Charm, showing off the only braids that will stay in her endless mane.
Alli with Charm. Billy is behind me, wondering why he is in horse jail.
For not the first time, but maybe the last time, I have started a "home business". The difference with this one is that it is one I really enjoy. I've drawn and painted horses since I was (at least) five years old--that's the earliest one that my mother saved.By the time I entered my teens, Mother had grown a bit tired of the subject and urged me to do something else with my artwork besides horses. I followed her advice and never looked back until ten years ago when it occurred to me that people might actually pay for horse portraits. I have had many exhibits of my landscapes, and sold a good number of them--but not enough to provide any kind of steady income.
I'm hoping that if I work hard and market this business well I will be able to delight my customers, make some money, and have a lot of fun doing it.
Visit many more horses and my rural landscapes at http://allifarkas.com, or click on my photo above.
Category Archives: drawing
A client from a decade ago–revisited
A client I remember vividly for various reasons contacted me recently to commission a new horse portrait. You can see the one she commissioned in 2012 here. That one was her grandfather’s horse, and she ordered it really early to … Continue reading
Finally the horse
This commission was finished at least a week ago but the logistics of the surprise presentation to the recipient had still to be worked out. So as much as I wanted to share, I couldn’t without spoiling the surprise. I … Continue reading
Sky Pads 33 part 2
You can see now that the general scheme here is a progression of the leaves on a diagonal from bottom right to upper left. This wasn’t obvious in my last post unless you enjoy squinting at faint drawing lines to … Continue reading
33 cued up, with a postscript on 32
I went ahead and posted an “inaccurate color” photo of Sky Pads 32 yesterday because I was in a hurry to finally get it out there. I loved the fake gold-orange tones (created by bad lighting) floating down from the … Continue reading
A good line…or two
The previous owner of the barn where I board my horse stopped in yesterday to say hi. ME: You look GOOD! HIM: (after a sly pause) I’ll pay you later. ME: (with a sly smile) I don’t come cheap. HIM: … Continue reading
A horse got me moving again
I think I fell victim to “Covid coma” without even having the disease. My “blogging coma” lasted a couple of months, meaning I didn’t do any painting at all since early September. I’m pretty sure part of the lethargy was … Continue reading
Not diving any deeper, but getting pretty thick
These last two layers started with a coat of blue paint, but not just any blue. I have a favorite mix of green and magenta that produces my favorite blue. I know, you’re saying that combination can’t possibly make blue. … Continue reading
Oh Happy Day!
It finally got up to 75°F (24°C) today which is about the coolest temp I dare to pour my paint backgrounds for Sky Pads (this one is #28). The cooler it gets, the less the paint wants to separate out … Continue reading
Can’t believe we’re at 20
The last time I did an extended series I wimped out at 16 paintings. I feel much more motivated about this series, probably because I still feel challenged by it too. This is a really nice subtle background. It’s a … Continue reading
It snowed today
Well, at least on canvas. Figured I might as well continue the national stormy narrative the USA seems to have going this week. That’s kind of an Easter Egg yellow light, but as usual it’s just a base coat and … Continue reading
Alli Farkas Artist Adventures 