Just to let all my WordPress friends know, I have started a blog on Blogger, which is the one I am keeping up much more regularly.  It is “Elaine Hurst Fine Art – Almost Daily Paintings”: http://elainehurstfineart.blogspot.com/.  I post paintings, “almost daily”, so you will get much more current artwork going up there.  Also, big news for me, I have created a totally new, revised website: http://www.elainehurst.com/Elaine_Hurst/Home.html http://www.elainehurst.com/Elaine_Hurst/Home.html

I hope you will visit, subscribe, follow, or in some other way keep up with my artwork on these sites.  I still keep track of “The Muse and Beyond”, but I post to it rarely.  Leave me some comments on my new blog, let me know what you think of it.  Pass the information on to your friends.  I will hopefully be creating a newsletter which will go out at regular intervals which you will be able to subscribe to also.  Thanks, and I hope to hear from you!

I had been looking for something different for some of the galleries, especially around the holidays.  I came up with the idea of doing some miniature paintings.  When I found some truly miniature canvases, with tiny easels, that seemed like a perfect idea.  They are tiny little jewel-like paintings.  I have done several tiny landscapes, a few horses, and for one gallery in particular, I am doing several tiny donkey paintings.  I am also do some larger ones, although still quite small, which will be on slightly larger easels.

In these economic times, when people may still want to purchase original art, but can’t afford large pieces, some of these tiny paintings make sense.  They do not take the place of large paintings, but they do offer a change for both me, the artist, and someone looking for something economical, as well as portable.  I have painted small, 5×5 inch oils for some time, but these tiny paintings are interesting.

It is particularly interesting to paint them.  I need to not over-state something, or become too abstract, less they become mere globs of paint.  In order to keep them recognizable, while at the same time keeping the painterly quality that I hope for, I need to think minimally.  Ha!  I know what you’re thinking, she already thinks minimally!!  Not that kind of minimal thinking though.  Rather I need to keep the shapes simple, while at the same time saying more, with less.  Enjoy!

plein air winter tree painting in progress

Good morning!  At least it is morning here in the Shenandoah Valley as I write this.  The snow outside is still here, although they are calling for rain today, and that means we will be moving into the muddy season, instead of the snow season.  I love snow.  It brightens the landscape, makes it clean and fresh.  I know it makes getting around and working outside a bit more of a challenge, but I still love it.

I started another snow painting.  Actually a plein air painting, in pastel.  Where I sit at my pastel easel, I look right out onto a Chinese Dogwood tree.  I decided to paint the tree, with all it’s bare starkness of winter leaf-less-ness.  I generally paint in oil for plein air paintings.  This however is the easy way of painting en plein air….while I sit indoors, at my easel!  Warmer too.

I have old sanded pastel papers and boards that I want to re-paint over.  This is one of those pieces.  The old painting was not something I wanted to keep, and I think recycling is good in all forms.  I am recycling a painting.  It is in progress.  I will post more later.  Enjoy!

We have had a lot of snow this year, somewhere around 50 inches over the whole winter so far! Quite a change for us, and personally I have enjoyed it. We have had snow all winter, and plenty of cross country skiing. This snow has also inspired me to start back into painting with pastels. I have been concentrating on my oil paintings, but something about the snow cries out for pastels.

The painting below is one that just hopped off my fingers.  I am very attracted to blues and purples, and when I thought of the “colors of snow”, I think of blues and purples.  I like to push the colors sometimes, in order to push the feeling you get when looking at the painting.  Let me know what you think.  I am working on other “colors of snow” paintings, large and small.

Equi-Kids is in the enviable position of having been able to build their dream facility.  They were given 90 acres, outside of Virginia Beach.  For those of you interested in therapeutic riding and know the wonderful benefits that it has for so many people, look up Equi-Kids’ website, www. equikids.com, and the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association at www.narha.com.  Equi-Kids has been working for a very long time to make this dream a reality, by working very hard to write grants, get donations, and holding fundraisers.  They are most of the way through construction of a wonderful, state-of-the-art horse facility.  The indoor isn’t in yet, but everything else is wonderful!  They came from one pony and 6 riders, to this.  Way to go everyone!!

