Then on to California. Flagstaff to Williams is a beautiful area lots of ponderosa pines. Westward ever westward, down, down to the desert. Kingman AZ then to CA. Whoa! Crossed the Colorado River, stopped at the Agricultural Station and into the desert. A two lane road that was the backway from Needles to the Palm Springs area. A two lane road through nowhere. I have to admit after 4 days on I40 it was a great release. We watched the sunset and noticed that there were no lights anywhere. A couple of cars passed us. Finally got to Indio. We had made it. Did the show, visited family, got sick for four days and headed home. Oh to have had ruby slippers..."there's no place like home." Theresa drove most of the way back. I was useless for two days, able to drive some the next two. On the way back, wildfires in OK burnt 60+ homes in one town near OK City. Our friends, who live near Muskogee, told us that the fires reached the back of their property. We noticed that everyone had hoses laying stretched across their yards. All the time, just in case. When we got to North Carolina it was lush and green. It looked like a place where living creatures are meant to live. Glad to be home.

Aiken Horse Show...
Our trip to CA meant I was unable to paint at the Aiken Horse Show ( the show in the woods) I had sent four fox paintings down to them to sell to help the Hitchcock Woods Foundation. They were all sold.

Thanks to Holly Houghton and Sandra Tucker for all the help with these paintings.....

Today: I am working on paintings of some old and new barns at a horse facility in Raleigh NC. MacNair's Country Acres. The old barns are going to be restored and the owner wanted to capture the character that you can only get from an old barn before work on them began....that's one of them in the painting at the top of this post.

Paintings for the upcoming horse shows and for Saratoga in July. And the polo series...

2009-02-10T16:57:00.003-05:00

Further along our road to the grand prix...
In yesterday's video we explored the two point position. Today's video is the posting trot and the dismount.The next video will look at painting again.
If you happen to be at the Winter Equestrian Festival for the next couple of weeks, come on by and visit Theresa and I . We will be set up the weeks of Feb 18 and Feb 25. I will be around and painting a bit earlier.

2009-02-09T22:34:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of videos.. No painting in these two. After being around and painting at horseshows and at home buying and hauling hay and grain, putting up and fixing fencing, paying farriers and vets, I decided to to see what is it about riding horses that has such an attraction. Not only that, but learning something new. Learning balance. Learning about the horse, the tack. Where are the long stirrup leathers and the big question... Where do I find wide stirrup irons for big feet?

So here is a video of an early lesson. The horse I had be learning on was indisposed, so a smaller, 15.1h (that 15 hands 1 inch for those non-horse people, roughly 4 cubits) horse that would look a little more absurd was given to me.....

Something Different - German Short-haired Pointers

2009-02-01T20:11:00.004-05:00

I am always trying to get a series of photographs of the process of creating a painting. I take a first photograph of the painting's beginning, and then just get into the painting, realizing after finishing that I forgot to take the interim photos. These portraits of two German Short Haired Pointers are a case in point. I could have taken another, earlier photograph to start with and the last two seem pretty close looking at them now. The variation in color between the last two photos is due to the photography, lighting, digital imaging etc.

This first photo is the finished painting of Courtney.

These three show some of the changes the painting goes through.

Signs

2008-11-26T11:38:00.002-05:00

A lot of what and how I paint is a direct result of my years hand lettering and painting signs, boats, trucks and walls. To be painting outdoors in all types of weather, watching the world around me, whether out in the country or on a busy city street, is something that I came to love. And to mix colors and use bold and confindant brush strokes... more practical learning than any art school could provide.

Click on the images for a better view....

Signs - Carved and gilded, painted and sandblasted

Boat names - 23kt Gold leaf lettering on mahogany transoms

Gold leaf lettering and striping on an Antique Fire Truck

Quick Note - Paintings for sale online

2008-11-21T17:20:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to say that I have added paintings for sale on line at my ebay store

http://stores.ebay.com/sfilarsky-paintings
Return to list of posts

Art Show in Aiken, Devon Horse Show again

2008-09-07T22:38:00.005-04:00

AIKEN CENTER FOR THE ARTS
I delivered over seventy paintings to the Aiken Center for the Arts for my show there this month. It opened on Sept 2, and runs through the 27th. An Opening Reception will be held on Thursday, Sept 11 from 6 - 8.

