Aristocrat’s Horseshoe (horseshoe painting #3)

I choose another retired horseshoe from Aristocrat, the big, dark brown Morgan horse.  If this painting looks familiar you’re right.  This is the third horseshoe painting I’ve created from this horse’s footwear.  I’ve gotten many good responses from painting horse tack items recently.  Who would have thought?    Not only that, it turns out I really like painting horseshoes.  And I don’t even ride horses.

You can see the first horseshoe I painted here and the second horseshoe painting here.  Hey, this is starting to become a little bit of a series!

I’ve really enjoyed the simplicity of each horseshoe I paint.  It’s one simple item without any moving parts.  That makes it easier to setup and re-setup should I have to move it back into place.  You know, these paintings take a long time to paint.  I paint them over several painting sessions letting the oil paint dry in between each session.  Even a simple painting of a horseshoe like this one takes about 4 painting sessions to complete.  Each session lasts on the order of 2 to 3 hours long.

I have found the rustiness of the horseshoe complemented with the metal’s sheen to be a really cool effect.  I love painting it.  Also, the holes where the nails help hold the shoe in place are a good asset.  They allow some light through creating an even more interesting composition as they help play with light and shadow.  All of these subtle effects, in my opinion help draw in a viewer and help them appreciate such a simple object in its entirety.

What do you think?