SERENDIPITY

Don't you just love Serendipity?  It's a delightful feeling when something just lands in you lap, so to speak.  In a way, that's how I found my horse, all those years ago.  I had saved "X" amount of dollars and that was all I could spend.  I wanted a Morgan, a middle aged gelding so I'd have a quiet horse, and I needed him to be patient and kind.  Everyone I called (who raised Morgans) laughed and told me I'd never get what I wanted with what I had to spend.  Then one day, I decided to poke through the want ads in the paper - something I never do.  And there he was, a Morgan gelding, quiet, 14 years old, well trained English and Western, and his asking price was exactly, to the dollar, what I had saved in my Horse Fund.  If that wasn't Serendipity, I don't know what was.  My Morgan and I were together for 19 years.

It is Serendipity at work as well, any time I am at a show somewhere, possibly delivering a painting, and my client likes my work so much, they promptly take it all over the place, urging people they know to go and and get a horse/dog portrait done.  And  more commission roll in!  I love when that happens! :)   

  

English Mastiff                 Colored Pencil

And this past weekend, Serendipity struck again.  This time, it was the kindness of a neighbor, taking in an abandoned  cat.  A few days later, yes, you're right, 4 kittens arrived.   We had been thinking about getting a young companion for our youngest Sheltie.  He needs someone with the energy of youth to play with, but the 'just right' dog wasn't appearing.  Our neighbor should be in sales.  We had no intention of getting a second cat at this time.  But somehow, we ended up with a little kitten whom we call Jasmine.  Our  young Sheltie is entranced with her, and when she is a bit bigger, she will be a fine, indoor playmate for him.  She comes from a home that has other cats, a couple of dogs, and has been raised so far (and will continue to be) an indoor cat, so she is everything we were looking for, except that she is a cat.  But that's minor detail. 

 Breeze will get his  running - in - the - garden companion all in good time.  I wouldn't be surprised if it happens when we are least expecting it.  Serendipity at work again!             

Cheers,

Heather

www.heatheranderson-animalart.com                          

It's In the Blood

August late afternoons, sitting on the shady back porch enjoying the late season flowers, the bird song, and the velvety air, is a prime time for reflection.  One recent afternoon, I began reflecting on painting, as in, 'why in the name of heaven am I following such a crazy, unstable career path??  My conclusion is that it is in the blood.  My Grandfather was apparently  a talented artist who steered his career into that of a skilled craftsman  working with wood.  My cousin on the other side of  the family was a very successful Commercial Artist who had his own Commercial Studio and employed several  artists.  And so to me.
My particular field is Domestic Animal Art - a bit of a hard sell, but I'm doing OK with that.  I LOVE dogs, cats, and horses - they are in my heart and they are what delights me.  My mediums of choice are graphite and my beloved watercolors.    I've tried acrylics (still use them a bit) oils and pastels, (the dust and odors were too hard on my lungs) and colored pencils, which I really enjoyed, but my hands finally said 'Enough!'.  But all the while, I kept coming back to watercolor.  I love the light, airy brightness and lively darks you can achieve in this medium.  I love the misty quality you can get, if that is your aim.  I love the lack of odor and the quick clean up, and the paint that dries and waits politely in the tray until you're ready to paint again, and with a little bit of water, they are ready to go too.
At this stage, after trying all sorts of mediums, I prefer to do my experimenting within the medium itself.  One of my favorite artists, Canadian Trisha Romance, paints with a very limited palette, mixing all the colors she needs from the three primaries plus sepia.  I had to give it a try, and this little rough sketch was the result.

Obviously, the drawing was minimal, it was the color that I was after, and I was quite surprised at what I was able to accomplish with only  red, yellow, blue, and a touch of sepia.  But that was just to see if I could do it.  I am in love with color, and have nearly the whole range of Winsor Newton pigments.

I use a range of brushes too.  Not the multiple jars of brushes you see in a television show featuring an artist, which always makes me giggle.   No one needs THAT many brushes!  Well, OK, I have 4 jars.  One is filled with brushes that my mentor left to me, and as they are oil brushes, I keep them for remembrance and luck, and only use a few of them for acylics.  I have a jar of acrylic brushes, a jar of old, (some worn out, some very cheap) watercolor brushes, and then I have my treasured, working watercolor brushes.

