BreyerFest '21 Art History Movie Watchlist!

I had intended to make this post ages ago, and it might be a little late in some ways... but I'm doing it anyway! 😆 Especially considering Frida Kahlo's birthday was yesterday. 

With Breyerfest just a week away (Woohooo! 💖), you might be looking for something "inspirational" or "on theme" to fill the time until Opening Ceremonies begins! 😊

I've got you covered... with some of the best "Art History" themed movies (and one documentary) out there! I hope maybe a few of you will check them out... or chime in with ones I may have missed, or maybe haven't seen!

**Minor disclaimer... not all of these movies are, "kid friendly" or appropriate. There may be adult situations, foul language, innuendo etc. So please check out individual ratings before viewing!**

Details, descriptions and a link to the trailer are below each photo!

Happy viewing! 😍

* * * * * * * * * *

First up... "Loving Vincent": This movie, is an amazing feat of art. This movie is animated... in actual, *handpainted Oil paintings*, completed in Van Gogh's style! I can't recommend this movie enough... EVERYONE should see it!

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/Gy0RVDM1sNA

Also of note... the "making of" documentary for "Loving Vincent: the Impossible Journey" is totally worth a watch as well!

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/30utgXrRXzA

Next... "Frida". This one is older, but no less awesome; a biopic on Frida Kahlo, stating Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina (who were both, absolutely *born* to play these rolls!). I remember seeing this in my High School Spanish class, and I've loved it ever since. 😊 She is a fascinating woman and artist... and I love some of the surreal visuals they came up with!

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/uOUzQYqba4Y

Of course... an Art Movie tour wouldn't be complete without "Picasso". This series (8 episodes long), made by NatGeo a few years ago... stars Antonio Banderas as elder Picasso.  This series doesn't hold back many punches when it comes to Picasso's looooong career (he died when he was 91!!!), but it is very well told, and fascinating! (Bonus, if you like this. Check out "Genius: Einstein" or "Genius: Aretha" both are excellent!!)

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/knbNwQog4Ro

I found "Finding Altamira" randomly on Amazon Prime a couple of years ago. I was completely unfamiliar, but pleasantly surprised when I tried this film with Rupert Everrett and Antonio Banderas starring. It centers on the discovery of the Altamira cave paintings in Spain. It has some amazing visual that bring thr cave paintings to life! 

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/mJ7VPiSr7R0

Next up, and more fantasy than true story... is "Midnight in Paris". This film is by Woody Allen (yeah... I'm not a fan of his either... but I do adore this movie), and it finds Owen Wilson, a struggling writer, on a trip to Paris with his fiance. While wandering the streets one night, he finds an odd wrinkle in time, that transports him back to 1920s Paris. He spends a few evenings back in the 20s, and meets the likes of Dali (Adrien Brody), F. Scott Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston!), and others! 

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/FAfR8omt-CY

Ok... next up is the single Documentary on my list: "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". This film is narrated by the German filmmaker, Werner Hertzog (from the Mandalorian... and other things I dislike. 😆)... and goes in depth into the Cave paintings in France's Chauvet Cave. They were given unprecedented access to film... and its incredible!

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/qfJfRx2IAYo

Of course... I had to sneak a Tim Burton film in my list! "Big Eyes" is based on the interesting, TRUE story if Margaret Keene... and how her husband stole the credit for her unique artwork in the 50s & 60s. Amy Adams is, of course, amazing... and as I said, the fact that this is a true story... is fascinating.

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/2xD9uTlh5hI

I'll admit, it's been an age since I actually watched "Girl with a Pearl Earring". Unfortunately, I don't think its streaming right now, so it might be harder to find. But it centers around Johann Vermeer and his famous painting, and stars Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth.

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/Lr5SMBd6IUs

Lastly... "Woman in Gold". The subject matter of this movie is a bit more heavy (art theft by the Nazis during the Holocaust), and is less about the actual work of art (not to mention Klimt is *not* my favorite artist, to say the least), but it is no less interesting. Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds are excellent... and it is also based on a true story. 😊

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/ZqC28wtsaig

I hope your enjoy some (or all!) of these films! 

**I did it!!**

Mini Benicio - in Sooty Buckskin

Well... mostly... ^.^

Today is February 28th... the last day of NaMoPaiMo.

As per my usual... I spent all day, desperately trying to wrap up my designated NaMoPaiMo model. I don't know how... but I managed to juuuuusssttt sneak a few layers of dullcote in before sunset... to get him (mostly) finished!

