More Blue Dancer Arrangements

Here are two more arrangements of Blue Dancers. Let me know which arrangement you like best. The only challenge is getting a good photo of all four paintings. The four paintings together become so large that they start to stretch the limits of what the camera can capture. The lighting is the big problem. Photographing a wall is not like photographing a single painting.






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Four Blue Dancers - Horse Art Painting Western Contemporary

Four Blue Dancers - Horse Art Painting Western Contemporary

Creativity and ingenuity are often described as being able to take individual items mixed them together and come up with something new. In this case I've taken four of my recently completed Blue Dancer paintings and arranged them together. Where one painting gave an impression of motion, four paintings offer a dynamic look at the movement of horses. Horses are rarely still. They move about grazing and moving every few seconds. I realized this when I started sketching horses and would do 2 minute sketches during which time they would have moved three or four times

My muse has been enjoying creating the Blue Dancers. Did you know that people at one time thought that muses lived in the walls of your house (kind of like a house elf), All an artist had to do was show up and work and they rest was left to the muse. That way artists never took credit for anything and it kept their egos in check as they had to remain humble or the muse wouldn't show up.

About This Painting:

The Four Blue Dancer paintings arranged together create a new image that shows the energy of movement. The three 8x8 inch painting next to the 16 X 20 make a large painting that can cover a wall.

Media: Mixed Media: ink, Acrylic on canvas

Size: 34 in X 28 in (86.4 cm X 71.1 cm)

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Triptych Blue Dancers Horse Art Painting Montana Aritst

Triptych Blue Dancers Horse Art Painting Montana Aritst

About This Painting:

The Triptych above can be arranged in different ways.

The Blue Dancer Triptych combines three paintings into one. Artists often paint series of paintings to show their style, consistency and depth. An artist's style is like a finger print. Although some may copy the style, only the artist can consistently produce the same signature over and over in a consistent manner which uniquely belongs to her.

An artist must be able to show almost paradoxically that they can consistently create the same and yet uniquely different aspects of a subject in the same style. This shows a depth of understanding and awareness that an artist needs to know their own signature or style. The artist style is also called the "voice" of the artist. Some think this voice is a combination of the style and the medium. It is possible to see my style come through in any type of media I use. Look at the pencil drawings or the paintings and you will find the same unique lost and found edges, the looseness of line and the gesture of form that comes from spontaneously creating from a blank canvas or paper without any under drawing.

Creating without an under drawing comes from my training. My art mentor required that I draw 6-8 hours a day until my hand became my eye. Through the discipline of drawing this way for hours and years I can now create without any under drawing and this allows a spontaneity to emerge in my style.

Media: Mixed Media: Ink, Acrylic on canvas

Size: 8 in X 24 in (20.3 cm X 61 cm)

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Blue Dancer #13 - Horse Painting Art by Montana Artist SJ Merwin

Blue Dancer #13 - Horse Painting Art by Montana Artist

About This Painting:

Painting Blue Dancers captures the essence of motion and relationship between self and other. The archetypal image of the horse racing across the landscape calls to the freedom of the human soul.

Media: Mixed Media: Ink, Acrylic on canvas

Size: 8 in X 8 in (20.3 cm X 20.3 cm)

Price: $120 USD

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Blue Dancer #12 - Horse Art Painting by Montana Artist

Blue Dancer #12 - Horse Art Painting by Montana Artist

About This Painting:

Blue Dancer #12 is part of my series of Montana horses dancing in Big Sky country. The lost and found lines are exquisite in the motion of this piece. The three pieces 11,12 and 13 form a triptych. If you would like to see then all together, email me for a photo. They can be sold individually or as a unit. There is a special triptych price of $275.00 for all three pieces.

Media: Mixed Media: Ink, Acrylic on canvas

Size: 8 in X 8 in (20.3 cm X 20.3 cm)

Price: $120 USD

How to Purchase:

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Price: $120 USD

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Horse Art - Blue Dancer Horse Series by SJ Merwin

Horse Art - Blue Dancer #11 - Equine painting by Montana Artist

About This Painting:

The Blue Dancer Series started in 1999. Blue Dancer #11 continues my series of Montana horses dancing across the plains and mountains of this magical land. Each Blue Dancer is unique.

Media: Mixed Media: Ink, Acrylic on canvas

Size: 8 in X 8 in (20.3 cm X 20.3 cm)

Price: $120 USD

How to Purchase:

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Price: $120 USD

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Horse Art - Blue Dancer Horse Series by SJ Merwin

Horse painting - Blue Dancer Series - Contemporary Art by Montana Artist

About This Painting:

Sorry this Blue Dancer sold quickly to an East coast buyer. I have three more Blue Dancers scheduled for posting so please keep watching for more Horse Art from SJ Merwin

Media: Acrylic on stretched canvas

Size: 9 in X 12 in (22.9 cm X 30.5 cm)

Elegant Blue Dancer - Contemporary horse art painting by Montana Artist, SJ Merwin

Elegant Blue Dancer by Montana Artist SJ Merwin. Please click on image above for a larger photo.