South Boundary St, 18 x 24 oil

Included in the show is an 8 x 10 oil of the Harness Track at Aiken, with Jimmy Larente. A famous trainer, originally from Quebec. Theresa and I met Jimmy when we were down last spring. After talking for a while and listening to his stories, I realized that while he had been racing at Liberty Bell Racetrack in Philadelphia, he was living about a mile away from where I was growing up at that time in Huntingdon Valley, PA.

The painting at the bottom here is a commission of the "Old Times" Coach at the Devon Horse Show. This coach ran from London to Brighton and was famous for making the round trip in one day. I saw the cab of the coach as it is now undergoing restoration. It is small! Apparently, on nice days, the first class passengers road on top while the second class rode in the coach. On rainy days they switched positions...

Blowing Rock Paintings

2008-08-20T22:55:00.003-04:00

Here are some paintings from this years Blowing Rock Show.

If you click on an image during the slide show, a new window will open with a larger image.

Now its time to get everything together for the upcoming one man show this September at the Aiken Center for the Arts. If you are in Aiken for the Fall Fling Horse Shows, take a trip downtown visit.

Blowing Rock 2008

2008-08-04T09:00:00.002-04:00

Back in Blowing Rock! For two weeks!
Cool nights and beautiful days. It's hard to believe that I'm not on vacation. One of the rewards for all the work we have done to be able to paint for a living.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, cell phones and wireless internet are hard to get at the Horse Show. So I writing this in Boone, NC on our day off. Then off to the art supply store for more canvas and then I am heading out to paint around the area.

Lexington, KY

2008-07-21T06:57:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, Theresa and I traveled through Lexington KY to be present for the debut of Vicky Moon's new book Equestrian Style. A beautifully created book shows art collections, homes and people inspired by the classic horse motif. Did I mention that we are in it? We had an interesting evening at Gallery B in downtown Lexington. Theresa was inside the gallery, schmoozing with the guests. She met Patricia Green, an "eighties something" as Vicky describes her, who business is creating the "silks" worn by the jockeys. I of course was outside, having a ball painting downtown Lexington and meeting all the interesting folks on the street. Later we had dinner with Vicky and her friend Phyllis who runs the library at the Keeneland racetrack. Many interesting stories about journalists and of schemes to make money in the thoroughbred world. After three years of planning and a year of production, Vicky has already begun work on her next book.

11 x 14 painting of a downtown Lexington store fromt.

Early the next morning I drove over to the Keeneland Race track to watch the morning works. I am always fascinated by the behind the scenes workings at the tracks and shows. I think that some interesting paintings of Keeneland will be coming soon.

Later,Theresa and I were given a tour of Cobra Farm by Marci Durocher, the manager of Gallery B. This was our first tour of a Kentucky thoroughbred farm and it unbelievable how clean it is. If it wasn't for the horses being there, it would be hard to believe you were on a horse farm. Cobra is a breeding farm and we were able to see where Seattle Slew was born. That's a photo of Theresa looking into the stall. One of her portrait client' s horse was a son of Seattle Slew. Interestingly, the schedule at Cobra farm runs from 7 am to 4:30 in the afternoon and unless they are foaling, working at the farm is like a 9 -5 job.

A visit to the Kentucky Horse Park that afternoon rounded off our time in Lexington. Breyerfest was underway that weekend. Needless to say, we went there. In the midst of all the Breyer horses for sales by both independent vendors and the Breyer company, were the horses that were the models for the latest models. I talked with a woman who was a sculptor working for Breyer creating the originals from which the molds were made. In the arena, we watched a demonstration by Icelandic horses. Those little guys can fly. And you can ride them and not spill your beer. The perfect horse?

Back home after what seems like a month but was only ten days and getting ready for two weeks at The Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show up in the mountains and painting in some cooler weather.

