Fractured ankle = more time to paint?

Yes... I fractured my ankle while trying to lock up a gate at work - sort of pathetic how I came to that injury with a gate when most people would assume I fell off a horse, or a horse jumped on me, or something 'horse-related' actually happened. But no... it was a gate, that was jammed on concrete, that I hauled on and got tangled up in. Very... impressive, right?

But, you have to make a positive out of the negative, and that positive is that between the times when the pain killers make me sick/tired/dizzy/in a haze, is time that I am actually painting and prepping models.

Two recent completions include these two:

Meet Benedicto (spanish for 'blessed')





He is of course, 'DeCaprio' who was scuplted by one of my favourite scupltors, Stacey Tumlinson. This guy just oozes such personality and softness and supplness - everything you want in a Warmblood, matched with that lovely neck and body structure. I was stoked to get a hold of this guy to be able to paint. And whilst this guy was a little unsure of his color, he actually did a color change half way through his base coats - he was going to be a black tobiano with cat-tracking, but during his base coats a friend of mine said he would look amazing if he went liver chestnut, and Benedicto said, 'oh may YES please!' and liver chestnut he went. He is inspired from the lovely Warmblood stallion Briar 899 with just a few small marking changes.

I'm hoping to proxy him at a US show in November and then have him home in time for our December show and then off to a show in January over the other side of Australia, then he'll most likely be for sale if he doesn't win me over more than he already has - in that case, he's already got a good friend of mine begging me to sell him to her :)

Next, meet miss Ashquar (Arabic for chestnut)





The super detailed 'Jezebel' resin by Sarah Rose - this girl is just beautiful in person, and also oozes a lot of personality. There isn't a bad angle you can photograph this mare from (but do excuse my grainy photo's, I'm still learning my new light tent set-up and camera).

I do believe my 'Gizelle' resin is now calling to me saying she wants to be a dappled liver chestnut :) In time my friend, in time... I'm practising my dappled version of my newly found love for liver chestnuts on a G1 'Silky Sullivan' stablemate, and if it is a win, then I believe she will get her wish. If it's a fail, well then I'm not going to do her any in-justice's.

Another one I have painted since my last post was a lovely liver chestnut roan sabino/overo 'Working Girl' resin, but I will do my best to get new (non blurry) photo's of her so I can show her off. She has being sold and will be with my good friend who also has her eyes on the 'DeCaprio' resin :)

Speaking of sales - Sanskrit sold to a lovely lady in Sweden, and I've already heard he recieved Champion at a recent photo show which qualifies him for the Swedish National Championships in November - best of luck to him and his new owner, I do hope I get an update in my email with some great news at his Swedish Live Show debute!

What a day...

Well I haven't posted on here in forever & I do apologise - I've being through some tough times in the past 10 months that I'd rather not relive again in this lifetime (or any other), but I am getting it togheter again slowly and surely.

BIG News - well lots of it, including my infamous Calamity Jane resin "Hehewuti" pulling out more wins, DUN Qualifications, Grand Champion's in Workmanship and Artist Resin, and also pulling out her highest award to date - Overall Reserve Supreme Champion at Live in the West 2010. This mare just keeps amazing me, and in the 6 - 7 shows she has now being to, she has never placed lower than 2nd in her Workmanship, Color & Breed classes!! And I am absolutely RAPTED with her!! She is a HUGE achievement for me and definate proof in my eyes that my roan techniques are working well for me. She came home with a swag of ribbons from the show on Sunday, placing 1st Workmanship, Champion Workmanship, Grand Champion Workmanship, 1st Other Breed, Champion Breed, Grand Champion AR Breed, 1st Other Color, Champion Broken Color, Grand Champion AR Color! WOW!

Ok, enough bragging :)

Some of the newbies that have being painted is a comission that has being on the table for a while - a CM'ed Flash with a new braided mane and then painted to a flashy dappled grey. He went on to pull two firsts in hic classes, and then two Champion ribbons to be in the line up for Overall Grand CM Champion - very happy with his results:





And I'm glad to report, his new owner is stoked with that news - always a happy moment!

