Murf

Murph
Zephyr medallion by Kylee Parks
Finished by Danielle Feldman

Meet Murf

This is my entry for Studio Thornrose/Kylee Park's 

2019 Medallion Painting Creative Challenge 

using her Zephyr medallion. 

He was so much fun to paint. Once I got over the initial blank stare at the blank medallion that is. At first, I was at a loss of what direction to go as I generally don’t paint fantasy models. So I thought to myself, periwinkle is my favorite color. And it makes sense that he should be in shades of blue because pony plumes are very elusive creatures and would probably camouflage with the sky and clouds. And I wanted him to resemble a bird with beautiful wings... so here he is! 

I am so glad that the original deadline was extended to the end of January, 

which allowed me the creative freedom to keep working on him until 

I was really happy with him. Now on to NaMoPaiMo in the month of February!

The National Gallery of London

Detail from The Milbanke and Melbourne Families by Stubbs

My family had the opportunity to travel to England in early December. We were only there for a week, but we managed to see some wonderful sites, not least of which was the National Gallery. So many lovely pieces by world renowned artists. Here are pictures of the equine paintings I was able to capture, which is just a fraction of the photos I took. So much inspiration. I hope that you enjoy the journey through these photos. Be sure to scroll to the end!

The Milbanke and Melbourne Families
circa 1769
by George Stubbs (1724 - 1806)

George Stubbs is easily one of the most recognizable equine painters. Sadly, Whistlejacket was out on tour elsewhere. However,  this painting is just lovely! I especially love the face of this dapple grey.

Detail from The Milbanke and Melbourne Families by Stubbs

Mr and Mrs Thomas Coltman
Circa 1770 - 1772
by Joseph Wright of Derby (1734 - 1797)

Detail from Mr and Mrs Thomas Coltman

Love the fleabites on this horse! Looks like they even painted hair-by-hair detail in the 1700's!

Promenade beside the Sea
Circa 1860
by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)

I love Degas' dancer paintings immensely, but was tickled to see this work in oils. I had seen his sculptures at The Met and some of his race horse paintings at Yale, but this one is a little different.

The Cornfield
Circa 1826
by John Constable (1176 - 1837)

Detail from The Cornfield by Constable

 I just love these every day scenes with darling critters! 

A Lion Hunt
Circa 1614 - 1615
by Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640)

Detail from A Lion Hunt by Rubens

Portrait of Frederick Rihel on Horseback
Circa 1663
by Rembrandt (1606 - 1669) 

Portrait of Captain Robert Orme
circa 1756
by Sir Joshua Reyonlds (1723 - 1792)

Mountainous Landscape with Muleteers
Circa 1658
by Nicholas Berchem (1620 - 1683)

I find this one utterly charming. Just look at the details below. The lambs catching a ride in the basket - it's just too much!

Detail from Mountainous Landscape with Muleteers by Bercham

Detail from Mountainous Landscape with Muleteers by Bercham

A quick trip to England

With the family at Stonehenge, which is surrounded by fields of sheep

 Our family had an opportunity to make a quick trip to England in early December 

and it was fabulous! We fit a lot into one week. Here are some of the highlights. 

Oxford University

Cupid in London

Buckingham Palace

I captured this sculpture from the tour bus in London. I find it very intriguing!

Sculpture in the museum at the Tower of London

I am a HUGE Jane Austen fan. We didn't have much time in Bath, so made a beeline
through the Bath Christmas Market straight to the Jane Austen Center. We grabbed a bite and
did some shopping in the Market on our way back to the the tour bus.

London Bridge