Between Shows

2008-05-27T22:26:00.004-04:00

We have just recovered from the Devon Horse Show / Upperville Horse Show marathon experience. I reached Devon on a cold rainy day, had the heat on in the camper and we left Upperville with 100+ temps and due to power outage no air conditioning in the camper. Thankfully, one of the camper tires blew out about 8 miles from home. I say thankfully, because armed with the information from 20/20 on how to read the code on tires, I discovered that we have the original tires on the camper. About 8 years old at this point. So new tires all around and a higher load rating to boot. A blow out on the way home is inconvenient. On the way to a show, it is downright depressing....

Devon was an interesting experience. Being back in the Phila. area, I was able to eat cheesesteaks for supper and italian hoagies for breakfast. At least until Theresa came up. And I had forgotten about traffic. Here in NC we might complain about the commute. ( Though our studio is about 25 feet from our house ) I was rudely reminded Thursday morning during rush hour when the 20 minute drive turned into an hour and a half.

From the ferris wheel and cotton cany to the skyboxes in the grandstand that are handed down from generation to generation, Devon is a bit different than other horse shows we attend. Did I mention that cheesesteak and hoagies are available on almost every corner on Rt 30? We met some wonderful people, not to mention getting to see old friends again. Breakfast with the Corgis was an unique event. I think it was an excuse to bring your dog to the show and have a couple of drinks before lunch. Later, a whippet escaped from its owner and decided to chase Liza Towell Boyd and Scout around the hunter course. I missed that excitement, but was informed by Liza's Mom, Lisa when she visited our booth. Somewhere on YouTube is a video of part of the chase. After a week and a half of 7 am to 11pm days, I was looking forward to Upperville with its unlighted rings.

Upperville Colt and Horse Show had everything this year. Rain, mud and blistering heat. We arrived Sunday afternoon and proceeded to set up. Since we didn't need a tent at Devon, we left ours at home this year and rented one from VA tent rentals. I probably have my days a bit confused here, Monday was a wonderful day, Tuesday was nice and I was sitting back in the tent watching the show when a nice women said, "Steve, I think there's a bad storm coming" I jumped up, put all the paintings outside inside and closed up the tent. The rain started. Heading back to the camper, I saw the woman from CB's tack trying to load her inventory into her trailer. By the time we finished loading up, the wind was howling, the rain was coming down in a solid mass. We lost power, but thankfully the tornado missed us. No power - no ac in the camper. The horse show got a generator to operate the well so horses could be watered. So we were able to shower. The 2nd hunter ring was moved to the schooling ring. Power was out all over the area.
Then slowly day by day, it got hot. On Saturday afternoon, the power went out again. By Sunday morning, I was ready to go. Thoughts of going on to Loudon for the following week were gone. The van was already at the tent, so in it all went. Any plans of waiting until the Grand Prix started across the street before we tore down were overriden by the thought of getting out with the camper before the mess with parking began. On the road a little after noon and home by seven ( including changing the tire )

This Sunday, it starts again. We head to Roanoke for the Roanoke Valley Horse Show. We are there until Saturday. It is indoors. The arena is air conditioned. The camping area has full hookups, electricity, water and sewer. Home on Sunday and down to the beach on Thursday morning. We will be at an Art Show in Beaufort NC for the 4th and the 5th and 6th also. Just for a change of pace.

The two paintings of the Devon show are from the collection of Lee Kellog I will be posting more paintings of Devon and Upperville.

Tax Code, Art Donations and new painting

2008-04-17T23:00:00.007-04:00

The last few days have been Great weather and the right timing!!

I went out Sunday morning, did a couple of paintings of some dogwood and crabapple trees blooming. Then on Tuesday, painted a house in Raleigh. (See below) Wednesday, Theresa and I took a ride "out in the country". We happened upon a old mill, Weldon's Mill, in Epson NC. I believe it would be at least 15 years since we last stopped by there. The new owners moved down from Michigan and in the process of restoring it.

Other news:
I will be having a one-man show the month of September in Aiken, SC at the Aiken Center for the Arts.

