RIP Rowley

I made this for my best friend's dog Rowley who sadly passed away a few weeks ago. I've known him since I was a sophomore in college and as one of 4 dogs they had, he ran that household...even putting their Lab/Chow in his place. He was a Grade-A snuggler and he and I were bonded for life because I dog sat overnight for him the very first day he came home from the shelter.  Their little pack will not be the same without him.

Original photo -- I knew he's be a challenge because I'm emotionally attached to him, and he's a mostly black dog!

Finished! Mounted onto some handmade neutral paper and matted with cream 4-ply

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I used leftover paper I had from Gogo's which got the job done, but I might have picked slightly different ones if I was starting from scratch. She doesn't know that I've been making these so I hope she's pleasantly surprised when she receives hers in the mail tomorrow!

I have several commission requests underway! It's super exciting. I'm hoping to play around with a few techniques while I work on them (specifically adding a fourth layer) and maybe introducing some textured papers.

Let's get crafty...a sort-of-step-by-step-tutorial to paper cut portraiture

Apologies in advance if this hurts more than helps explain the process I took to make these portraits! There are lots of teeny, tiny steps along the way and I tried to document as much as I could, but it's a little hard without 2 pairs of hands (next time I might make a video tutorial). Here is the video tutorial that I used to figure out the whole process.

Fair Hill International ***

Photo dump! Details and captions to follow! I realized two things: 1. I should have brought my tried and true Nikon and a zoom lens, 2. I need to learn how to use my fancy pants Sony NEX compact digital SLR (it's such a great camera and I STILL don't know how to use it consistently...it's either awesome, or terrible).

Paper Cuts!

Well, I took it upon my crafty self to use my skills towards something equine-related! I was hoping to work on something for Andrea and Gogo before she had to say goodbye (It will be a lovely photo album)...and so I wanted to practice with another horse to know I could actually pull off the technique! Some researching of paper cut techniques/photoshop tutorials later and voila!

Klein mare in three tones, cut from paper and mounted onto blue cloth (Klein's colors!) and I matted it with some 4-ply mat board!

Apparently, I am ambitious with my first attempt...I didn't think about how difficult getting contrast and depth out of a dappled grey horse would be. I like how it turned out...though next time (and for Andrea's) I will invest in some quality paper...I just printed various colors that I would need rather than purchasing them, because honestly, I wasn't sure I could pull this off. I am fairly adept with an exacto, but I can get frustrated easily with things that are tedious, so I spread this project out over several days so I wouldn't crumple it up along the way. If anyone is curious about the process, I started with this:

Klein and Stacey killin' it

And turned it into this:

And then cut each color layer out of paper!

I'd say it was a success! Contact me if you'd like to know more about this process!

the next to last song

This isn't the last song
there's no violin
the choir is so quiet
and no-one takes a spin
this is the next to last song
and that's all
     - From Dancer in the Dark

Andrea and Gogo

 This is for Andrea and Gogo. Today she says goodbye to her beautiful mare, Gogo. I started reading her blog at the beginning of my journey with Kiki (and found myself going to the very start to read about her entire adventure with her opinionated mare). She was inspiring, to say the least. Honest, comedic, intelligent, patient and compassionate, Andrea was the only girl for this horse. In this dark hour, I know that Gogo is grateful for you...and all of your fans and friends are here for you both.

xo.

Devon, Dressage, and DQs

I've only been to Devon once before...and it was for the Spring Hunter/Jumper show. The whole scene there is a little strange for me...I mean, I grew up riding bad ponies, mucking stalls for lessons. I'm not implying that some of the people who go to Devon didn't start there too, but the money that is seeping out of pores around the Dixon Oval is hard to comprehend. Just waiting for the restroom you get an idea of the caliber of THIS horse world vs. the one you might be playing in. There's not a horse listed on the classifieds wall (outside the restrooms) under 25K. Green 7-8 year olds are going for around 10K. It's pretty amazing really. Don't get me wrong, the horses are gorgeous, but wow. But...long story short, the Grand Prix Freestyle was amazing and two-thirds of the riders performed their tests in a chilly downpour! I felt surrounded by greatness and indeed I was in the company of riders and horses of Olympic caliber.

Busy, busy, busy...

