Horse and Sleight

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of more slates!  Just last year I started doing more slate paintings and am going full throttle now.  One of the challenges lies in the inherent grain of the slate. This has been especially interesting when painting on the smaller pieces. I have enjoyed solving each one as it comes. Especially apparent in this group is the elephant, where you will see the chips along the edges, which worked nicely into the top of his head, and in his ear on the left side, and the tusk on the left, which has turned out to be a broken tusk.  Each piece of slate has its own personality, and sometimes I set one aside until inspiration strikes.  Right now, I am slate-less.  Ready for more.

 

Elephant, 6x8"

Bluebird Bath, about 4x4"

Sleigh Slate, about 6x16"

Horses in Snow, about 8x10"

Bunny and Trillium, 6x8"

Today's Project - Elephants

Wouldn't it be nice if all families cared for and honored each other like this? "Family Columns" a pastel on charcoal paper, about 9x12". I wanted to show the bond between a baby elephant and the adults in the group. I love elephants and have had a couple of interesting interactions with them over the years. It would be cool to see them in the wild. I expect they are getting lots of attention now that "Water for Elephants" is in theatres -- which by the way is a film definitely worth seeing, especially if you love animals.