Black Carousel Horse

 

Today I kicked off my first email giveaway ^__^ High time, really, seeing as I should've done it about half a year ago ~ but this post isn't so much about the top horsey (which is destined for someone kind enough to want it enough to join my giveaway) but the horsey in the middle.

See, I had a class back at art school and for that class, I got over to a place called Fiesta Carnival, a sort of uh, carnival under a roof near where my dad used to live when he was little ~ it doesn't exist anymore / I'm pretty sure they built a mall or whatever on top of it by now, but anyway it had been there for like a while, I think, when I got over there to take photos for that class. The photo this horsey was based on was one of those, and I remember going there to shoot when the place was closed, during the day (a school day, even) so there weren't any people ~ but I think I might've liked to have gone during its hey-day at night.

Anyway so this oil on canvas was painted for that class, and I remember the professor (God rest him) took one look at it and told me my work was shallow ^___^ (But I guess he made enough of an impact on me for me to mention him twice in my writings ~ now that I think of it I remember mentioning him when I wrote about how I ran into him some time after graduation and he told me he wasn't surprised I had a job (i.e. because I wouldn't make it as an artist)

Anyway, fast forward 20 years later to the horsey I made for my email giveaway ~ I don't know why but I had the Fiesta Carnival carousel horsey in the back of my mind when I made my watercolour. Sentiment, I suppose; in any case, it isn't actually called 'Black Carousel Horse'; in my files it's called 'Untitled (Black Carousel Horse)' (and uh, 'giveaway horse' ^___^) ~ nor should it be, in truth because it actually isn't black at all (at least, the one in the top photo, anyway; I think I did use black-black (Mars) for the one in the middle).

If you look real closely (or well, if you somehow manage to see the original), it's a mix of ultramarine, carmine, viridian and lemon yellow. You can see the mix somewhat on my palette in the bottom, WIP photo. I still have a thing about using black-black, because of that thing they told me when I was 12 in that art gallery I was taking lessons at. I remember referring to it as a black carousel horse on the giveaway landing page, though ^___^; 

And speaking of landers, if you happen to see this before 7th August, you might want to, you know. See if my new horsey might find a new home with you ^___^ > Join my email giveaway