Another newbie that joined me on the day was "Strawberry Strike", who is also for sale - so please free free to contact me about this girl. She was well loved on the day, and went on to win both her breed and color CM class, Champ out and then recieve the high honor of Grand Champion CM.

Priced at $135 AU plus postage.








Another new one that was shown with some sucess was a "Sanskrit" resin by Mel Miller and painted by myself into a bay sabino Marwari called "Sheikh" - he was second in his AR Other Breed class and placed 4th in a HUGE class of Bays (where my Absinth resin proudly won, and a Stormwatch which I painted and is owned by Melissa Boynes was second - woo hoo!). He has a custom base which makes him 100% more stable than he was without it, and has steel pins in his legs so that they slot into the base - this guy won't move now! Makes me feel a whole lot safer sitting him on a table upright.

Priced at $275 AU plus postage





Other results included my Absinth resin (also for sale) placing 1st in his bay class, and my other guys doing well - I will post more info on Absinth when I have the results and more info in general on what I am up to in the studio in the next few days.

Great to be back :)

~Sam

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Well the end of 2009 is upon us... and I'm honestly sitting here wondering where the year went - seems like I was sitting here only a few days ago bringing in 2009, let alone saying goodbye to it. From a personal note, it wasn't the best year, but I'm hoping 2010 will bring new things, better things, and the overdue 'good times' to come in for those who I love and cherish.

I hope 2010 brings you all great happiness and success!!

The last thing I'll probably get finished this year was to paint the first copy of my medallion I sculpted (not the first copy, but the first painted copy LOL), and here he is:





He has already being sold - thank you Christine!! I hope you love him!

Unpainted copies are still available for sale if you're interested, they at least make for good painting practice.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!

Well I hope everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS while I was quiet on the Blog and enjoyed good times, lots of food and merry moments. Unfortunatly I was curled up in bed from the afternoon of my birthday (the 22nd) to pretty much this morning with either a virus or Swine Flu - I'm begining to think it was just some random virus because I've bounced back from it pretty quick and I didn't go downhill that badly, but the Doctor basically said I'd be taking the same medication anyway, so he saved me a bloodtest, which I HATE! (not a needle fan - can you tell?)

Anyway, in the meantime, I sent off my Chickory and Tango resin to a show in South Australia with my awesome Show Proxier down there (thank you Bec!) and was absolutely stoked to hear that DMD Ricardo (my Tango resin) had not only pulled a Champion in his division, but had also won Reserve Overall Supreme Champion of the show! WOO HOO!! Very happy with the results!! He also picked himself up a few more DUN Cards to take home as well for good measure.

Here he is:





Other news in the studio? Well thanks to a full time job, things have slowed right down unfortunatly, but I am finishing up the Flash CM who is going grey, and also finishing up my first painted copy of the medallion I scuplted back at the start of the year for someone - so photo's will come shortly of those guys as well.

Not much else to report! Hope the last few days of 2009 are good for everyone, and that you party hard to bring in the New Year - all the best to everyone in 2010!!! See you in the New Year, if not before!

~Sam

Live Show Results

Well what a week! I was hoping to have more horse's finished (including two comissions) to take with me to show, but with a new job, the real horses, and my freshly broken in stallion, I have little to no time during the week to do anything!

But I did take a small handful of horses with me, and all of them brought home DUN Cards (Qualifying cards for the Down Under Nationals *DUN* of which a Committee is slowly being formed to organise it - exciting huh?). These are the results of the crew I took that I personally painted:

DMD Ricardo (Tango resin shown as a bay roan sabino Spanish Barb)





4th - Other Color Open Workmanship (against all my other roans!)
3rd - Other Breed Arist Resin
3rd - Other Color Artist Resin (again, the class was all my roans! LOL)
1st - Other Breed CM/AR Mini
Reserve Champion Mini CM/AR Breed
1st - Other Color CM/AR Mini

