Horseriders on the Beach
Just outside Bandon, Oregon, a little promontory of land juts out into the Pacific, creating two unique views of the coast, north and south. Unusually shaped rocks and islands, amazing tidal pools, and a wealth of bird life make this a stunning place to explore. We were just coming back from the beach one evening, pausing to take one last look at the ocean for the day, when about twenty horseback riders came around the bend to the south. I had just realized that the lens on my poor camera was completely covered in salt spray from spending a day at the beach with me. Now to get down to the beach from our hotel involved a loooong staircase. That sucker was huge (and I do work out.) I made a tactical decision, and started to run back to the hotel room, realizing along the way that of course I had opted for the third story room as it had a better view, adding even more stairs to the ridiculousness. I hauled my sorry butt back up those stairs, into the hotel room, found the lens cleaner, back down the stairs, leaping over a toddler, (just kidding, but I did call out that I was coming up on the left of this kid with his mom so they wouldn’t be too alarmed), racing by them to the landing over the beach. Amazingly, the horses were just passing by, and were perfectly back lit against those strange islands in the last rays of the western sun. They moved almost ghost-like on the beach, the salt spray in the air adding to the ethereal feeling of spirit and wonder of that place.
This pastel is a composite of the photos I took that evening, and captures for me that sense of other-worldliness, of other timeliness, and the beauty of Coquille Point.
It’s an 18×24, pastel on sanded paper. I may have to kill the horse and rider on the far left-hand side of the image as I think the tension between it and the rider in front are a little too symmetrical. It’s a point of discussion in my house, let me know if you have an opinion.
Back to the studio to work on my other project (it’s big, I’ll post more when it’s ready for an audience.)
Keep painting!
Dawn
No, don’t kill the horse. The rider, maybe . . . Seriously, I think it’s lovely (for what that’s worth). I would love to see you do a portrait of a horse.
Thanks, Barb! Maybe “kill” is too strong of a word. I just feel that horse and rider are pulling too far away from the focal point. They might need their own portrait in a separate painting, seeing as they are all pensive anyhow. Many thanks for the comment! Dawn
Please don’t kill the horse or the rider! It is after all an unposed symmetry. And there is always a laggard in a group of riders.
I love it.
Thanks, Eleanor, I appreciate the comment! Good point.