They wanted an oil painting, as well as a painting/drawing for reproduction purposes.  The oil painting is 18″ x 24″, the watercolor/ink drawing is 11″ x 14″.  I forgot to take photos of the watercolor/ink, but took several of the oil.  I am including them, from the beginning, in the “ugly” stage, all the way to the finished piece.  I am also including some photos of the new facility.  I took a wonderful paint horse, Dookie, now known as Frank, to donate to Equi-Kids.  So I got to take a lot of wonderful photos of everything!

The oil painting is now hanging on a wonderful, tall purple, with gold flakes wall the is the centerpiece of the reception area of the main entrance area.  You will notice that I made changes, in the background, in the placement of the wheelchair, of the size of the main figures, etc.

Rosemary and I had planned to paint out a good bit.  So we painted with some of her friends in the New Forest.  How fun to not do the touristy things and rather go and do things that as “the locals”.  Painting in the New Forest, painting with a class that Rosemary taught, a week long trip, with painting to Cornwall, and sketching all over.

Our trip to Cornwall was wonderful!  Full of hills.  No matter where you go, there is a hill, so in addition to seeing so many things, we got in shape!  We stayed in Polruan, and went across the River Fowey (pronounced Foy), to the village of Fowey.  We could look out the window and see the house where the famous author, Daphne DeMauerier lived.  Cream Teas, pasties, Irish Coffee, tea time, happy hour, eating supper in the pubs, ording a pint of Guinness (I found a half pint is less filling!), listening to the wonderful Cornish accent.

So many memories….staying with great friends, meeting lots of people, never seeing another American the whole two + weeks, pubs, pasties, a day trip to Cherbourg, France, via ferry, wine in the sun in Cherbourg, castles, the wonderful New Forest, the wonderful New Forest ponies, Izzy, the New Forest pony, people riding all over the place!!!  So much more!!!

There are so many photos that are wonderful.  I have only included a few here.  Mostly painting, and being in the New Forest.  I will be doing paintings from so many, and working on many of the paintings I did there.  I took my oil paints, which was a whole new experience to travel by plane with painting supplies.  I got things paired down as much as possible, creating a painting box which my husband made to attach to a photo tripod.  It wasn’t totally weightless, but less than taking my French easel.  I hope to put up the paintings and sketches I did over there.  No horse paintings, but lots of reference photos to work from!

We hiked in various places, the Rattlesnake area, the Bitterroot Valley, around Missoula itself, and lots more.  Licorice ice cream from “The Dipper”.  Dollar sushi night, staying at wonderful Judy and Dwayne Wright’s house, and meeting all the super friends of Erin.

I am showing you two images, one from the start of the painting, the other one that is part way through the painting.  It is an oil, done on a really neat kind of linen which has a clear gesso which lets the color of the linen come through.  I have bought the linen on a roll, and I stretch it myself.

On the one that I worked on today, I am going over the purple layer of the shadow area with a more local color (actual color) of the shadow areas.  Some of the shadows are still too dark, and I have not done any sort of blending, but that will come.  These kinds of paintings really hold my interest, even though I can’t wait to get to the fun colors and areas.  Enjoy!

Also, a heads up to everyone, about my up-coming new website! Although I have had a wonderful website, thanks to Sheri Gordon’s super web skills, thank you, Sheri! My daughter, Erin, is creating a new one for me!  How wonderful to have my daughter creating a website for mom!  Thanks Erin!! While she is home from Montana (where it is very cold), she is working on it for me.  So, keep a look out for a new look, new paintings, and new information!

Thank you to all those who have purchased paintings, commissions, or had me do framing for you,  this year! I truly appreciate your trust and patronage.  I will be again teaching in 2009 at Blue Ridge Community College, also at the Larkin Studio in Harrisonburg, as well as giving private lessons at my own studio.  Anyone interested, let me know!  Children and adults welcome!  Some special education art classes are in the works also.

Enjoy the holidays!