Sound the Bugle--The Horse

Here I am with "Sound the Bugle", barn name:"Rooster," circa 1990 or '91.

He was a retired racehorse that went on to teach many students basic dressage at a large riding academy. I worked at this stable for many years, and I had the honor of befriending and caring for this delightful horse.

I mucked his stall every morning and he would always greet me with a soft nicker and his ears straight up. His eyes would always be WIDE open, and he loved to rub his big head on me as I cleaned the manure from his "house." I would sing to him:

I love you true,
Little ROOOOOOOOOO,
Oh yes I dooooooooooooooo

I cared for him long after he retired from being a lesson horse; his face sprouting gray hairs and his legs growing crooked and weak. We would take little walks together, or I would give him a thorough grooming (he had ticklish flanks), or I would just hang out with him in his turnout. He would follow me around like a puppy. He was quite fond of the wither scratch, as it would always elicit a blissful lower lip tremor and happy drooling.

Roo would always fix what was worrying me, just by being there. He loved life and its beauty and simple pleasures. I learned to simply stop thinking about every little everything and just feel the sunshine on my face. Just to BE. Thanks, Roo...

One day, he suffered a bout of colic, and he never recovered. He was put down in the Spring of 2003. He was buried near the fields he loved so much. He is now with his best friend Sonntag, grazing on lush grass over the Rainbow Bridge.

I named my studio "Sound the Bugle" as a tribute to my dear, departed equine friend.

Here's to Roo-- that handsome, goofy, happy dark bay Thoroughbred who was never seen in a bad mood. Ever. He was always happy to see you. And sweet, dear sensitive Roo--he needed someone to hold him and talk to him when the farrier came because the loud banging and clanging of the metal horsehoes always made him nervous.

Sometimes, a horse touches your heart and never lets go....

I love you, my friend...

Play Time pencil study

"I know you have a sugar cube in your pocket..."

Baroque Breed Pencil Study

This study is featured as a notecard design.

Paper, paper, paper

All this talk about "acid free Canson paper" has some blog readers asking: "why all the fuss about PAPER?"

You purchase or commission work from an artist. You spend good money for it.

Do you want your artwork to:

1. fade
2. wrinkle
3. yellow
4. depreciate in value?

Of course not!

This is why you want ONLY acid free materials--paper, mat board, and shipping materials. Acid causes paper and paper based materials to break down in a very short amount of time. For example: newsprint. Ever notice how quickly newspaper clippings turn a lovely shade of yellow? That's what happens with acid-y paper.

Acid free fine art papers, such as Canson and Arches, are of museum/archival quality. Art rendered on these papers will ensure that the work will be vibrant for many years.

Fine art is an herloom--it lasts a lot longer than we do with the proper handling.

I use Canson and Arches papers because their high standards of quality not only make them beautiful and durable, but they are a joy to work with. Paints and pencils LOVE these papers!

Here's a bit more about Canson paper, from dickblick.com:

Since 1557, the Canson paper mill in Annonay, France has produced the finest art papers available. The Canson tradition was started by the Montgolfier family (best known for the adaptation of their paper to the 1783 invention of the first hot air balloon) and carried on by the Canson family.

The balloon has remained the symbol of the Canson Company, gracing the covers of the basic Canson pad line, a line that is complete in its attention to every artistic need.

Though industrialization has modernized the way certain papers are produced, much of the process and many of the features remain the same today. Pure French stream water, natural fibers and five centuries of experience contribute to the manufacture of the highest quality papers in the world.

Gorjuss!

Brandy Kitten Gale's beautiful white shepherd, Gorjuss, done in charcoal on acid free Canson paper.

Just look at that smile!

I got a wonderful BKG watercolor portrait of my oriental shorthair cat, Tom Tom, in exchange for this portrait of Gorjuss. I love art trades! I now have a Brandy Kitten Gale original in my home...Doesn't get much better than that.

(check out Brandy's incredible work at www.singlemaltcove.com--and be sure to click on her links to allaprima for some of her plein air paintings--sure to take your breath away!)

Strength

This watercolor/ink illustration is a "Horse of Hope, " and it was recently sold to a wonderful couple.


(50% of the proceeds from the "Horses of Hope" notecards go to the medical costs of two local women with cancer).

Black Jack

Black Jack is a Percheron/TB cross who is not only devastatingly handsome, but he is talented at dressage and is a level headed farm horse and trail mount.

His portrait is rendered in charcoal on acid free grey charcoal paper.

Me and Smarty...

Here I am with my watercolor/ink portrait of the champion racehorse, Smarty Jones. This portrait now lives at Three Chimneys farm in Kentucky.

Note: As I respect photographer's copyrights, no reference photo was used to create this painting of Smarty.

pencil studies!

Pencil studies sure are fun... One beautiful late spring day, I set a blanket out on my front lawn, fixed a plate of cheese and crackers, and drew a bunch of equine studies. I drew about 15 quick pencil studies, and I decided later to put the some of them on notecards.

I love being expressive with a few, quick pencil lines. There is a horse that lives in my mind and I can bring him to life with a few strokes of graphite. This is how the Territorial Stallion study featured in this entry came to be....He's one of my favorites...I just thought about him and drew him.

Other things I did on that day included: eating a lot, playing my guitar and breaking a string, and napping.

I love days like that...

Welcome!

Welcome to the Sound the Bugle Studio Journal!

Here you will be able to see my latest works, and the stories behind them.

I am a professional artist specializing in equine art and pet portraits. Every portrait tells a story--so here I am joining the blog world so I can share the world of Sound the Bugle Studio with you...

Now get a load of the two goofballs in this photo--Noble and BlackJack can sure have some serious fun with a Tropicana orange juice jug. Horses are so resourceful, huh? Noble and BJ live at my brother's farm--and there's never a dull moment. I had the honor of doing portraits of both of these handsome devils, watch for them on the site....

Currently on the drafting table: a charcoal portrait of Zeke, a lovable mutt--it looks like he has basenji and german shepherd in him--and Copar, a beautiful, bright chestnut arab cross gelding.

Enjoy your visit!


Helen Scanlon