There's a reason my friends (one in particular...) tend to refer to me as "Last Minute Lauren"... Haha!

In my defense... the last couple of days out here in the desert... have been less than ideal for "finishing" models. Wind... Rain... and colder than normal temps (Yup! AZ went from 70-80* days... all the way down to 40-50*, almost overnight!). Regardless... I did drag my feet on him this month... and as a result, I found myself fighting the weather change, when I should have had him completed a week ago.

Mini Benicio... with his painting buddy: a CollectA Shire foal in Buckskin Tobiano

He may still be a bit shinier than I'd like him to be (a result of dullcoting him too soon after the rushed final layers of my regular sealer)... and his eyes aren't glossed yet... but both he, and the foal above... are essentially complete! Just in time for NaMoPaiMo to be over!

Honestly... I'm rather disappointed that the month is over already. I enjoyed the effort it took to stick to this goal. And, while I had planned to participate more (I had several other topics I wanted to write about...), sitting down to type, somehow never happened.

I know... big shock... ~LOL~

I suppose I should just be glad that I did manage to finish... just squeaking in under the wire!

It's been a rough year or so for me in my studio. Between struggling with family & health issues, which in turn, led to a lack of motivation, and inability to really focus on any one project long enough to actually finish it... it's taken all of my where-with-all to not dissolve into a bundle of doubt and indecision. It was this inability to actually see a project thru to a finishing point... that has kept me in a holding pattern... just treading water.

Which only led to more frustration...

Insecurity is such a vicious cycle. One that can be very hard to break out of...

Thank goodness for NaMoPaiMo! It gave me the swift kick in the pants that I needed! Just as I had hoped it would!

While I may have spent the majority of the month dragging my feet on my registered model, Benicio... for once, I wasn't just sitting idle. Starting him did exactly what it was supposed to... He lit the fire of inspiration inside me, that has helped me to move forward on other lingering projects. Projects that needed to be finished (badly)!

Just a few of my NaMoPaiMo follow-up ponies!

(Poor Favina, the Traditional Buskskin in the back, has waited nearly a year for her points/legs!)

Thanks to NaMoPaiMo... I now have multiple models in various stages of progress; from prepped to nearly completed... and I can feel that my long dormant fire will continue to burn as long as I can keep it stoked and humming!

Already looking forward to participating again next year!

Maybe... just maybe... I'll manage to sit down, and write a few more blog posts here and there... ^.^ It's a goal to strive for... right?

There's always.... One...

Like many model horse artists... I tend to work in "color groups". These groups consist of 2-4 horses, whose body color I intend to end up a similar hue.

As a pastel artist, I have found that it helps me immensely... to slow down, and not rush through any one model. Rushing... inevitably leads to mistakes (some more catastrophic than others).

Despite my efforts to NOT concentrate on any one model... there's generally one; one model that just insists that I shift my focus in order to complete it first.

Meet... My NaMoPaiMo... over achiever...

Nearly completed CollectA Shire foal to a Buckskin Tobiano.

She's actually a bit further along than this photo: her nose is pinked... mane a touch darker... and all but her lower legs is completely white. Given a bit of time tomorrow, she'll get her eyes... and probably the final shading on her hooves, tail and feathers. All that will be left... will be to dullcote!

Even though she isn't my "official" NaMoPaiMo model... she may well be the "instant gratification" that I needed to propel myself forward! So... I'll take it for now!

Of course, regarding my NaMoPaiMo model... I am finally making strides forward again!

Dapples! Dapples! Dapples!

I finally... FINALLY, convinced myself to rip that bandaide off... and stopped avoiding the inevitable. I started working on his dapples!

Of course,  I can only handle sitting there, erasing dapples into his pastels for so long... before I go completely insane. So, I do them in sections; spraying them in with sealer before continuing on to the next block of dapples.

Today... I only managed to work in his neck and shoulders. But hey! It's a step forward!

Blaze time!

Also... I couldn't stand him not having a roughed in blaze anymore... so... now he has one!

With any luck... I'll be able to finish blocking in the rest of his dapples tomorrow!

Mental blocks and misgivings...

Today... is the 6th day of NaMoPaiMo... and I find myself already faced with the reason that I felt it necessary to participate this year...

Granted... I don't often get (or take) the opportunity to paint over the weekend; unless my husband has something that takes him out of the house (He plays various table top games like DropZone, and Warhammer 40K etc...) But today is Tuesday... and I'm already finding any excuse to avoid making progress on my NaMoPaiMo horse.

