Just posted – a commission I did for Lynda Rivington, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – a painting of her lovely Hackney pony “John Henry”. Many thanks to Peggy Binns for taking the photograph that is displayed here.
I think this was one of the most complicated paintings I have done because of the harness and the vehicle. If the wheels are out of true shape just a small bit, the whole painting can look amateurish.
Same with the harness … any horse person can see right away when something is wrong. Painting a hunter’s bridle is different then painting a harness horse’s equipment. My friend, Barry Dickinson, who is a renown expert on carriages, driving horses and anything related to them, kept telling me, “Don’t forget to put in the reins. I’ve seen paintings where the artist forgot the reins”.
Getting the painting to Lynda from Costa Rica was interesting. My friends Bruce Cole and Jonathan Hiltz were in Costa Rica and were able to carry it back with them on their non-stop flight to Toronto. From there, the painting was picked up by Lynda’s friend Bonnie Kozak and taken to Mississauga, where Lynda was attending a meeting …. and she finally got her painting! Thanks to everyone.