New beginnings

I haven't added much to my model horse collection the past year. I've been too busy scrambling just trying to keep up with my commissions since my parents moved in with me. But I've found myself obsessed with Zebras lately and was able to add this darling country Artists lying down Zebra to my collection. Meet "Checkers".

 I was surprised by the size of him when he arrived. He is supposed to be a young colt and I was expecting a traditional scale colt. But this guy is larger than an adult traditional scale horse! I'm looking forward to photographing him in different scenes.

Recently Braynet started an online show for longears of all types. I only had this photo of Checkers and entered it but he didn't place. But I also entered my Calvin Roy Kinstler mule Amos. Calvin Roy Kinstler sculpted each model out of wood, one at a time and then hand painted each piece. Amos is made of wood too. If you look close you can see the grain. Since Calvin Roy Kinstler passed away around 1959, Amos is *at least* 50 years old. He may be much older. I don't know as there is no date on him. I live showed him at Bentleyville a few years ago and he won several NAN cards there, both in halter and performance. Anyway I entered him in the Braynet show and he won the AR traditional scale mule class, then won Overall Grand Champion AR mule.

                              Amos. Sculpted and painted by Calvin Roy Kinstler over 50 years ago.

I'm having a heck of a time typing this since Purrcie thinks he needs to be lying on the desk in front of the keyboard. He wants his turn on the computer.

Well I'll do the best I can and he can wait his turn.

As soon as I finish up these last three commissions I'm looking forward to some sculpting I have started. I have a pretty neat medallion in the works using a clay/wax composition that I am trying out. and I love the medium so far. This is how it looked a few months ago actually. The walls are rock now, and I have the woodwork more finished. The horse's face is more detailed. I know I need a new picture! I have this idea for doing medallions of horses with their heads out of their stalls, different breeds and different kinds of stalls. Like in Pueblo CO at the state fair they have these really beautiful stucco stalls.

The commissions I'm working on right now are really labor intensive. Leopard Appaloosas, and they are completely hand painted.  I start out with a dark base coat and paint white *around* the spots. Some folks start out with white and paint the spots on, but I can't get the tiny hair like detail doing it that way.

These are two different Lancelot resins. This one is nearly finished, maybe you can see the tiny hairs and hair whorls in his coat. The one above shows how the color and pattern develops.

Well it's my bedtime and Purrcie is still waiting his turn so I better scram.