Blue Skies and Sunshine, commissioned acrylic painting on 30”x40” cradled wood panel, private collection (thank you!).
I don’t do many commissions anymore. I got painfully burned out from over a decade of daily pet portraits (www.PaintingaDogaDay.com), but also because I am now a Disrupted Realism artist creating fractured, expressive work which doesn’t lend itself to preserving a likeness in the way most think of portraiture.
So when my newest collector approached me in late March about a portrait of her horse, I steeled myself to say no. I read her proposal, and despite not having a blessed idea about how I might paint him, I had a full body response to the project.
She, in turn, granted me full artistic license. I could paint Larry however he showed up. So I got my brushes readied.
Bless her heart - collecting photos was an emotional and practical challenge, given Larry had recently passed away quite unexpectedly. But she gathered videos from the barn staff and dug through her archives, delivering me plenty of material. I was able to picture him right here in the studio, the record of his life playing out in my mind.
She shared a number of favorite memories - one of which was him grazing in a field full of yellow flowers. That, paired with his charm and goofy nature, inspired a composition where Larry approached the viewer, partially rooted in the present day while filled with a timeless slice of heaven blue. Of course he also housed his own sunrise and I popped in my traditional swath of pink (clouds) to represent hope of a future reunion.
And yellow flowers dancing across the surface, along with an inset featuring Larry’s memory of that same pasture.
There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of creating a touchpoint for a client that perfectly summarizes the beauty and timelessness of a relationship. Conceptualizing and bringing this one to life felt akin to an act of deep love, and I remain so grateful to my collector for trusting me to do so with her boy’s memory.
I don’t know that I’m up for more of these, but it certainly felt like a disservice not to share Larry’s sunshine with you all. Because our world needs more beauty, and sharing this feels like an extension of the same act of love that went into making the painting to begin with.
And in case you were thinking of asking, there will not be prints of this one - it is too personal of a piece. I want to honor that. Sometimes a painting deserves to be a one-off.
Just like Larry was.
Thanks so much for your interest in my artwork.
Love you, Kim
PS Shout out to my Patreon subscribers who make the creating of this work and the educational facets of my business possible through their financial support. Whether they are donating (“buying Blue treats”) or enrolled in a tier with instructional benefits, their support allows me to paint organically in response to my experiences, and then speak to that via socials, this newsletter, video content and in other ways. Supporting the arts is critically important to preserve and document our voices. I am so grateful for your contributions, whether they be through Patreon, the purchase of artwork or engagement in other ways. Thank you!
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