Until I found that show a few months back I didn't even know there were cowboys in Canada, hihi.
To me the concept is rather alien as we don't have cowboys over here.
But you're never to old to learn :)
I also recently found out that when the European colonists got to the Americas there weren't any horses there. They went extinct after the ice age.
The Spanish re-introduced them.
I didn't believe that as I always thought that horses were already there and hence the Nat. Am. Indians were such awesome riders.
So I Googled it. Turns out it is correct. I still find it difficult to believe, haha.
I will have to change my entire image of 'the wild west' and its history.

As good as there now :)

Dust cloud is lighter. I'm happy with it, except for the part next to/underneath the horse so I'll try to fix that.

Bridle is a bit wider & lighter and has buckles.

Some twigs and sticks here and there in the foreground.

Added a tail and manes to better show the speed with which he's coming down.

All that's left are some details, like the horn on the saddle, shadow on his face from the brim of the hat, fix the horse's nose etc.
And I think I will make that dark bit of his beard, under his mouth, just a tiny little bit lighter.

Your progress is wonderful...
🦋🦋

Thank you so much, Merry!
Happy to see you're still following :D

My new brush is also synthetic but it is meant for art and different material than the cheap shizzel brushes.
I wanted to finish my painting.
Which I did! Just now, this afternoon :)

And I'm happy with it!!

Funny thing... I was stuck with the bottom left corner. The last part to finish off properly really. And I couldn't get it done.
Then I got into a "I don't care anymore!" state of mind which is always when for me it miraculously works out, haha.
It was supposed to be a tad darker, more shadowy. As it is I'm really happy with it, although it may not show up well in the photo.

I think I'm going to call it "Adrenaline Rush".
The rush being thundering down that steep excuse of a path.
If you or anyone else has another great idea, I'm all ears.
I'm never much good with titles.

Who am I to critique another's artwork?
But, some observations drawn from real life;
1.) Horses are non-gaited, unless you are riding a "quadridextrous" Paso Fino (I have an aunt who raises Paso Fino horses) - non-gaited meaning the legs on the same side move in opposite directions (rear coming forward while the front is moving backward).

Your rear legs are completely out of sync, more standing stock still or possibly sliding because the are pushing backward against the forward momentum imparted by gravity - but if sliding they would still be angled forward, not like the horse was standing in a pasture somewhere.

AND, a horse's rear knees bend opposite the front knees, so the rear legs shouldn't give the impression it's knees are actually projecting forward & the cannons are angling back away from the knee - specifically the closer rear one, but both rear legs appear that way.

2.) A lot of dust, almost too much dust, and it obscures more of what's behind it far more than it would in reality on a vegetation-covered hillside.
There would also be chunks/clods of grass & dirt thrown off on arcing tangents coming out of the dust cloud & the farther back it is the more transparent it becomes as the particles fall out of suspension in the air.
In any event, there SHOULD be more hazy vegetation visible THROUGH the dust cloud the further behind horse & rider you look.

Dust is actually kinda transparent unless there's a lot more of it concentrated than any animal's hooves are capable of throwing up - like when cars do burnouts+drifting in very dry earth, you'll see a denser amount directly ejected from the spinning drive wheels, but it dissipates almost immediately even then - except in a certain type of sand that has a very high silt:sand ratio.
(I actually have some experience moving that type of high silt-laden sand, with earth-moving equipment from my General Contracting days, & even that dust cloud would be less dense than that depicted, which is absolutely more dirt-packed than any desert/beach sand with a high silt ratio.)

3.) I've seen plenty of your work now.
I KNOW you are capable of finer detail, especially that of the horse's face & mane.
It sheds an aura of "I'm tired of working on this piece".

4.) The cinch strap is LOOSE!
That rider and saddle would turn sideways and toss that rider to the ground on flat earth, let alone charging down a steep hillside.
Cinch straps are ALWAAAAAYS pulled up tight to the horse's belly, to the point that sometimes it's necessary to slap a tricky horse's belly to make it stop trying to keep the cinch strap from being cinched up tight.

