Today I was photographing the Texas Fasig-Tipton Texas Sale in Grand Prairie at the Sales Pavillion at Lone Star Park. This was day one of a two day sale with 439 horses cataloged. The sale topper of the day was City At Peace (Hip 67), a bay filly by Include out of City Hideaway. This filly sold for $140,000 to Dapple Bloodstock located in Lexington KY. If you wish to see the catalog page on this filly or others you may find it at http://www.fasigtipton.com/catalogs/2006/0829/index082906.htm.
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This is a drawing from a photo I took several years ago, but come back to again and again. I call this "The Mimic" because the younger foal was almost exactly mimicking the expression of the older weanling or yearling as I approached with the camera. This is one of my favorite images, I only wish I had captured it in raw format so I could make much larger prints of it. I guess I may have to settle for a larger painting.
Todays drawing is a graphite study for a future painting. I was inspired by one of my previous sketches and went back and did a photo composition combining elements of two different photographs. I then had an 8x10 printed and took with my sketchbook to Borders where I started work
I started with a soft contour of the roan foal and then worked on the shading. After getting the drawing of the foal established I came back to draw the cutter and cow. I had a little trouble in the sketchbook due to format so had to reduce the size. This is the part I will work on a little more before moving to the painting. After I finished the cutter and cow I took a rest and read a drawing magazine, and then came back in about 1/2 hour to do more modeling work on the foal.
What do you do while the truck is in the shop for Routine Mainainence?
Tonight's impromptu supper is sort of a Creole or Cajun dish with Chicken Thighs. I first browned the chicken thighs in canola oil. When Chicken was evenly browned I drained most of the oil and then added a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, three cloves of garlic which I grated fine, water, and a tablespoon of gumbo powder. I then added what I had left of locally grown sliced baby okra. I added salt and cayenne pepper to taste. After cooking about 20 minutes, I add diced fresh zucchini. Next I cook till okra seeds turn dark and chicken falls off the bone. When it is finished serve over rice.
While I was drying my clothes at the laundramat I went to starbucks and took another try at a drawing I attempted last Thursday but did not quite succeed. I returned to the drawing today (Tuesday, Aug 8) and made some necessary contrast corrections.
What happens with the camera shutter is tripped? This is sort of a behind the scenes look at a sale ring shoot. I am usually standing under the right strobe next to the steps. I have a battery powered strobe on each side of the auction stand, both set at approximately the same power. In this case the left side strobe is approximately 20% higher than the one on the right. The strobes are connected to my camera via a radio controlled device. When the shutter is tripped a radio signal is sent to both strobes simultaneously.
finally chosen for the cut. Eddie Flynn rode Stylish Baby Doll (SR Instant Choice x Stylish Oak Susie by Doc's Oak) to the championship with a score of 220.5. Walton's Rocking W Ranch, Inc is the owner of this mare. She was also in the Open Top 5 of the 2006 Super Stakes.
Paul Hansma and Sister CD (CD Olena x Little Babysitter by Dual Pep) were the Reserve Champions with a score of 218.5. Sister CD (gelding) is owned by Skip Queen and was also the 2006 Super Stakes Open Co-Champion.
The Western Bloodstock Summer Sales held in conjunction with the NCHA Summer Spectacular Cutting Horse Show in Ft Worth was a great success. The first Day was primarily 2 and 3yo colts and fillies which had been started. Most were demonstrated on cows as they sold. The 2nd and 3rd Days were primarily yearlings and mares (some with foals. Don Green (on left) and Steve Friskup were the Auctioneers.
The ring men were there to help communicate the bids from the crowd to the auctioneer. The ring man on right is using hand signals to communicate with the bidder. The auctioneer "sings" out the current price and the ringman watches the crowd for bids. When he spots a bidder he shouts to the auctioneer the price of the offer. When a sale is complete the Auctioneer will say the name of the ringman who communicated the successful bid. As a sale proceeds a handler will lead the horse around the ring setting him up so that all 
potential buyers can see. An announcer and pedigree man will stop the auctioneer from time to time with updates about the family line of the horse and the performance records of the family. He will also note any information that might have bearing on the soundness of the horse for performance or breeding.
Tomorrow I am on my way to the Ft Worth for the Summer Spectacular Sale at the Watt Arena and Justin Sales Ring. This year the first day of sales will be held at the Watt Arena with horses being sold as they are shown. Included in this day of sales will be the 2nd annual Waggoner Roundup of 3 and 2yo Buyer Choice Pairs. The photo to the left is of Peppy Playgun being shown during the 2005 Summer Spectacular Western Bloodstock Sale. 
The following two days of sales will be held in the Justin Sales Ring with production sales of weanlings, yearlings, 2yo, broodmares, and stallions. The Saturday session will include an offering of Buyers Choice Yearlings and Select Broodmares (2065-2081) from the Double Dove Ranch. The charcoal drawing to the right is of the Futurity Breeders Select Sale in the Justin Sales Ring.
These sketches were drawn at two different times. The foal was drawn last evening from a photograph I took during a recent client advertising project. The foal is a red roan but drawing does not show the roan characteristics. The thumbnail above is a reining slide that I just quickly sketched out for a friend the week before.
This vegetable stirfry pretty much invented itself. I started by cutting a rutabaga into strips and cooking garlic and ginger root in a skillet with olive oil. I added the rutabaga and mini carrots to the skillet and cooked them til nearly soft and then added sliced yellow squash. I then remembered I had some baby spinach that was passed the salad stage, so I added that too. I continued cooking til it was ready and the served with my baked Talapia.
Yesterday morning I drove out to Texas Rock Ranch and photographed four of the 2006 foals. I have photographed foals at my brothers ranch and was wondering how it would be photographing foals who did not know me, but all foals are pretty much the same. There are some that want to get right up in your face to see what you are up to, and others that keep a good safe distance. What is most fun is when they finally get used to me and go back to playing with each other. I was afraid the heat would be oppressive and the foals would not be active, but they were quite active and playing much of the time I was there.
I have been working at the ranch for the last 6 days, and rarely got home before 9pm, which is why I have not posted very much. After the days work I often ride my horse, or walk down the hill. During these trips over the last month or so I noticed that at about 8 o'clock every evening a skunk found hunting grounds under the trees at the bottom of the hill. This skunk never took notice of anyone, horse or man except a few times when we surprised each other during a horse ride. I backed off and the skunk made his way back to his home. Today I went down the hill with specific plans to get a photo of this skunk. I started down the hill about 7:45 and when I reached the area where I had seen the skunk yesterday,
I saw no signs of her. As an alternative I went to the horse pasture and spent a while photographing the foals some more. About 8:15 I looked over the fence and saw that the skunk had arrived. I stopped my horse photography for a bit and went over the fence and photographed the skunk.
The Rose Country Cutting Horse show was a success with folks coming to try out the new dirt. The weather was quite hot for man and horse. It was a bit cooler outside in the breeze than inside the arena (oven). This time I photographed all or part of the $10,000NH,Youth/Medal, $50,000,$20,000,$2500 LR, with a few other special request images in the $3,000 and 1,000 NH classes. You can view the images from Saturday's show Here. If you are ordering it is best to go through my Americascutter.com website.
This is just the spinach salad with Asiago Caesar Dressing. 