I've been painting my Blue Dancer Series since 1999. This series is part of my past, present and future. The Blue Horses Dancing across the Montana landscape are part of my essence. They speak to me and I to them. We claim each other. I have also completed the next three Blue Dancers and have six more planned for this year.

Elegant Blue Dancer - Contemporary horse art painting by Montana Artist

About This Painting:

Elegant Blue Dancer is the 11th Blue Dancer Painting in a series of Blue Dancers. All the Blue Dancers except this one have been sold but keep watching because #12,#13 and #14 are ready to be posted.

Media: Mixed Media: ink, Acrylic on canvas

Size: 16 in X 20 in (40.6 cm X 50.8 cm)

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Standing Proud - Contemporary Horse Art Painting Blue Gold Montana Artist

Standing Proud - Contemporary Horse Art Painting Blue Gold Montana Artist

About This Painting:

This 4 foot X 6 foot painting commands a room - thus the painting title: Standing Proud. In todays world values are changing. It's important to stand up for the greater good and stand proud.

Media: Acrylic

Size: 48 in X 72 in (121.9 cm X 182.9 cm)

Price: $3000 USD

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Scottish Trinity - Scottish Terrier, Scottie, Dog, Painting, Art, Montana Artist

Click on the above painting to see it a larger image.

Scottish Trinity - Scottish Terrier, Scottie, Dog, Painting, Art, Montana Artist

About This Painting:

"Scottish Trinity" uses the the power of three to create a unique painting in bold colors. The three Scottish Terriers looking off to the left leaves the viewer with a sense of wonder at what they see

Media: Mixed Media: ink, Acrylic on stretched canvas

Size: 16 in X 20 in (40.6 cm X 50.8 cm)

Price: $650 USD

How to Purchase:

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Price: $650 USD

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Turquoise Scot - Scottish Terrier Dog Painting Art by Montana Artist

Turquoise Scot - Scottish Terrier Dog Painting Art by Montana Artist

About This Painting:

The Scottish Terrier is nicknamed "Diehard" and are very gentle with people. The painting captures the compact, muscular dog on the canvas with the powerful, spirited personality of the Scottie.

Media: Mixed Media: ink, Acrylic on stretched canvas

Size: 11 in X 14 in (27.9 cm X 35.6 cm)

Price: $220 USD

How to Purchase:

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Price: $220 USD

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I like painting action, Airedales and Welsh Terriers. Capturing their love of life brings joy to the watercolor paper. We can use a little more joy in this world! Here's my contribution.

This is a watercolor painting that is on yupo. Yupo is a challenging paper for watercolorists. The paint floats on top of the yupo and doesn't sink in as it does on regular watercolor paper. This means that the artist must work with the painting and not place it on the page. A stroke of paint can turn into something else with a breath. Yupo is challenging to work with but the great lost and found edges that it creates are exciting.

Curled up Welsh - Welsh Terrier Art, Dog Paintings by Montana Aritst SJ Merwin

It's been so enjoyable creating Welsh Terrier art using my little Welshie as the model. I'd had three Welsh Terriers in my life and each has had such a unique personality, but all have been true to the breed. Intensely driven to do their job of dispatching predators and not very interested in taking direction from humans. In fact all three Welshies have loved humans and think they are great to play with. Play is the goal for Welshies if no rodents need to be attended to.

When training my Welshies I've frequently ended up in classes with herding dogs. In one such class all the herding dogs were looking to their humans for their next command as my little Welsh tried to crawl under a large chest. He was able to get his head under the structure so that meant he could get his body under it and when he finally emerged he carried a mouse which he dropped triumphantly at my feet. He had done his job!! Now he was ready to play and take a rest.

