I found the reference photo for this painting on wetcanvas.com. It was one of those photos that I think was meant just for me. It spoke to my heart as soon as I saw it!... It reminds me so of my well-aged mare (Shelby)... She turned 28 this march and is living a happy retired life in Chapel Hill, NC. She has been part of my family for the last 21 years and truly deserves her happy "Sunset Years".
I took a slightly different approach with this painting. I used almost entirely 100% transparent colors on this beauty. On my palette, I had Indian Yellow, Trans.Orange, Trans. Red, Trans, Brown, Purple, Ultramarine and Magenta (love the magenta!) - an I used ALL of them for this painting.. I did a lot of wiping with q-tips/paper towels and also used the 'colour shaper' tool to scrape the paint and get the highlight effect! Love...Love...my Colour Shaper - it lets me create texture and definition in my paintings.
SUNSET YEARS
12" x 12" - Oil on Panel
Available 325
www.olgawagner.com
As, always...I start with the transparent orange to draw out the shape...I freehand it with a smaller brush and plenty of medium to make the paint flow.
Here I am starting to layout the colors. To build up the darks takes several layers of paint...Once all layers are done, the darkest darks will have a a bit of Trans. Brown, Purple, Magenta and Utramarine in it. The light areas are mainly indian yellow and trans. orange wiped off to make it brighter and also some areas have been scraped using the silicone tool.
This is a close-up of the face. You can see the scrape marks to give definition and texture. Also, you will see the only few areas that contain Opaque Paint. I used Ultramarine and white to add a small number of highlights...Only what you see here...
This is Shelby, when she was about 9 years of age. She is now 28 - and I really need to get some more recent shots of her...I am a bad mother!!
This is the Colour Shaper tool that I use. You can get these through
JerrysArtarama or any other art supplier. Here is the description from Jerry's website:
"Colour Shapers are a unique tool made from
silicone. The tip will not absorb any material, and so is great for
applying, removing, scraping and moving color. Used alone or together
with your existing tools, Colour Shapers will give you the opportunity
to develop new and exciting effects. Made by Royal Sovereign in England"
If you have never tried one - you must! It will open doors to new possibilities...I promise...
