Welcome to our latest Horse Portrait in Oils – Meet Rasha! This beautiful oil painting features Rasha, a chestnut horse who belonged to Joel’s wife Heather decades ago before they met. He commissioned the portrait as a surprise Christmas gift, hoping to capture the spirit and memory of a much loved companion for Heather.
Joel emailed us and send some old scanned photographs, taken long before digital photos were invented! He asked whether they would be clear enough to work from. The reference images Joel has found for us to use were slightly faded and cropped. Particularly around the ears, however, it was ok! We felt that we could work with them. Nicholas was able to recreate Rasha’s likeness adding in the missing details while staying true to Rasha.
“The horse’s name is Rasha. Keeping the tack is fine… I like the background on the first mockup better because there is more colour variation—it gives the portrait more depth.”
After looking at all of the mock-ups and choosing the colour background and tone, Joel chose to commission a 20 x 16 inch oil painting.
“Rasha is a chestnut colour, so the photo in the mockup is more colour correct… Let the artist decide how that plays out.”
Nicholas is starting the portrait in the photo below. We always love this stage, you could say this is a piece of art in itself!
Finishing Touches
As the painting neared completion, we made a few final refinements to ensure every detail was just right. From blending the ear correction to shaping the lower portion of Rasha’s shoulder and body. Joel provided thoughtful, respectful feedback throughout the process.
“It looks awesome! Absolutely love the detail…..Hearing Nick’s explanation of why he did what helped a lot. I’m not an artist, but that convinced me the painting is complete.”
I often take photos of the portraits at different angle. Invariably you will look at the portraits from either side, not always straight on.
Packing the Painting
We carefully packaged the portrait with discretion to keep Heather from guessing what was inside. We sent it just in time for Christmas, ready to be unwrapped as a complete surprise.
“It looks fabulous! Thank you and Nicholas for such a beautiful painting. I can’t wait to give it to Heather at Christmas!”
Interested in Commissioning a Horse Portrait?
We hope that you have enjoyed reading about our blog post Horse Portrait in Oils – Meet Rasha! If you’d like to honour a horse from your past, or create a portrait of one in your life now, we’d love to hear from you. Whether you have digital photos or scanned images, we can usually work with you to bring their spirit to life on canvas.
Visit our Horse Portraits Gallery to see more examples, or browse other commissions on the blog, such as the Appaloosa Horse Portrait in Oils. Our Commission Info Page is a good place to start!
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