The Desert Paintings
Into the Desert Sky
Oil on linen – 30 x 25 inches – Private Collection
I have been fascinated by the Arabian horse and it’s Bedouin heritage since I was a little girl. This was my first attempt to create a narrative painting that came from my imagination, not photographs. Once I had created the composition, I used resources such as research into landscapes, raptors and falconry and the Saluki sight hound to help me achieve that goal. I even sewed a robe and cloak for a friend to wear while she stood in the stirrups with her right arm raised so I could understand the drape of the fabric.
Follow Me
Oil on mounted linen – 15 x 17 inches
Selected for the Society of Animal Artists 2014/2015 Art and the Animal exhibition and national tour.
I was at a horse show when I took photos of this gorgeous Saluki. He was in a building near a door with the glow of bright daylight stroking across his body. That’s what gave me the idea to place him inside a tent with the desert outside. I painted him from my photo reference but the tent interior was designed using my research into Bedouin weavings and tent furnishings.
Learning to Read the Wind
Oil on linen – 20 x 24 inches – Private Collection
This painting was only partly completed when I showed it to an interested collector. He loved much of it but asked if we could replace the Saluki I had begun to paint with his own hound. He sent me a photo that was not only the right angle to match the painting but had light flowing from behind, just as it is in the scene. He really understood how to help me fulfill his request.
Daughters of the Desert
Oil on linen – 18 x 12 inches
Selected for the Premier Auction to benefit The Pyramid Society at the 2014 Egyptian Event in Kentucky.
The theme for the 2014 Egyptian Event Arabian horse show at The Kentucky Horse Park was “Mares, Queens of the Nile”. I wanted to create a painting to reflect this theme. I painted an Arabian mare, alert to her surroundings, emerging with her filly from a canyon into the desert beyond.
(Canvas prints are available.)