I have the very tiniest sizes for the details and the larger brushes for the washes.  The larger Winsor Newton brushes are capable of doing some very small detail, but it is easier and faster using the tiny brushes.  But the smaller brushes are totally incapable of holding enough water or paint to do a decent wash. These brushes are like extensions of my fingers  :0.  I don't let anyone else use them.
And now, the lure of my paint table calls, and I'd better get to work. I get SO FUSSY if I can't work.  Just ask my cat and the dogs - oh, and my husband, lovely, patient man that he is. :0
Cheers,
Heather
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com

THROUGH AN ARTIST'S EYES

Because I'm an artist, I work hard at seeing the wonders of the world around me, sometimes things that most "normal" (ha,ha!) people don't notice.  Yes, those eyes are mine, albeit, in a photo taken a very long time ago.  That was all there was to the photo - just the eyes.  I've always rather liked it, because being an artist, I'm an observer.  The world comes to me through my eyes.  And I've learned that not everyone sees things the same way.
I used to attempt to place my art in shows put on by NATURE people, and was always turned away, not because the art didn't hold up to that of the other artists, but  because my subjects were horses, dogs, and cats.  They said that my subjects were not part of the natural world.  It didn't matter that I had backgrounds of fields and forest, lake and stream. I was not considered a Nature artist because I didn't have a wild animal in the painting, and because I wasn't a Naturalist -I never went out on Field Trips to swamps or the deep woods.  OK, I admit it, hiking through the bush, camping out, is just not me - my idea of roughing it is unchilled champagne!  I never wanted to study a dead animal if I came across one - I wanted to give it a respectful burial.  But that doesn't mean that I don't see and cherish the natural world.
 I discovered  nature from the back of a horse.  I'd never have been in  the woods, the open fields, and even some watery areas if not for my horse.  I'd never have traveled through the magic of a Trillium Wood in Spring and heard the spring creatures singing their joy in the season, or seen the sea of Trilliums waving around us, or experienced the magical green-lit  hush of the deep forest.
                                                           

I'd never have ridden beside late autumn corn fields with Canada Geese coming in to land for the night, or had the fun of a gorgeous fox inviting me to play follow the leader - FOX of course, led the game and vanished in a heartbeat when he grew tired of it.  I learned to look at and appreciate the woods and pastures, but I did it in my own way, and expressed my love of these things  in Equine Art.
The garden here at home opened my eyes to nature as well.  So many bugs, bees, birds and little critters (I'm talking mostly about little things with fur!) to enjoy and watch.  The dogs get me out in the garden every day, even if there is no garden work to be done, and they often point out something of interest.  If I didn't watch what my curious dogs were doing, I may never have seen this handsome little guy.
                                               
So I  have just never understood why a love and appreciation of the Natural World is, in some circles, considered invalid simply because it's seen from the back of a  horse or  while larking about with a dog . They were the instrument to get me out there to discover and enjoy all the wonders.
This isn't a rant about the Wild Life Art people - I love the paintings in their shows, and they are good people trying to awaken us to the wonderful world around us.  So I enjoy that type of  show, real time or on line, and then go back to my own path,  recording in my paintings, the world the way I see it, knowing they will be enjoyed by folks who appreciate nature the same, gentler way I do.
Keep looking around you  . ..  you never know what you'll see!
cheers,
Heather
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com

August in the Country

I love living in the country all year round, but August can be particularly beautiful to me.  By August, Summer has usually lost the searing heat of July, and although it can be too humid for my comfort, as long as I can get inside in some nice arctic AC, I'm happy.
I love the golden fields of grain and hay.  They speak to me of a season of plenty in the cold months ahead - food for the beasts, food for us.  The rich golden hues fill me with peace and contentment, just to look at them.
                                   

Every once in a while, if I'm very lucky, I come across a scene that defines a peaceful country afternoon for me.  I see cows relaxing by a pond, wandering in to get a drink and to cool off.  It's a timeless image - go have a look at some Constable paintings and you'll see that he must have felt the same way.                                                   OK, that does it.  I'm going to have to start a little landscape of the August fields I love.                                                                            

Cheers,                                                                                             Heather                                                                                   www.heatheranderson-animalart.com                                             

                                                                               

                                                                                             

      

                                   

                                                    

Friends Who Drop By

     One of the things I love about Country living is the friendliness.  Your neighbors think nothing of dropping by and if invited, they'll stay for a bite to eat.  We have a whole host of  furred or feathered neighbors who come by at least once a day to visit the bird feeder, to have a drink or a swim, and maybe catch up on the Sheltie Hollow gossip.
I'm talking of course about the squirrels, the birds, and my particular favorites, the chipmunks.  They give us endless amusement with their antics and little scuffles, and all for the price of bird seed.  We have planted the garden with things they like to ear, and added a lot of trees for shelter over the years to make this a safe habitat for them, and they seem to like it here. We have a couple of  bird baths in the summer and we put out food all year round, and of course, our cat is an indoor sort of guy who does his bird watching from behind the sun room windows, so there is always someone dropping by.
This summer, we have a family of RAVENS, a first for us.  We feel very honored to think that these intelligent, beautiful birds have found our garden to their liking.  These birds are HUGE!  They are also very timid and polite, and will willingly eat beside the other birds, the squirrels and the chipmunks.