I will also be represented by the Chisholm Gallery of Piney Plains NY.
I hope to have a page on their website this week.

Updated show schedule:
May, Sedgefield Horse Show, Greensboro NC

Devon Horse Show, Devon PA

Upperville Horse Show, Upperville VA

Roanoke Valley Horse Show,Salem VA

July will find us at an outdoor Art Show in Beaufort NC for the Fourth, then at the end of July and the beginning of August we will be at the Blowing Rock Horse Show, Blowing Rock NC.

8 x 24 Oil on Canvas

The Tax Code..
The is a bill in Congress to allow artists to deduct the fair market value of works that they donate to charity. As things stand right now, if I donate a painting, I can deduct my costs for materials. So write your congressman so we can keep those donations coming!

Devon Horse Show 8x10 Oil on Canvas

Back Home

2008-04-04T21:12:00.007-04:00

I got back last night from Aiken, SC, where I delivered the painting of Namon in Hitchcock woods. It was being presented to him after I had left, so I haven't yet heard what his reaction was. The client who commissioned the painting came up with the idea of offering Giclee prints on stretched canvas. The proceeds from the sale of these would go toward Namon's retirement fund. We will be doing it, so check back for the details.

If you saw the video of my thumbnail painting Two Cows in my last post, here is the finished painting 9" x 12", based on the 2.5 x 3.5" painting

The Plein Air Painter's version of Murphy's Law - While you are driving or working in the studio, the sun will shine. When it's time to paint, rain and wind. Tuesday started out cold and rainy, just like Saturday, Sunday and Monday. By the time I had driven to Beaufort NC, through thunderstorms and tornado warnings, it had turned into a beautiful spring day. But... I was in Marshallburg NC on the coast on Core Sound near Cape Lookout to letter boats. 23 kt gold leaf lettering on mahogany transoms of beautiful electric boats made by Tom Hesselink of Budsin Woodcraft. Here is Talley Ho, still in the paint shop

Here are two more, ready for delivery

Wednesday morning, I loaded my paintings, paints and canvases and drove to Aiken. It started out cloudy, then sunshine all the way through SC, until I got of of I20, when the clouds covered the sky. I delivered the painting, stopped at the Equine Divine Gallery in downtown Aiken leaving paintings with them. Ate dinner, found a room and woke up to rain and fog. So off to the old Shooting Club to discuss a commission with the owner, got some coffee and headed down the road. A stop in Camden SC, rain continued, so back home. Today I went to the Village Gallery in Raleigh and worked on the above painting of the cows.

Tomorrow--storms coming through, work in the studio and on our websites....

Here is a painting of Taylor's Creek in Beaufort, NC. Not to far from Marshallburg. Still has some old homes and work boats. On the other side of the creek, is Carrot Island and the Rachel Carson Reserve, home to some of the Wild Ponies of the Outer Banks.

Someday.....

2008-03-31T17:45:00.005-04:00

Exciting news...

The Devon Horse Show will be using the abouve painting on the cover of this years program. The ticket committee had contacted me in November asking if they could us it for the ticket brochure and labels. It seems to have become popular up there on the Main Line and will now be on the program. The painting is now in the collection of Bill Schaub.
See you at Devon.
Two projects finished this week. A painting of Namon Corley, who retired as woodsman after 49 years at Hitchcock Woods in Aiken SC. He is pictured with the Aiken Hounds (Namon was the fox) and his Ford tractor.

After one beautiful day, the much needed rain has hit North Carolina. Friday was 82 and sunny, Saturday,44 and rain, the same Sunday and Monday. Since I was stuck in the studio, I videotaped the painting of a small thumbnail painting. 2 1/5 x 3 1/5 inches. These little paintings can become the basis for a larger painting and/or a complete miniature painting in their own right. So here it is.

If you got our email newsletter, you probably noticed that the Barn of the Month was a boatbuilder. Budsin Woodcraft creates fine Mahogany and Ash Electric Boats. For civilized boating. I am going down to Marshallburg NC to put 23kt gold leaf lettering on three boats for him this week, then home, down to Aiken to deliver Namon's painting and paint homes and farms in Aiken and Camden SC. Back to NC for a horse show on Saturday and Sunday... (if it doesn't rain)

Updating this blog....