5.) I gotta say, I LOVE that dude's hat.
BRAVO!

The legs are exactly as they were in the reference photo...

The dust cloud is exactly as how it happened

The dust cloud isn't somewhat transparent but totally opaque

The dust cloud was that big/long

The cinch is the BACK cinch which is ALWAAAAAAYS loose. The front conch is tight, not the back one.

You wouldn't -and don't- even see the the front cinch at this angle. The cinch isn't that close to the rear legs. So if you know your stuff you'd know it's a back cinch.

The way the knees bend... you cannot even see the knees because of the dust cloud?

The gait of a horse depends on whether it's stepping, trotting or galloping. It's doing none of these really. It's part stepping & slipping & sliding down.

The positioning of the legs depends on the split second you take a snapshot of its movement. It is exactly as in the photo.

The movement is more than clear and, as my fellow painter friend said, well captured.

So to me it seems all you're trying to do is to knock my work. Maybe do some research first before you criticise as all you come up with is based on nothing, otherwise called "BS".
And maybe refrain from replying if you don't like me and/or my work.

First of all OldCoot Wow.. just wow..

So now you're and expert with Art/Drawing/Painting too, who would have thought. If you were as educated, as you try to put out there..You would not Dissect a Painting like you have... that someone has posted to show their Final Painting results..That is beyond rude~~~

If and when one ask for suggestions is one thing.. To totally take their work apart once it is finished is truly something beyond your expertise~~~

My Oldest grand daughter is totally into Art. She has been drawing/Painting since she was little. Now at 23 she has become a Tattoo Artist. No way would I have ever dissected her Painting or Drawings.. Hell I'm proud to have her Art hanging in my house..

As far as the way the dust is, have you ever went down hill on a horse at some speed? Where the path is well rode. The dust will still be stirred up as you reach the bottom? If one took a picture at that moment you would see the dust..

I have taken plenty of Pictures through the years of horses in action. I had horses for 17 years.. As far as the back cinch they are not tight they are snug but never tight. And the Cinch Strap is not what keeps the saddle in place it is the Girth which is the one towards the front legs under the horse & the Breast Collar that goes on the outside front of the horse.. The Cinch helps keep the back of the saddle down in place.. on western saddles...

With that said Crystal, I think the Painting is just perfect with the effects you created to show the actions of a rider coming down a slop.. Still Paintings are one thing to create, but when creating one where the subject is actually in action where the observer can relate and visual the action portrayed, is a step beyond... "Rider in Action"

Don't get all touchy again Crystal.
You've been like that since the first time we met in the "review me" thread.

A.) I am DEFINITELY not "knocking" your work.
I stated that those were observations based on real world experience - which can differ from individual to individual - but dust is dust, no matter where in the world you stir it up.

Here is a more suitable photo to demonstrate a horse throwing up dust on a loose DIRT covered rodeo grounds, which is considerably dustier than any wilderness hillside.
Keep in mind, it's at speeeed, so more dust is being kicked up - but even there, you can see the earth thrown up within the dust cloud.
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/cowboy-rides-fast-horse-kicking-up-dust-arena-rodeo-event-dusk-rural-setting-skillfully-maneuvers-403697799.jpg?w=1400
Notice the clods of earth being ejected sideways as well.

Here is a 2nd photo showing an entire herd of horses kicking up dust.
https://media.gettyimages.com/id/108175187/photo/horses-cowboys-and-wranglers-series-3.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=CWQ5HP_0SMwBVbTq0NqpeDOGmdsGcLO5Pa64gLCB9lI=
Even a whole herd on more sparsely vegetated land displaces less dust than your painting shows on a grassy hillside.

But again, I EMPHASIZE, these were OBSERVATIONS, NOT A CRITIQUE of your vision of what you wanted to present.
Think more of a discussion about what a battle in space would really look like - the STAR WARS version with fantastical explosions and loud booms or a silent but deadly destruction of metal with little of the attendant color visuals shooting out as though the explosions were happening in atmosphere that could sustain flames and such.

