A long and busy weekend

I promised a picture of Raku aka Racki(pronounced Rocky)and his beloved bike. I cannot use the word bike, ride, trail, ready or harness without him having a fit. He loves his bike and has been amazingly repectful of its wheels and me when we are on the road. The dog/bike attachment is called a "Springer" and its about the best way to take your dog out for a run and feel pretty good about not losing your dog but still giving him a great way to exercise. Racki weighs close to 80 lbs and has not pulled me off balance to date. He has tried chasing a few squirrels and made some pretty sharp turns but it hasn't effected the bike at all. He loves it and its made him a more obedient dog. I like how he can be right by my side, so its more like him and me sharing the ride as a team. There are other dog/bike attachments that they call springers but the dog has to follow behind the bike. What fun is that? This one is made in Norway and used all over Europe and now the USA.

It was a busy weekend so I did not get any painting done. Mostly time spent in the garden and in rearranging space in the house and studio. This morning I cleaned off the crusted, dried paint from my palette and I'm ready to go. I have 8 small chicken paintings started. I'll post the pics once I feel good about the progress I'm making. In the meantime..... here are a few graphite drawings I've been working on this spring.
1) Rodeo Flow
This is from the Holmen High School Rodeo Finals from last September. It was pouring rain with everyone huddled in tents and under umbrellas to avoid the soaking. Not a good day to be out with a camera but I did get some good pictures, especially of the roughstock. There was this high tower stand right above the horses which was a perfect perch for taking pics of the broncs as they milled around in their pen. The drawing is approx. 7" by 11" and is one of my entries into the AAEA American Academy of Equine Art Fall Showcase in Lexington, Kentucky.
2) Sunlight on Feathers
This is another graphite on Fabriano Artistico rag paper and another entry into the AAEA Fall Showcase. Its almost square in shape, about 11" by 12" in size. The horse is a Gypsy Drum stallion I saw at the Midwest Horse Fair this spring in Madison, Wisconsin. What a great shot with all that lovely light on his feathers. This stallion was quite the character. His has his long, thick mustache and an attitude. What you don't see in the picture are the other two handlers, one having a whip in hand. He was kicking out at the hose and the water and not being the nicest boy. He is over 16.2 hands and a lot of horse to deal with.