The 8 X 8 inch watercolor painting shows a common resting position: all curled up. Please email me if you are interested in Welshies or interested in "Curled up Welsh"
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Welsh Resting - SJ Merwin - Watercolor Dog Terrier Art Paintings by Montana Artist

Welsh Resting by S J Merwin

Welsh Terriers are not small Airedales. They are not miniature Airedales. Welsh Terriers are one of the oldest breeds known and once were known as the black and tan. They were originally used as ratters. Living on farms, they were released in the morning and spent the day on their own without supervision from humans. There were doing their job of looking for mice, rats and other pests to kill. The herding dogs were breed to help the farmers by protecting and managing sheep but the Welsh were breed for the vital job of protecting the farm from being over run by vermin. Mice, rats and and other rodents could ruin a crop or a store house of grain. I'm reminded of the story of the Pied Piper who cleared the land of rats. The story does have a foundation in truth. The truth is that rats could devastate a country. Many animals will kill mice or rats if they corner them. But the Welsh Terrier was breed to go underground after the prey and kill the colony. Many say that the Welsh tail is docked exactly the length of a hand hold, thus ensuring that the owner could grab the tail and pull the dog out of the hole if the fight got too intense. Intense is a good word to describe a Welsh Terrier who has his mind set on killing a rodent. They are so intense that they can't hear a command. Their ancient breeding commands them to dispatch of the rodent interloper. All of this makes the training very interesting when someone wants to train a Welsh who has been breed to work alone to get his job done.

The 8 x 10 inch watercolor painting shows the Welsh at Rest. Welsh Terriers often look like cuddly teddy bears when they are at rest. What a enigma the Welsh is. He can be an intense, fierce rodent hunter and look like a charming little teddy bear.

One of my favorite Quaotes

This is one of my favorite quotes and sometimes helps me get through the tough times we all have.

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Musings on Art competitions

I must get an invitation to an art competition every day in my email. How do they find me? It's not like I entered my name in the "Please email me all your art competitions list". In fact the only thing I can see that is accomplished by entering these competitions is to send money to strangers. You might as well answer the emails that ask you to put a million dollars in your bank from a stranger who want to get funds out of a strange country.

I once asked a judge of a large art competition to describe the behind the scenes process. The national competition that he judged asked a whooping $125.00 per item entry fee. There were over 4,000 entries.

So this is what happened behind the scenes. He and two other judges sat in a darkened room while someone projected the disk image you sent on a screen. If you labeled your disk wrong it was pulled from the competition. If you wrote on the itty bitty disk space illegibly the disk was pulled. Then, each painting got less than 2 seconds viewing. You'd think that for one hundred and twenty five bucks they could have given a painting three seconds. But nope in the the count of one thousand one, one thousand two... the judges would decided yea or nay. By the end of the day the field was whittled down to the 20-50 paintings that they would take a little longer to view before choosing a first, second and third place.

At the end of the day the winner did get a check for $20,000.00 and second place got $10,000.00 and third place got $5,000.00. But by my calculations the people who ran the art competition took in some where in the neighborhood of half a million dollars.

Yup, I think it would be better to respond to the email telling you that you just won the Irish lottery than enter most art competitions.

Chickadee Joy = miniature, square, bird, art, painting, by SJ Merwin

Chickadee Joy = miniature, square, bird, art, painting

About This Painting:
This charming little painting is on a stretched tiny canvas that is an inch and a quarter deep. That means it will stand alone on a shelf. Chickadees are joyful little critters.

Media: Mixed: Acrylic and ink on stretched miniature canvas
Size: 4 in X 4 in (10.2 cm X 10.2 cm)
Price: $50 USD

How to Purchase:
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Norwich Terrier in Pencil - Dog, Canine Art, Drawing by SJ Merwin

Norwich Terrier in Pencil - Dog, Canine Art, Drawing

About This Painting:
Drawing is the foundation for my art. Whenever I go through a busy phase of life I find myself reverting to the pencil drawings that keep my skills honed and my eye sharp. I began my art career by drawing 6-8 hours a day. I drew until my hand and my eye were so connected that I didn't have to look at the paper to draw.

About the drawing:
If you've seen a Norwich in person you know that they are the definition of cute. There is something about these little dogs that just makes anyone smile. I recently saw a Norwich compete in an Agility competition. The joyful dog was running through tunnels with abandon.

Media: graphite
Size: 9 in X 9 in (22.9 cm X 22.9 cm)

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Chevaux de la grotte - Contemporary horse Western art by Montana Artist

Chevaux de la grotte - Contemporary horse Western art by Montana Artist

About This Painting:
This is a huge painting. It dominates a nine foot wall with energy and motion. When horses are in motion everything can seem as sound and fury of what appears to be controlled.

Media: Acrylic on stretched canvas
Size: 60 in X 48 in (152.4 cm X 121.9 cm)

How to Purchase:
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Three in Exuberance - Horse Equine Contemporary art Montana Artist, SJ Merwin

Three in Exuberance - Horse Equine Contemporary art Montana Artist

About This Painting:
Modern with high contrast, this painting combines techniques, mediums, and memories. The technique is palette knife, the medium is oil and ink, the memories are of my three horses of my youth.

Media: Oil - Mixed Media
Size: 20 in X 16 in (50.8 cm X 40.6 cm)

How to Purchase:
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