I have added a slide show on the blog with recently completed paintings. On our portrait website, www.portraitsnc.ocm, we have been adding slide shows galleries to archive your portraits. It seems that everyone wants their portrait on the web so they can show it off. I'm happy to accomodate, but the images were getting a bit overwhelming. At this point, I have the equine portrait page broken into 3 pages, one introduction with a few images and two pages of images. Of course, when setting up the slide show on the web, I realize what paintings aren't there. So go and find the file, ( a laptop crash followed by a back up hard drive crash (one of the dogs managed to get tangled in the powercord and the drive actually crashed...to the ground.) a while back still has me looking for images on old zip disks and old website files.....

Then the Plein Air Painter site...www.sfilarsky.com Organize the various horse shows into separate galleries and keep Recent Works and Paintings for Sale a little more uncluttered...

Gone to the dogs

2007-10-29T20:13:00.001-04:00

I am painting quite a number of dogs lately, so here is a mini-gallery of dog paintings. Some of the paintings were based on photographs collectors brought to me, others brought the dogs and some photographs I took at shows. (The "Dogs in Golf Cart" Series) Currently I am working on Blowing Rock Horse Show paintings (still), and a number of commissions of barns, homes, boats, horses and yes, dogs. If you would like to commission a painting as a Christmas present, please contact me soon. I will be in Chevy Chase, MD at Meadowbrook Stable this coming weekend, the in Raleigh NC for the Duke and UNC horse shows or you can reach me at sfilarsky@aol.com

Two Jack Russell's at the Rose Mount Horse Show

This wire haired fox terrier guard the porch from passers-by and dogs on walks

These corgis came from Pennsylvania to NC, helping to deliver a horse

At the Blowing Rock horse show, with the wind in your hair

Dogs in Golf Cart, Blowing Rock

Blowing Rock again. It's 105 down in Raleigh

Dog in Golf Cart, Deep Run

This painting was from a couple of photographs

This painting started the whole dog thing.

Of course, we can't forget the Beaver River dogs

New Paintings

2007-09-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

September 13th. I can't believe that summer has gone. It seems that we were just getting ready for the Upperville Show. Traveling to the shows seems to take bites out of time. You come home and time has kept on marching while I've been standing at the easel. Well, anyway, I am displaying new paintings here rather than on my website until I get that organized a bit more. In addition to seeing new paintings here, you can subscribe to my yahoo group, and I will send emails with my most recent paintings. Paintings for sale will be first shown there.

Blowing Rock Horse Show, looking down "the hill." You would think that after two weeks I should be running up the hill. This is a very popular view of the show and I did a number of paintings from here. (Next to EMO Stables barn)

A 12 x 24 painting of Hunter's Lane Barn.

Looking across the arena to the boxes and an approaching storm. Blowing Rock just spoiled me for the rest of the summer. Back to the flat land, temperatures in the 100's, no rain. Yesterday a front came through and we have only had highs around 90.

Click for larger image

A long time ago, 10-12 years or so, we traveled through Faquier County, leaving my wife's uncle's family to visit my sister's in upstate PA. Route 17 between I 95 and I 81 was like traveling through a bit of heaven. Since we have been at shows the last couple of years, I wondered what happened to the farm that was on Rt 17 as you went into Warrenton. We have been taking the bypass around town, but at the Warrenton Horse Show earlier this month I got my answer: Walmart. Oh well. When we got home, pulled a photo from years before out of the file. From that I created this painting. It is 11 x 14, a bit larger than the majority of my horse show paintings. Will sell for $3,45.00, and a gold frame is available for $75.00

Click for larger image

This painting is from a photo I took at the WBTA horse show at Meadowbrook Stables in Chevy Chase back in July. Dobbin is still at Meadowbrook, but Emily has gone on to study at Penn. The painting will be going with her to Philadelphia to remind her of those wonderful years.

