3rd and 4th in the Animal Lifted Embargo Series by Michael Newberry
Newberry, San Miguel, 2020, oil, 9×12” I taught a workshop in Mexico sometime ago, this was on the way to San Miguel de Allende from San Luis Potosi, originally there were no horses, I just painted them in today. Haha, before you complain they don’t look like horses, they are only 1/4″ high in the painting, I am not a miniaturist. I think they look cool regardless. Newberry, Teton Twilight, 2020, oil, 9×12” This was from another workshop I taught, in Wyoming. The inclusion of the horse does something interesting: it completes the pair of trees in a nice rhythm. It also gives a jolt of life to the landscape. In a very tepid way I am giving a hint of romanticism to the landscape.
With this Animal Lifted Embargo Series, I am refining my hierarchy of subject values. Humanity is at the top, consequently, I paint/draw individuals filling the universe of the canvas or paper space. Animals are a far distant second place, recently insignificant, but I am now enjoying placing them in landscapes as minor players. It makes me feel peaceful and the experience of painting them feels a bit magical. If I made them the same size as humans (allowing perspective truth etc) I would be extremely uncomfortable with that.
Michael Newberry 