The Chipmunks and the Red Squirrels are not as polite, in fact, they wage a constant battle as to who will get to the feeder first. Sometimes there are fisticuffs, and other times, a truce is called.  There really is enough for all.

  These little characters often give me something to paint . . . just a whimsical  thought that they spark, that ends  up  as a "Biff and Jo-Jo" cartoon. I love doing them, and  People seem to enjoy these little  characters as much as I do.  Jo-Jo always seems to be playing tricks on Biff, just like their real life counterparts do - although the real little critters may not be quite as colorful. :0                                                                                                                               

Before I sign off for this week, I must add that we have some wonderful Human neighbors too !

Cheers,

Heather Anderson

www.heatheranderson-animalart.com

Jungle Rhythms

Jungle rhythms, that what my garden looks like in July!  I look at the flowers that were neat, pretty, and in (mostly) weed free beds just a few short weeks ago, and shudder.  What happened?!
                     

   It's July, with it's super heat, humidity and often very heavy rain.  I have to stay inside a lot to keep away from it, and the garden takes advantage.
Yes, I know the image is blurry, but that's the way the flowers strike me just now.  It's a jungle of blossoms and unidentified green things that I know in my gardener's heart are weeds, just waiting to effect a Coup.  It has it's own sort of wild beauty, but I'm going to have to sort this out the moment the heat turns down the broiler.
Life can be like that too, can't it?  Things pile up, crises happen, tempers stretch, and all of a sudden, everything is out of control.  When that happens, I am learning to treat it the same way I do the July garden.  First, I just hang in there as best I can and wait for an opportunity to start putting things in order.  Then I handle things, one at a time until life is running smoothly again. No one said it was going to happen over-night. It's a job and a half!
In the garden, the opportunity to get things sorted is coming little by little, day by day as the weather moderates, and by August, I can  get out there and really go head to head with the remaining weeds and over-grown flowers.  Soon things will be neat again, orderly, and with an August mellowness,  just the way I like them to be.

Cheers,
Heather
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com
   

                                                                                     

A Sense of Self

I grew up being taught to never boast about my accomplishments, in fact, I wasn't even supposed to mention them.  Unfortunately, that stayed with me, muffling my Sense of Self until I almost didn't have one, and I can't think of anything that is of less service to an artist than self doubt and a natural inclination to NOT talk about themselves!  While I still find boasting about oneself  to be totally lacking in class, I have learned to let people know that "Hey, I'm an artist, I paint animals and I'm really good at it, and I've achieved some interesting things!"  To help me with this, I made a ME WALL some time ago that holds reminders for me of things that I have done.  Let me give you a quick and non-boastful tour.

This wall is in the studio near my art table and computer so I  see it every day.  It helps me remember that I have had magazine covers, that I've been juried into art shows, including the ART SHOW AT THE DOG SHOW, and have won Best Acrylic in Show at the EGYPTIAN EVENT at the Kentucky Horse Park.    I've had an article written about my work in a Swedish magazine, (and can't read of word of it!) and another one in The Equine Image magazine. Wow, That was a thrill!  And although you can't see it very well, the little photo at the bottom is of me with Robert Bateman.  I'll never forget that evening!!

This  page is also part of my ME WALL and it reminds me that I was chosen Artist of the Year in 2000 by the local branch of the Canadian Lung Association (I entered a painting in memory of a loved friend who died from lung disease and it was chosen for their fund raiser).  It reminds me that my work appeared in a French Equine Art publication (located in the South of France) and that I was the Official Artist for a Canadian Symphony of Horses.  Have  you been to a Symphony of Horses?  It's an evening of  horses and light classical music - Magical!  It reminds me that I was invited to Arabia to exhibit my Arabian paintings, and although I didn't go, it was memorable just being invited.  I also have a couple of things to remind me of the One Woman Shows I've done and of the  painting that one of the galleries acquired while I was there.  I've done many shows over the years, and at least three of them were Solo exhibits.  But a One Woman Show is a huge amount of work, and it costs a lot to do.  I'm glad I did them, they were really exciting, and a big boost to the ego,  but I'm not sure I'd want that responsibility or expense again.  But never say never!  Hanging beside this page, there's a quarter page clipping from the Ottawa newspaper reporting my involvement in the The Horse Gift Mural.  All of these things are reminders that I've been on an interesting path and have accomplished a number of successes in my art career to date, and I'm not finished yet!  Who knows what's just round the corner.
If you are the sort to doubt yourself from time to time, try going through your old papers and photos and placing a record of your success up where you can see them every day.  It does wonders for your sense of Self.
Cheers,
Heather Anderson
www.heatheranderson-animalart.com