We are off to The Plains, VA for the Middleburg Classic at Great Meadow. I am looking forward to cooler weather. I hope to get a chance to do some paintings in Middleburg and Warrenton before hand.

Raleigh, Fourth of July

2007-07-06T21:49:00.000-04:00

We are back in Raleigh, after a week at the Deep Run Horse Show near Richmond, VA, or as one woman at the show told me, "the Hotter than Hell Horse Show". Setting up on Tuesday and Wednesday, the temperature reached 98, with that wonderful southern humidity. But it was a good show. I taught a plein air painting workshop at a nearby farm one evening which was a great fun. I met with collectors who I hadn't seen since last year's show. Met others who I had seen at last week's show. And others who have seen my work or me working and decided that now was the time to aquire a painting.

Below is a painting of the schooling ring at Deep Run. Rocking chairs in the shade. What a civilized show...

This week we are at the NCHJA Horse Show in Raleigh, NC. I had planned to be at the Warrenton Pony Show, but a show near home was too tempting. We brought the camper to the show even though it is a 40 minute drive home. It is wonderful to be able to leave the show and sit and drink a cup of coffee in air conditioned comfort. Not to mention that it helps me get to the show earlier in the morning. We sat and watched fireworks being shot off at the State Fair Grounds across the street and got together with friends for a wonderful cookout/party. I have been working on a number of commissioned pieces while at this show, including the house below. It is newly built and I helped the landscaping out a bit.

The other paintings I am working on include two children at the beach, a horse, and two paintings of dogs. I will be adding these paintings as I finish them in the next few days. Including some of the Keswick Horse Show.

Charlottesville, Va Keswick Horse Show

2007-06-14T08:14:00.000-04:00

Finished setting up at the Keswick Horse Show, near Charlottesville, VA. An old grandstand, oaks and cedars throughout, it is a beautiful setting. I finished a painting of the main ring, which will be in the silent auction held at the country club later in the week. Met again with old friends and new ones while we all suffered through the heat. An exhibitors party sponsored by BJ's Hunt Room was a great end to the day.

Thunderstorms last night, cooler today but cloudy and chance of rain. I will be working on a commission at our booth until the sun comes out.

Here is the painting I created while at the Upperville Horse Show. It is the view from a farm on Atoka Road in Middleburg. I set up my easel and canvas and blinded by the sun directly in my eyes. Then, in what seemed like an instant, the mountains turned blue and the sky lit up. Only a short time to paint. I went back a couple of evenings to paint. I worked on details of the landscape from photographs during the day.

Ashby's Gap, Sunset from Inisfree Farm

The Upperville Horse Show

2007-06-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted any paintings. Theresa and I had been getting ready for, going to, exhibiting work, painting, meeting clients and leaving the Upperville Horse Show.

We finally got everything situated in the van and travel trailer. Theresa drove in the car with Rosie the Corgi and I followed in the van with the trailer. We arrived in Upperville late Saturday afternoon. The only campsite available was at the end, under the trees. Being the last site in the row, we were able to park sideways, with a view of huge old oak trees and Salem Farm from the front and the polo field in the back.

Saturday evening and Sunday morning were spent setting up tents and display. The rain picked up in the afternoon and the final touches had to wait until Monday morning. After all that was finished, I got back to work on the two Jack Russell's from Rose Mount. At this point, I was ready to paint and paint I did. There are no photographs of the progress of this painting, so here is the finished painting....

Jack Russells at Rose Mount, oil on canvas, 9 x 12

I don't think that it was hanging for an entire day, before a girl walking by did a classic double take, "That's our dog!" She was on her cell phone to her mom, who came later and bought the painting. The puppy is their's and the bigger dog belongs to her trainer, Winn Alden. The painting was hung in the tack room at the show.

Below is the view from our campsite at the show grounds, across John Moseby Highway to Salem Farm.

