Icelandic Horses

It's great to be back in Iceland.

I'm here as a guest of the archaeological project at Hólar, where I've spent
many summers drawing finds, some of which you can see here. While I'm here this
time though, I plan to begin portraits of some Icelandic horses. And if there's
one thing Iceland knows how to do well it's horses. As my daughter would tell
you, there are many types of Icelandic horse; fluffy ones, hairy ones, brown
ones, black ones, brown and black ones, orange ones, messy ones and then there
are tidy ones. And with a wide selection just outside my window I'm in the
perfect place for sketching and photographing some of these messy, hairy horses.

Two Spaniels 

The first thing I like to do when I get a new commission is to choose the best photograph and make a preparatory sketch for the client. I like them to see the overall composition and give an idea of how the finished painting will look. It's important for me to make sure that the client is completely happy before I begin the actual painting. It's very reasssuring for both of us to see this before the process of laying paint to paper begins!

Here's my 40 x 40cm sketch for my latest commission, it's always easier when the subjects are so handsome! And I'm really looking forward to getting started painting this pair.