The Royal Winter Fair II

There's a bit of magic in the air at the Royal--something to do with the combination of natural leather (still on the animals), apple dumplings and hay. The giant & fancy vegetables are also fun, as well as the fowl (absent this year) and the petting zoo. You really could spend days here. It's a terrific introduction to the bigger world of agriculture that most of us are ignorant to.

There is such a variety of display, activity and people, it's difficult to choose subjects to settle on, although inevitably, everyone gets drawn to the horse rings. It's fine to draw them in their stalls, but you can only do so many studies of horse bums and legs. It's something else entirely to try to capture them in motion. Thanks to Vilppu, Stanchfield, Muybridge and many many anatomy books for their insight into what's going on. Nothing's like careful observation though, and long hours of struggling and struggling and struggling. So many bad drawings can only inevitably reward... with an apple dumpling.

Puts Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron in perspective (as well as Degas).

Pentel Sign pen on bond; 2003



Ehn! No motion here!
First, a lady and horse dressed in Native American getup;
Clydesdales (I think) gussied up for pulling wagons;
a page of cows & horses being positioned for judging