Art is art, the ARTIST gets to decide how it looks, but realism is also realism & no artist gets to decide the laws of physics, no matter how talented.

C.) A rear cinch, DEFINITELY should not be loose, otherwise why even have one?
In the 6-7 years I went trail riding with my aunt I never even saw a saddle with a rear cinch, but I DO know they are sometimes used on working horses.
How do I know it's geared for working?
The pulling collar, of course, not a slimmer breast collar.
Neck breast plates &/or pulling collars aren't even necessary tack if you are just going for an easy jaunt in a flat pasture - or guided trail riding.
(Did I forget to mention my sister barrel raced a 1/2 American Saddlebred-1/2 Quarter Horse, for a decade?)
Yeah, horses kinda run in my family, though not so much in MY personal living, so what I've picked up is mostly via osmosis.

But hey, don't take my word for it, GOOGLE it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5epJDEsep1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXoGCoWssIA
(I've saved you some effort and done it for you.)

As for the knees issue, again, it's my IMPRESSION that such was IMPLIED, but potato/po-tah-to.

My son is a fairly talented artist & we argue a lot, but he at least takes my comments about his artwork with a lot more acceptance of a learning experience & doesn't perceive that critique to be a personal attack on his artistic work.
If you are an artist you have to deal with the fact that some people will not like your work & might criticize it - which I was DEFINITELY NOT trying to do here.
If this is how you react to ANY "comments" on your work, I'd hate to see you going off on somebody actually "knocking" it.


With sincere affection, yours truly;
Bob Hyatt

Well, since you asked, yes, I HAVE ridden horses downhill at speed, in a grassy woodland/pastureland landscape owned by the ranch running a trail riding business, the riding academy I first learn to ride at (river bottom pastureland with completely sand hillsides down to the Chippewa River) and in the neighbor's rich earth harvested cornfield across from my parents house which is kinda steep in sections as it drops maybe a couple hundred feet away from the roadside - though not as steep as Crystal depicted.
(My sister boarded her horse with them.)
Even in the fall, with rich bare dirt as dry as bone after harvesting the corn & stalks for silage, there was never THAT much dust being thrown up.

And, unless I completely misunderstood, Crystal DID ask, which is the ONLY reason I even bothered to answer.
Would you prefer I put my decades of art appreciation gained in galleries across all of the USA and from my mother's and son's decades of artistic expression in various mediums to work & started comparing her work to those who's specialty is painting horses & ONLY horses?
No, I did NOT do that, and never intended for my comments to be a reflection on her talent or her work.

But, as you wimmins tend to do, you jumped into a discussion to back up yer galpal Crystal from what YOU perceived as an "attack" on her work by a man.
It was NOT!
It was some "observations" about physical reality, NOT her interpretation of it.
Observations that make one's sense of realism raise the odd eyebrow at the way the artist presents it - which is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT reaction to criticizing or "tearing apart" a work of art.

I too, would be proud to display Crystal's work on my walls.
She's very good at what she does, a hella lot better than some of the rotated every month crap I saw displayed for stupid prices ($1,500 for a little tiny "I dunnoe wot" in a cheap frame from WalMart) on the walls of the hallway that led to my wife's transplant clinic at UW Hospitals & Clinics.

What BOTH of you ladies need to understand, a person can offer up conversations ABOUT something without it being meant as an attack of any sort.
It is just one person's view of what they see, open to being corrected or more fully explained so they better "get it" as to the artist's vision.
Stop taking everything said so negatively.

EDIT: My youngest, the artistic one, just came upstairs so I asked him about my observations.
He agreed completely and was also wondering why everybody's so upset about it.
He said when it comes to art just shut up and buy it & tell the artist "blah, blah, blah, so good, blah, blah, blah"

So, I learned something today.
"Very good Crystal, blah, blah, blah."

