Team Ropers

Team Ropers 8x14 oil/panel

I started this one several weeks ago, using some great rodeo photos supplied by fellow artist friend Max. I just finally got it back out and finished it today.  This action took place at a small rodeo in AZ.  In team roping, one guy will try to rope the steer around his horns, and the other roper will go for his back legs. He's called the heeler.   In this pair, the guy on the white horse is actually the heeler, though in this painting, as they have just started the chase after the steer, you can't really tell.  Sadly, after it was all said and done, the heeler missed and they didn't score...

I am playing around a little more with the palette knife and used that for the background, and all those spectators.  Sometimes less is more (most of the time, actually) and  just indicting the presence of the folks on the bleachers and by the arena railing seemed better to me than getting bogged down in tiny little figures detailed.  Besides, all the action and interest is up front and center!   Which is a good thing to remember - the focus of a painting, whatever that might be, should be the area with the most defined edges, color saturation, and contrast.  Everything else should be sort of like looking out of your peripheral vision.    

Well, it is going to be below zero again tonight, so gotta go stoke that woodstove again!  Brrrrrr!!!