In the last year... for reasons I can't completely explain... I've developed a tentativeness, or maybe an insecurity is more accurate, when painting one of my favorite colors... Buckskin.

Once upon a time... I could paint any shade of buckskin... almost in my sleep. While I don't keep "recipes" written down anywhere (I very much paint by feel, and intuition as to what colors a particular model needs), I do have certain colors mapped out in my head. Buckskin, has always been one of those colors.

And yet... in the last year or so... I've hit a wall. For reasons I can't quite fathom... I no longer trust that I know which color to lay down next.

More than likely... this mental "block"... probably stems from the long stint of time between today, and the last time I actually finished a buckskin model. Or even a Palomino for that matter.

In the last year or so... I've started, and stalled, on several Buckskin and Palomino models. And I've found, that when I put those models down, and walk away from them...leaving them incomplete... it can be REALLY hard to pick them back up and finish them.

And so... I've been stuck in this awful loop... for months, if not longer.

This... is why I need to participate in NaMoPaiMo. I need the impetus... to help me take a model from start to finish, in a set amount of time. I need the paintjob to end successfully... so that I can break myself out of this endless loop of doubt and insecurity... in order to carry that momentum into those other, unfinished models.

If this month ends well... I won't just finish this single Mini... I'll hopefully be able to spray the final layers on at least half a dozen other models, and clear my workbench a bit!

End of Day 3... not much change since

PS: My insecurity also extends into writing this blog! I definitely feel out of practice when it comes to writing anything of more significance than an email! Haha!

NaMoPaiMo 2018!

It's February 1st! Let NaMoPaiMo BEGIN!

I missed out on this event last year. For whatever reason, (most likely I was busy and focused in the studio), I just didn't join in the fun.

But this year... so many of my fellow model horse artists are participating... I figured I'd better join in to!

That... and really I need something to "jump start" my ability to zero in and finish a project.

I'm hoping that, given this project to focus on... it will help me power through some mental blocks I've been having... and allow me to bring a great many things... to a place of completion!

So... here we go!

Step One: Choose your Model!

My chosen "victim"... Mini Benicio: Shire Gelding sculpted by Sue Kern

Step Two: Ready your Reference!

One of the most important steps a model horse artist must take when designing any piece they intend to paint... is choosing what reference to use. Ours is a hobby based in realism... and as such, finding a suitable, real world reference will not only enhance the model... but also it's chances of winning in the show ring.

For Mini Benicio... I've chosen the only known, Buckskin Shire. 

To me... this particular horse... checks all my inspiration boxes:

• It's breed appropriate (Mini Benicio is supposed to depict a Shire Gelding)
• It's attractive (who doesn't like a good dilute!?)
• It's unique (Shires are generally painted in three colors: Bay, Grey and Black)
• It's a color I enjoy painting.

And so... armed with a my inspiration... a prepped and primed model... and my trusty pastels...

End of Day 1... the beginnings of color!

... I get to work!

Rambler Redux!

So... Once Upon a Time... waaaaaaaay back in 2007... I started this "blog"...

I've never really managed to keep up with it. I let it die... only to post a few times, several years later... only to let it die again. I suppose the biggest reason for neglecting this blog was... I just don't have the time to really sit down, and WRITE, anymore.

Sure... I had loads of time back in 2007. Back then, I worked inside Copy Center. I was "working" on the computer all day. Typing for hours on end in Word, Excel and other programs... just made it look like I was actually DOING something "work related."

But here we are... 2018; 11 years after my first blog post. How time flies! In fact, the "original" blog is so old... I no longer have access to it! (Remnants of it can be seen HERE.)

At any rate... it's time for a revamp! Time to post a few new things... related to model horses, animation... or anything that comes into my mind!

First up... let's start with NaMoPaiMo 2018!

... aka National Model Painting Month!

Not familiar with this event? Check out the NaMoPaiMo page on the Braymere Blog!

The basics of the event are as follows... Artists, from all over the globe... pick a single 3-Dimensional Equine model, and spend the month of February painting it. The end goal: a finished and showable custom model!

Jennifer Buxton, and the other NaMoPaiMo moderators, have also started a Facebook page for those participating. By joining, participants can find tutorials and encouragement from their fellow NaMoPaiMo painters. 

I'm hoping to contribute to that support system... even if it isn't through social media participation. I'm just not sure I can keep up with a few blog entries chronicling my progress (and process)... let alone having the time to spend posting on social media. Honestly... I'd much rather (and really need to,) stay in my studio painting!

So... here we are! Time for a redux... a rebirth!

Let's get painting!