Ruth Soller » Beside Still Waters

My challenge is to include a Native American with her paint horse in the setting of Taos Pueblo.  I searched my sketchbooks for figure drawings which would present a natural and believable pose.  I completed an oil study to decide on color harmony and to create consistent lighting throughout the composition. I prepared my canvas by toning it with a thin wash of Transparent Red Oxide.  The woman’s face is my primary focal point with the horse’s face a secondary focal point. I like the way the woman’s right leg is a diagonal leading the eye into the scene and her head is tilted towards the horse’s head. Notice that the stream leads the eye from the lower left corner up to the faces of the woman and the horse.  My usual process is working from background to foreground and from dark to light. I painted the blues of the water while I had the sky and mountain blues mixed.  I continued painting the horse, grasses and water.  I painted the woman’s face, dress, and moccasins, saving the detail of the beaded rose designs on her belt and moccasins for last.  I am happy with the composition and the action of the woman’s pose. This work has a symbolic meaning to me of the scripture Psalm 23: 1-3a “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”