Lilac Wisteria (2013-4), R. Herman

Hello friends.

For those of you that are interested, here is my latest piece of art: a commission entitled, ‘Lilac Wisteria.’ My client intends to hang this artwork in their kitchen; a light and airy space, perfect for this large, statement piece.

My next project is a portrait. I am tremendously excited to start this, as portraits are indeed my fave, so watch this space…!

Rachael.

P.S. Apologies for the low-budget photograph; I have not yet had the chance to take one in the bright spring sunlight due to painting it over the dark winter months

Unique (2013), R.Herman

Unique, Rachael Herman (2013), oil on canvas, 30 x 50cm

Considering I painted this piece way back in October, this post is a little late off the mark, but here it is anyway…

This painting depicts a 16.1 Dark Bay Dutch Warmblood (or ‘quite big dark brown horse’ to those of us who are equinely challenged) and was a (slightly belated) present for the horse’s previous owner, Cat. Unfortunately the lovely horse, Unique, had to be sold, so the painting was intended to be a sort of commemorative piece. A pretty horse, I’m sure you’ll agree!

Rachael.

At Rest (06/2012), R.Herman

At Rest, Rachael Herman (2012), oil on canvas, 500 mm x 500 mm

At first glance, one could perhaps be duped into thinking that these here limbs are just a run-of-the-mill pair of horse legs, and yes, to a great extent, they are. However, what struck me as unique (the horse is in fact called ‘Unique’. See what I did there…) about these particular equine appendages is the stance in which they are positioned – a rather dainty ‘quatrieme devant’ in fact – so much so I simply had to recapture the moment in oils.

Hanging Basket #1 (11/07/2012), R.Herman

Hanging Basket  #1, 11/07/2012

Having returned home from work today nothing short of a bruised and battered war hero – yes, it is that glorious time of year when schools decide to send their pupils out to fun places, masquerading it as ‘curriculum enhancement’. Apparently I put my name down for paintballing?! Owie… – I thought what better way to ‘debrief’ than to soak up the tepid rays of the evening sun in the serene green of the garden. Paintball gun left firmly behind, I instead armed myself with preferred weapon of choice, the ol’ Nikon d90. (Results shown above^).

A Cheeky Double Act

Here is a sickeningly adorable photograph of two shetland ponies just chilling out. I like the sort of nonchalant ’emo’ pose of our friend on the right, and if we follow his gaze we come across the comical presence of the young slack-jawed critter to the left. The hopelessly romantic 9 year-old part of me hopes that they are the best of friends.

Weston (05/2012), R.Herman

Weston Rachael Herman (2012), oil on canvas, 800 mm x 700 mm

Please welcome my latest piece that I have been beavering away at for these past few weeks. Confined to my little bedroom, amidst the fumes of turpentine and frustration, I am happy to say that I have finally finished this study of Cat’s fabulous horse, Unique. It does appear to be devoid of a rider (soz Cat), as I wanted to portray the beautiful creature trotting about her meadow freely, as nature intended, or something like that. (Basically, I acted out of cowardice, as I was too scared to paint not only a horse, but a person atop the horse, as painting a horsey alone is a mighty challenge in itself!)

As far as the technical aspects of the piece are concerned, I was going for a more impressionistic approach – you know, all Monet and such. A prime example of this is demonstrated by the trees in the left of the scene, which accounts for there being less focus on form and more on colour and the interplay of light. This is a style I am thus far unfamiliar with in my own practise, hence why it probably looks terrible, but hey, I’ll put that one down to experience I guess… As far as the horse is concerned, I tackled that in my usual ‘blend the colours like there’s no tomorow’ approach – a failsafe when faced with one of those difficult equine shapes.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Rach.

Once Upon a Damp Spring Day…

A bit of a photo-tour around my soggy garden one afternoon, earlier this Springtime.

Snaps taken, as usual, with the old-faithful Nikon D90 and altered on iPhoto to give them that wonderous ‘Instagram’ edge.

Walk the River

Walk the river,

We are lost, old animals.

Rhododendron in White (12/05/2012), Sheringham Park

Here’s a pretty picture of a flower to brighten an otherwise dull day :).

Sheringham Park, Norfolk (12/05/2012)

Nostalgic views of the North Sea, sun-soaked Rhododendrons, mysterious monuments, and Bluebell-dappled woodland: all hallmarks of a splendid afternoon spent at what some would debate to be Norfolk’s finest picnic destination, Sheringham Park.