Art Detail Information:
'Blue Ridge Hunt Thanksgiving Meet with Graham Buston' is a large canvas painted in 2019 by Gail Guirreri-Maslyk. The brushstrokes are definite and quick with colors of muted purples that lend to the well turned out clipped hunt horse.
"It was a cold morning and the wind was blowing on top of the back hill at Long Branch as the hounds waited to depart. The Thanksgiving morning crowd was large and enjoying ham biscuits from the back porch of the mansion. It was a mostly overcast day with some peeks of sun from time to time but not enough to produce a shadow. I have not followed the hunt much since moving to this territory. My goal was to get a few great shots in hopes to paint some more BRH portraits."
"I knew the photo when I took it. A 30"x48" tall portrait composition needed to be done before the Gala in a week’s time in order to fill a blank spot from a sold painting off the wall at Long Branch. Graham is fairly easy to photograph but I needed that perfect moment from his beautiful quiet mount. I suppose I'm always looking for expression from a horse acting out a bit but his horse stood perfectly quiet even in the cold wind. What more could you ask for then a turned head, soft eye, slight contrapposto stance and sleek neck?"
"Once the sketch was started in my trusted palette of the last couple months I found some accidental swashes of color that really spoke to my eye. I'm not even sure how I made the wash over the top of the neck but my guess is quin violet and yellow ochre. As I start a painting I don't clean my brush. Instead I keep grabbing paint and pushing it around until the feel of what I want appears. It's a bit of a warm up process. The paint applied, correct or not, helps to tone the canvas so it's a benefit to not be exactly correct from the start."
"Zinc white has not been much use to me in the past. As I started the paintings for Tally Ho Holiday Art show I had to reconsider my palette. I have talked a lot about how PR102 (transparent red ochre) made a difference in all the paintings but I have not talked much about zinc white, a transparent not so impressive white. In the case of this painting, it would not be what it is without zinc white. Transparency of paint is as much key to the result as the color chosen. This painting to me is a great example of the use of zinc white in an alla prima portrait. The horse's coat glows without being overly painted. The purples are muted by a touch of yellow ochre or PR102 but toned down with zinc white. There is no room to fuss or second guess oneself in a painting such as this. Once the brush hits the canvas, I must be committed or the magic would be gone."
"As an artist one often hears, you can just do another. During one of the afternoon tea discussions walking around the show this subject came up again. I finally found the words to answer and I find this painting to be perfect example of what I meant, so here it is. Painting is a performance art not much different than a round at a horse show or a symphony on stage. One practices and practices but that moment in the ring or on stage can never be repeated exactly the same again. The paint, the brush, the amount of medium can never be perfectly duplicated again no different than the horse's response to every jump, pressure from leg or hand, expressive reaction to a banner in the wind. One that tries to duplicate a painting has lost the magic of expressive response to their subject, paint, canvas, texture, mood and day in time. Symphonies are recorded but never the same as felt in the audience or better yet, on stage. Watching a winning round is one thing but the feelings the rider takes home can not be known by anyone else. Fine art requires continued education, mastering of skills and constant search to produce with expression and each performance recorded on canvas is unique. It takes more than a banana and duck tape. This painting can not be duplicated but I can learn from it and take that with me to the next."