I've been busy lately...but not riding. While I would love this blog to be strictly horse-related, I think that being a multifaceted individual allows me some wiggle room to talk about the other parts of my life that are distracting me from, or keeping me from riding. I am admittedly, a bit of an over-sharer, even though I consider myself intensely private at times.

One Year

Today marks one year since I last rode Kiki. It all seems more like a dream than my actual life when I think about it now.

:(

Meet Spot!

More on my lesson later (I've got the bf in town and he's taking up nearly all of my attention!) but I will say it was good. Sneak preview: We Jumped! WOO HOO!

My mount for the day was a lovely gelding named Spot. I met him last time I was out there and his owner is a lovely woman who is a professor at Tyler School of Art in Philly. How cool is that? Spot is a mix of some sort (I am convinced he has a hint of something draft in there) and he has a lovely refined face. His owner mostly does dressage with him, but he's done a little bit of everything, including skijoring!!! After not riding in two months (and not having a lesson in over 6) he was just what I need to boost m confidence a little. I remembered how to tack up a horse and wasn't flopping around all over the place once I got on!

Here we are!

I interrupted Spot's grazing for this, he's not amused.

Hi pony!!!

More to come!

Spoiler Alert

I scheduled a lesson with a new instructor tomorrow. She teaches at the farm that my friend Emity boards her horse at and she's an ex-advanced level eventer and she's shown in upper levels for Dressage and jumpers. She is also a yoga instructor and apparently uses it in her approach with teaching. I met her briefly when I was out riding Emily's horse Charlie and she seems super nice.

I am really excited* to ride again, though I am a bit worried I've forgotten how to tack up a horse, much less how to get around on one!

I figure if I am going to buy a horse down the road, finding a good instructor that teaches the discipline I want to ride (and compete in) is crucial -- and so I don't over face myself with a horse I can't handle when it comes time to buy one!

Wish me luck!

*I feel like I am going to throw up a little thinking about it.

Burghley, Burghley, Burghley...

I can hardly get enough.

Want to kill 20 hours of your day? Go here

I have watched through '95 so far, rationing out a video a day so I don't get fired or find myself surrounded by chores at home. I will say, I've been watching the dressage coverage and cross country and have skipped most of the show jumping (partially because they have the winners posted on the links). Some of the courses have been completely outrageous, notably a few sunken roads that make my palms sweaty just thinking about, and some nail-biting combinations that Captain Mark Phillips seems to think are hilarious (hearing him giggle while doing the course walk seems quite sinister). Of all the **** tracks, I think Burghley may be the biggest test of skill and endurance on both the horse and rider. It is the place where riders show their true grit (that's not to say that any other **** track is a walk in the park), but I think Burghley is different. Undulating terrain, huge fences, technical questions, and a tough optimum time to meet, it's unforgiving and certainly not for the faint of heart...I mean, I get weak in the knees just watching. What is apparent from watching the earlier videos is that the British riders are just Gods. They ooze class and showmanship and have incredible horses. I was wondering if something about ex-steeplechase horses gives them an edge. There are certainly a ton of OTTBs running around *** and **** tracks, but I wonder if the British steeple chasing gives them an edge. The horses seem braver, and hungry for each fence. Even some of the really young horses running around Burghley recently pulled off the track have a sense of maturity that I don't get from most of our horses. What's more is that so many of these horses have the coveted "5th leg". They save their riders by being smart and catty at the jumps and can get themselves out of heaps of trouble without being separated from their rider. Obviously, the rider plays a huge role too, but I have been seriously blown away by the horses.

Canter USA -- Part Two

Again with links due to restrictions...

Warner's Way


Talk about a dream horse...under 16 hands (perfect for me)...built uphill and an amazing front end. I love how his neck is tied into to his body and he exudes personality! Only 3 years old with a handful of starts!

Double the Dare

What's not to love about this guy? Flashy, check...kind eye, check...nice conformation, check! He reminds me a bit of my friend's horse (recently featured on this blog, City Diplomat)...plus, his name makes me think of Nickelodeon! And no starts!

And something a little different...from Sport Horse Nation...
Bourbon Ginger Bear

I will admit, I was attracted to this ad primarily because of his name...but, that said he's right up my alley! 7 years old, 15.2 hh and Chestnut...quiet and straight forward! Woot!

*end horse stalking*