Bay Horse Acrylic painting

LOUIE
16" X 20" on 3mm Pastelbord

Commission details:

PORTRAIT COMPLETED:
October 2018

I was contacted by a lady who wanted a painting of her horse completed. Although she had some photos of Louie, she asked if I could visit his stables and take the photos myself. Marianne wanted the full package for her portrait and requested framing too.

Before planning the date of the photo shoot, I discussed the portrait with Marianne, asking her what type of pose she preferred. Many owners have their horse clipped before the day, however, she preferred him in his natural state, and simply brushed him down before I arrived. Whilst he was in the yard, a bridle was put on him so he could be guided. As this would not be included in the painting, I requested for him to be put in the paddock with the bridle removed, so I could take photos of him without it. Louie was a very calm and patient horse, happy to be rewarded with a piece of apple. The sun was high in the sky, which created hard shadows on an already dark subject. The sun was directly in front of me, but as it was not suitable for me to go into the field to position myself correctly, I had to make the most of the difficult conditions.

Reference image:

I was asked if I was able to visit Louie to take the photos for his painting. Although I do not drive, people sometimes bring their dogs to me so I can capture the perfect photograph for their portrait, however, it is another matter entirely to bring a horse! As my dad was visiting, a trip to meet Louie at his stable was organised. I use a Nikon SLR, which can take large photos so I can get the photos I need which help me to capture the true likeness of Louie. However, there are some situations that make it very difficult to work in and this was one of those days. A bright sunny day is appreciated by almost everyone, except a photographer. Strong sunlight creates harsh shadows and direct sun causes over-exposure. Louie's colour is very dark, which on an overcast day provides him with a natural colour, the bright sun brought out the warmth of his brown undertones. Strong shadows hide the detail and although I took many photos from different angles, the sun was just too bright so I had to rely on additional references that I found online to ensure the colour was correct.

Customer Testimonial:

“ Thank you Karen for taking the time to come up and shoot photos of Lou, and for the time and detailed work put into creating his portrait. I now have Lou at home on the wall as well as at the yard. Thank you! So worth waiting for. I had not noticed his beauty spots lately, so thanks for capturing the real life likeness ”
Marianne

Framing details:

Artist Karen M Berisford with her acrylic painting of a dark bay horse called Louie

Marianne requested a frame for her portrait and I presented her with a few samples. She selected the Saltergate Silver moulding and went for the 63mm width. Acrylic paintings do not require glass, but Marianne requested it as she wanted added protection. To ensure the glass does not adhere to the painting, a spacer is placed behind the glass, leaving a space between it and the canvas. True Vue Ultra Vue glass was used which has a very low reflection level, minimising glare and it also blocks upto 70% UV light.

About commissions:

If you are thinking of booking your own portrait with me, whatever the subject may be, you can find out how the process works on my commissions page or drop me an email at: karenmberisfordart@gmail.com