Hashes: Equine Impressions Art Exhibit Long Branch 2022, Hunt Country Impressions Byrne Gallery, Paintings For Sale, Tally Ho Art Show, Warrenton Art Show 2023,
Full Cry Hounds
Friesian Mare in the Stables
The Sun Bathers, dressage horses resting in water and light
Nancy Dillon hunting with Piedmont Fox Hounds, Liz Callar reference photo
Portrait of a Foxhunter in Piedmont Cubbing Season reference photo by Liz Callar
Coaching Horses, I aft Sir Alfred Munnings
Coaching Horses II, aft Sir Alfred Munnings
Equine Impressions Art Exhibit at Long Branch Historic House
Stallion Gesture Pose I, Summer Shadows
Artist Self Portrait Riding Marvelous Marvin
High Season Polo
Hazy Summer Cloverlone Mare Pasture
Grey Stallion in Winter Sunset
OCH Outrider, III
Stallion Gesture III, Playing with Fire
Stallion Gesture II, Captain America
Huntsman Portrait, Gale Rives Cayce
Stallion Gesture Pose IV, Captain America
Stallion Gesture Pose V, Flashinator
Three Ladies Aside, Upperville Colt and Horse Show
Setting Sun on Marvelous Marvin
Mill Reef Portrait
Calumet Lane Oak Tree
The Three Huntsmen
Christmas Hound
Upperville Family Class, I
Piedmont Foxhounds at Oakley, 2009
Summer Pleasures, Hound Walk
Cubbing Field Hunters, Field Hunter Championships
Working Forward, a huntsman on the ridge
Full Cry Hounds
The Field Hunter, I
Summer Sunrise with Snickersville Hounds
Gone to Ground, OCH Thanksgiving Day
Summer Afternoon Carriage Drive
National Sporting Library Polo, I
Hunt Country Impressions Solo Artist Exhibition at Byrne Gallery
Sidesaddle in Purple and Green
Blue Ridge Hunt Races, II
Friesian Mare in the Stables
Champion hunter mare portrait of Rejoice and her colt Quiver
The Sun Bathers, dressage horses resting in water and light
First Field Orange Country Hounds
Cloverlone Mare Field Sunset
Hunting Aside, a portrait of Devon Z
Holsteiner Stallion Portrait, R-Flash-Gordon
Nancy Dillon hunting with Piedmont Fox Hounds, Liz Callar reference photo
Portrait of a Foxhunter in Piedmont Cubbing Season reference photo by Liz Callar
Pony Home the Fieldhunter
Showbiz, a portrait of a grand Dutch KWPN mare by Jazz
Portrait of a Conformation Hunter
The Sun Bathers, II
The Byrne Gallery Artist Reception, Hunt Country Impressions
Hunt Country Impressions Gallery Talk with Gail Guirreri-Maslyk, The Byrne Gallery
Mallard Ducks
Langollen
Christmas Day Hunting with OCH
Brahman Bull in Pink and Green
Banbury Cross Polo, I
Banbury Cross Polo, II
Christmas Hound
Jockeys at Oatlands Plantation Spring Races
Upperville Family Class, I
Flying Hunt Coat Field Hunter Championships
Huntsman from the Forrest Shadows
Zohar Ben Dov on a grey hunter with Orange County Hounds
OCH Cubbing with Charlie Matheson, I
OCH Cubbing with Charlie Matheson II
Working Forward, a huntsman on the ridge
Full Cry Hounds
Golden Field Hunter
Gone to Ground, OCH Thanksgiving Day
National Sporting Library Polo, I
Blue Ridge Hunt Races, II
The Sun Bathers, dressage horses resting in water and light
First Field Orange Country Hounds
Holsteiner Stallion Portrait, R-Flash-Gordon
Nancy Dillon hunting with Piedmont Fox Hounds, Liz Callar reference photo
Portrait of a Foxhunter in Piedmont Cubbing Season reference photo by Liz Callar
Pony Home the Fieldhunter
Portrait of a Conformation Hunter
Stallion Gesture Pose I, Summer Shadows
Artist Self Portrait Riding Marvelous Marvin
High Season Polo
Grey Stallion in Winter Sunset
OCH Outrider, III
Stallion Gesture II, Captain America
Stallion Gesture Pose IV, Captain America
Stallion Gesture Pose V, Flashinator
Setting Sun on Marvelous Marvin
Four in Hand, WEG 2010
South on Trappe, I
South on Trappe, II
Portrait of Charlie Matheson, OCH
Afternoon Ride
Hunt Landscape, V
Friesians, four in hand
The Three Huntsmen
Christmas Hound
Hunting Home
Flying Hunt Coat Field Hunter Championships
Tally Ho Holiday Art Show at Long Branch Historic House and Farm
Huntsman from the Forrest Shadows
Piedmont Foxhounds at Oakley, 2009
Zohar Ben Dov on a grey hunter with Orange County Hounds
Middleburg Christmas Parade Huntsman
Summer Pleasures, Hound Walk
OCH Cubbing with Charlie Matheson, I
OCH Cubbing with Charlie Matheson II
Cubbing Field Hunters, Field Hunter Championships
BRH Closing Meet with Karen Ewbank
OCH Happy Hunting with Malcolm Matheson
Patience, a portrait of Jt MFH Penny Denegre and her champion sidesaddle mare Garnet
OCH Hunting on foot with Reg Spreadborough
Working Forward, a huntsman on the ridge
Full Cry Hounds
Jingles, a beagle portrait
Golden Field Hunter
The Field Hunter, I
The Tantivy Coach
Billy BC Douglas, a portrait
Gone to Ground, OCH Thanksgiving Day
Blue Ridge Hunt Races, II
Warrenton Horse Show, 2023
Portrait of Charlie Matheson, OCH
R-Flash, a Portrait of a Holsteiner Stallion
Blonde d'Aquitaine Cow Portrait
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