Salem Farm, oil on canvas, 9 x 12

Tomorrow I set up for the Keswick show, then start painting. I will have more from Upperville then, including a larger painting "Ashby's Gap, Sunset from Inisfree Farm"

Work in Progress

2007-05-30T00:53:00.000-04:00

At the Start Here is a photo of a painting in it's beginning stages. I took photos of a couple of Jack Russell Terriers at the Rose Mount Horse Show in Spotsylvania to use for refernce. Starting with a toned background, the rough shapes where drawn in with a brush and ultramarine blue paint. (I came up with the idea of photographing this paintings stages a bit after the first stage, so no photo) I then blocked in the big shapes, shadows in the grass, the shadow side of the grooming box, the shaded areas of the dogs and the sunlit grass area. Check back to see how this turns out.

Upperville is getting closer and its time to start a loading plan. After the show, Theresa will be coming back home, and I will head to the Keswick horse show the following week. Tomorrow, I will be working on something completely different. 23kt Gold leaf lettering on a Fire Truck.

More Commissioned Paintings

2007-05-23T20:53:00.000-04:00

We're back... Arrived back in Carolina late yesterday afternoon. Spent today catching up and getting ready for the next trip to The Upperville Colt and Horse Show.

Today's painting is a commissioned house portrait I created after the Keswick Summer Horse Show, near Charlottesville VA last summer. A wonderful afternoon working with easel set up in the shade under the trees.

A page to showcase commissioned paintings is in the works for the website, deadline tomorrow night.

Contact me through my website www.sfilarsky.com or ebay store ( a work in progress )

Visit My eBay Store: sfilarsky paintings

Vist My website: sfilarsky.com

Where we are now...

2007-05-22T21:06:00.000-04:00

No painting yesterday or today. We were traveling from New York to home in North Carolina. A bit of a late start, we found a campground just south of DC on Mason's Neck. Driving to Pohicke Bay Regional Park, it was "deja vu all over again". I had been within a couple of miles of the park last fall painting a commission of the Rams Head Farm barn.

A plein air painting for trainer Ron Esposito served as a study for a larger painting of the barn for owner Kathleen Manafort.

Obviously, these paintings are not available for sale. However, you can visit my website
or ebay store ( a work in progress )

Visit My eBay Store: sfilarsky paintings

Vist My website: sfilarsky.com

Saratoga Cup Painting

2007-05-20T20:48:00.001-04:00

Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Lou Dobbs

After laying in bed last night listening to rain on the roof, waking up during the night and hearing rain. After spending yesterday sitting in a booth in the rain, I anticipated loading and leaving in the rain this morning.

Nope, Sunshine, a perfect spring day. Sunshine, a breeze not wind. Warm in the sun but not hot, cool in the shade but not cold. I finished the painting above, Hillary Dobbs, winner of last Sunday's Saratoga Cup, which was presented to her by the St Clement's Horse Show. Since she also won today's Grand Prix on the same horse, I will be painting her on a different horse for the next painting.

Contact me through my website www.sfilarsky.com or ebay store ( a work in progress )

Visit My eBay Store: sfilarsky paintings

Vist My website: sfilarsky.com

Painting of the St Clement's Saratoga Horse Show

2007-05-19T07:28:00.000-04:00

9 x 12 oil on canvas

This is what you see as you enter the actual showgrounds. Dappled sunlight coming through the trees and the huge red and white tent against the bright spring green of the trees. After having crossed from the barns, you pass through the vendor area which is part of the racetrack grounds. Through a gate and into the woods to the show rings. The rings are actually on land owned by Yaddo, an estate and gardens next to the racetrack. The house is now an artist's retreat, by invitation only but the gardens are open to the public.

Contact me through my website www.sfilarsky.com or ebay store ( a work in progress )

Visit My eBay Store: sfilarsky paintings

Vist My website: sfilarsky.com

Keeping an eye on Upperville

2007-05-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

Even while in the middle of a two week show here in NY, I am anticipating returning to Upperville again this year. We hit the road on Friday, so we can set up on Saturady and have Sunday to get prepared ( actually drive around the amazing countryside ) I have been working on a number of larger paintings for Upperville while creating smaller plein air paintings here of the Saratoga show. These larger paintings are based on smaller paintings that I did at the show. This one measures 18 x 24 and is also available for 800.00

Tomorrow I will crop and resize the photos of Saratoga Horse Show paintings so I can present them to you.

