Soft Stallion

I took the reference photo for this painting on the morning of the last day when we went out to photograph a band of Konik Stallions. They were curious about us as a group and we let them approach us, making sure we were never fully surrounded by them. They came up quite close, and I was able to snap this shot while they were checking us out. The consistent light rain of that morning gave their faces so much interesting texture. By the end of the day I was completely soaked through, but it was so worth it.

When choosing which pictures to paint, I fell in love with all the texture and colors of this photo. The soft browns with the deep green of the background and the peaceful confidence of his eyes were mesmerizing.