Horseshoeing Day

When the farrier comes to the ranch, it’s a happy day.  This watercolor tells the story of one such hard working shoer who tends to his horses and does the job well.  The horses like the attention and very often, they seem to feel better with a nice trim.  The owners are happy because it’s the healthy thing to do and they know they are fending off problems with their animals and keeping them healthy and happy.
Drawing and painting horses and complete story-telling scenes is a lifelong challenge.  Whenever I do one, it feels good but at the same time it makes me a little tired.  Painting single images, like an apple or a tree is an exercise I view as a quick challenge to get the information down with feeling and as quickly as possible.  After it is done, I always ask myself, “was this a clear image?”  “could I have done this better,  and was it worth the effort, etc. etc.  Well, I think there is a little conclusion to this that makes sense to me and it’s this:   I think storytelling images need to be big.  I don’t think they read well when they are small and intimate.  Well, onward and I won’t belabor it.