Contact me through my website www.sfilarsky.com or ebay store ( a work in progress )

Visit My eBay Store: sfilarsky paintings

Vist My website: sfilarsky.com

A painting a Day....Saratoga

2007-05-16T19:26:00.000-04:00

A rainy day in Saratoga. I partially opened our booth, leaving the sides closed and only the front opened. Still I had to close up for a while. I worked on paintings of the Upperville Colt and Horse Show, now only a couple of weeks away. In addition to the 8 x 10's and 9 x 12's, we will have some larger paintings available.

Today's painting is actually the reason we are here in Saratoga. Theresa (www.mtheresabrown.com ) recieved an email from a woman we met at the HITS show in Ocala in 2006. She decided to commission this 9 x 12 oil painting of Host and Carl O'Callahan as a gift for him. Its size makes it convenient for Carl as he travels around the world. She also told us about the Saratoga Horse Show and here we are...

After we leave, I'll be selling paintings in Saratoga Springs, NY through the Saratoga Saddlery, located downtown on Broadway.

I have just created an ebay store to sell paintings in addition to direct sales through email or telephone.

Visit My eBay Store: sfilarsky paintings

Vist My website: sfilarsky.com

Saratoga Racetrack

2007-05-15T08:20:00.000-04:00

The Grandstand at Saratoga Racetrack, seen from the backstretch. After crossing Union Ave from the showgrounds, you walk along the backstretch to the barns. I found some shade from a tree. My clamp-on white umbrella I use to shade my painting and palette has occassionally blown over in the wind. Not a good idea with horses constantly passing by....

The grandstand is huge and walking along the backstretch of the track I am awed at how big it is. After the hunter and jumper rings, this is exercise.

I have been getting out before the show and walking over to the Oklahoma training track behind us to watch the horses being exercised. I am told that with horses coming out of the early morning mist it is quite a sight. I haven't seen a morning mist yet, but it is quite a sight even in the sunlight.

The painting of the Grandstand is 9 x 12 and is $250.00 with a gold leaf frame.
You can find out more at and also reach me through my website: www.sfilarsky.com.

Painting a day.....I'm back!

2007-05-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

Well it's time to get back on the ball with this blog. I have been painting the last six months and I need to get works up on Internet....

Toady's painting is from the Saratoga Springs, NY. My wife Theresa ( a portrait artist ) and I are at the St. Clements Horse Show, being held at the Saratoga racetrack. She is exhibiting her portraits and I am painting at the show, equestrian landscapes, paintings of the rings, etc.

What I found unique at this show, were the "crossing guards". The barns are on one side of Union Ave. and the show on the other. Crossing guards are set up to stop traffic so the horses can cross the road. Race horses cross daily to use the Oklahoma track, however they are done by 9:00am while the show horses cross all day.

Standing by the side of the road, on a beautiful spring day, the horses crossing the road, riders dressed in their formal attire, the slate roofed barns and the historic track and buildings takes you back to a less hectic, hurried time.

This painting "The Crossing at Saratoga" is an 8 x 16 oil. Available for $350.00, I am showing it on the easel just as I finished it.

I will be selling paintings of the show and the racetrack while we are here, after we leave I will have paintings available in a gallery here in Saratoga. More information and paintings tomorrow

Painting a day?

2006-12-08T01:05:00.000-05:00

Well, here goes. This is the first of my painting a day blogs. I will be showcasing paintings as they are completed.

Today's painting is not the one seen here, as it was commissioned as a Christmas present I will diplay it after Christmas.

The painting show here is of the steeplechase course at Great Meadow at The Plains, VA. I painted while at the Middleburg Classic Horse Show held there in late September.

This painting is currently available. It is $200. plus shipping. Frame not included. You can email me at sfilarsky@aol.com

www.horseshowartist.com
www.portraitsnc.com
sfilarsky@aol.com