Rayne On Me (Rayne resin shown as grey Thoroughbred - owned by Rondel)





1st - Grey/Chestnut Open Workmanship
4th - Thoroughbred/Sporthorse Artist Resin
2nd - Grey Artist Resin
2nd - Light Breed CM/AR Mini
4th - Grey/Chestnut CM/AR Mini

Kenhurst Kilimanjaro (Custom Huckleberry Bey shown as bay Hackney Horse)





3rd - Black/Bay/Brown Open Workmanship
1st - Other Breed CM
Champion CM Other Breed
1st - Bay/Brown CM
Reserve Champion CM Solid Color
Reserve Grand Champion CM

DMD Scrapey (Chickory resin shown as bay roan Shetland Pony)





5th - Other Color Open Workmanship (all against my other roans)
5th - Pony Breed Artist Resin
2nd - Other Color Artist Resin (against my other roans!)
2nd - Pony Breed CM/AR Mini
4th - Other Color CM/AR Mini

DMD Santiago (Alborozo shown as blue roan Persauvian Paso)





3rd - Other Color Workmanship (against my roans)
1st - Spanish Breed CM Spanish
Reserve Champion CM Stock/Exotic Breed
2nd - Other Color CM (2nd to my other roan in the class)

Makhpia-Sha (Nokota shown as bay roan Quarter Horse - owned by Tracy)





2nd - Other Color Open Workmanship (against my other roans)
2nd - Quarter Horse Breed CM
1st - Other Color CM
Champion CM Broken Color

Caramea Bold Print (Timepiece shown as bay Anglo-Arab Sporthorse - owned by Rachel)





2nd - Thoroughbred/Sporthorse Artist Resin
2nd - Bay/Brown Color Artist Resin
(Yes, I've made two mistakes with his photo - he should have two 2nd ribbons, and two blue Halter DUN cards - silly me!)

Well over all it was a very, very busy day - but a HUGE success. CONGRATES to everyone who attended and proxied (thank you for sending your guys over to our litte show in the West!) and a huge thank you to all our judges (myself, Mel Boynes, Mollie Burton, Jackie Siebel and Carol Warwick) and a huge thank you to our show mistress/master/exrodianaire... Mel Boynes!! And last but not least - mega thanks to everyone who sponsored and donated to the show, without your help we wouldn't have raffle items to help pay for the show!! THANK YOU!!

Phew.. think I'm done! Enjoy the pics - shame the weekened wasn't a day longer! Off to work for me...

~Sam

Sneak Peak;

I just finished this guy Monday morning - he is a Sarah Mink "Tango" resin, and I have to say, I'm just in love!! I could easily, easily have a complete conga line of this guy!! He is such a spunk! Here is a detail shot of some of his sabino markings:





He is resembing a bay roan sabino Spanish Barb stallion :) He'll get shown at West Coast Spring Fling in November and probably be listed for sale afterwards (unless you are a part of my Yahoo Group which is getting first offer on him for a month leading up to the show). *hint hint nudge nudge* LOL

~Sam

Cheeky Bugger!!

Well, walking around outside today, I managed to snap a shot of his cheeky bugger flying over a 1.30m fence set up out the back yard:





LOL - Just kidding!

He is however, a finished comission ready to either be proxied at a show I'm attending in November or sent home with his new stable buddy "Kenhurst Kilimanjaro" (my Huck CM Hackney) - I'm waiting to hear back on base color and the correctness of his lip marking, but otherwise (aside from glossing eyes and hooves) he is done!





I'm so happy with him - he just came alive at the last few strokes of the brush and I have to say I'm in love!

Next on the home straight is a Stormwatch I'm painting for a friend of mine who has being here on comission - you'll see him soon!

Otherwise, enjoy a much clearer, and nicer shot of Mr. Chickory, who will be staying with me for a while to visit a show or two down under :)





Enjoy the last day of the week before the weekend!! (and I can't believe it's OCTOBER already!! Where the heck as the year gone?!?!?!)

~Sam