Thank you so much, Kristi!
Also for backing me up as an artist and with your knowledge.
As you say, it is beyond rude, and what makes it even worse is that he keeps that going with another tome under your reply.
I'm not even going to read it, haha.
I've had nothing but great & positive feedback from people, except from him and what he comes up with makes no sense whatsoever. What remains is the fact that it's utterly rude.

You do know what you're talking about when it comes to horses, the gear, and riding, which is far more valuable & meaningful :)

You seem to misunderstand a lot.
I have NOT asked.
I thank you for not posting anymore replies in my threads. I do not appreciate personal attacks and insults.
This is a happy & positive thread and I'd like it to stay that way.

I'm totally blown away by your remarks Coot!! (and please respect Crystal's request by NOT replying to this or ANY post in this thread again thank you)

I've rode and had horses for a better part of my youth to young adult life (about 15 yrs in all).. and I totally concur with TxsGals comments, mine were, mind you, english where I did a lot of competition and dressage, but I also had 1 western horse, Princess.. and like she said, the GIRTH holds the saddle in place (on both english and western) yet the western has cinch in the back and yes, it's snug not loose OR tight.. regardless.. for someone who proclaims to NOT have any artistic talent, you sure pretend like you're some special art critic..

this is NOT your piece, it's Crystals.. I think she's done a bang up job.. and frankly.. as long as SHE is happy with it.. dude.. STFU, cuz you have absolutely NO right to tear her work down while trying to make YOURSELF look smart and important.. guess what, you've accomplished neither.. just made yourself look completely foolish in the end.. IMO

Crystal.. looks awesome.. thank you so much for sharing well done!

Thank you so much, Zee!

my pleasure to not only watch your progress, but delight in the end result.

I hope you will continue to share your projects with us regardless of those that might wish to unjustly critique your work..

Actually watching ones Art progress in stages is to me one of the neatest things to observe...

My grand daughter had moved back in with me a couple of years ago when she was in between college etc for a few months... One of the first things I asked was what have you painted lately? She had not.. I told her well I expect some painting going on so I can watch the progress.. She did as I asked and end of last year she gifted me, with one of the paintings she had done.. Well I kind of made it a point, that I loved it and it matches with my decor in the living room.. It is one of the best gifts I have received why cause it was done from the heart with love... no greater gift.. I also have one of her paintings she did in High School and was recognized for her Talent.

When one has a talent as yours always be proud of what you do, for so many cannot bring life to a canvas.. It is amazing to watch...

Never let another dim your light... shine on~~

Thank you, Zee. Does me a ton of good to hear!
And yes, I will keep posting :)
Not certain yet what the next one is going to be. I want to do another horse & cowboy scene, hihi, but also feel drawn to painting a buffalo/bison.
Not certain what I'll do next yet.
Haven't had the time yet. Yesterday was shopping for pressies for my granddaughter's 1st birthday...
Today visiting my girl to celebrate the 1st birthday of the wee one :D

Canvasses for either one have been prepped though, so if I feel like it I can start right away!

Thank you so much for the encouragement! Very much appreciated!

I've never had the opportunity to watch the progress of someone's painting, except for watching a (semi) pro painter on YouTube.
Must say I do enjoy that!
Like watching Bob Ross. So captivating and almost meditative, hihi.
So I can kind of fathom what it's like.

And getting something as personal like that from your grandchild sure as heck must be special!
Mine are too young for such things, nearly 3 and the other turned 1 yesterday.
But who knows in the future... :)

The beauty of the fine arts (and any art form for that matter) is for it to be enjoyed and not criticised. Critical thinking and a dissertation on the theory of it, is often articulated by those who cannot generate the work themselves.
I never believed this thread was ever created by the artist for others to theorise the work as if they were the subject and topic of in a class about art history. The snarky comments about "that's just physics" and "realism" is redundant.
And to echo Crystal, if you're not enjoying the progress- move on.