Black on Grey on White

Success. Months of pain have been dealt with! All the demons faced heads on, pencils in hand. Scribbling through physical pain, soothing the emotional turmoil, relayering confidence. A new drawing: Long Rein, the result. Inspiration and a new gritty feeling, the outcome. Will be interesting to see if 2017 will see another new drawing. Watch this space: pencils are sharpened. Long Rein pencil on paper 2017 Sheona Hamilton-Grant all rights reserved.

During the whole of March, I will be the  Equis Art Gallery's  featured artist.  The only gallery of it’s kind  and Gem of the mid-Hudson Valley – the  EQUIS ART GALLERY  – is a purveyor of sophisticated artwork work where a white horse is not just white, a black horse is not just black and a beautiful horse is not just pretty! So very humbling and exciting . Getting ready for the occasion and off to join in in the festivities are two more drawings: Going Right and Racing Ready Racing Ready pencil on paper 37 x 41 cm reference: Linda Shantz Going Right pencil on paper 43 x 56 cm reference: Juliet Harrison

and has been an inspiring muse for my latest equine portrait. That's right: no capital city but a beautiful bay mare. Scribbling has begun in earnest again this year and Canberra is the first off the drawing board. Isn't she gorgeous? Up next: also dark and also super cute ;) Canberra pencil on paper 25x15 cm SOLD

but all to do with art, pencils and horses. Time and inspiration collided and this black and white image came to life.   Inspiration stuck around until the signature made it onto the paper. I love this drawing. Not sure if it's the subtle twist on a classic portrait (rider tightening girth), the look in his eye or all the unfinished edges. What do you think? A la Carte NRW pencil on paper 49x31 cm

It was time to reassess just what (art-wise) I could achieve in one-ish sitting. Seriously, each non commissioned drawing takes me between 80-120 hours (maybe more). Translated: weeks of work. The one question that I have not wanted  been to scared to answer  face but wich I have been asking for a while now, has been tackled and ... answered. Am I able to produce a wee bit quality in one day? Can I "perform" without all the time and detail and work and rework and endless thought? Can I get to the important nitty gritty and feel pleased with the result? Can I quieten the nagging "you -can-you-only-draw-slowly-and un-sponteneously" voice? Yes, yes, yes and YES! Here's the proof: Snaffles. Upping the anti (no comfort zone for me!), I used new paper (Fabriano), a new medium (Nitram Charcoal) and a new time frame (one day i.e: 6 hours drawing time). Drank two coffees, pumped up the volume and got cracking... Super chuffed with the result! Snaffles

One thing I knew: it had to be big, bold and dramatic. The concept and image had been floating banging around in my mind for a couple of years (constantly drawing even without pencils in hand!) Daring to crop harshly and spend the better part of a month scribbling a high risk composition was, until a few months ago, way too far out of my comfort zone. With age and maturity there seems to be serious rebirth in my "go get ya!" streak. It's rubbed off on my scribble friends and three weeks ago we got to work. The result: "Focus", an image full of power, beauty & silky smooth equine brilliance. Hope you all like it too ;) "Focus" pencil on paper 39x50 cm Available Sheona Hamilton-Grant © all rights reserved.

Hot off the board and freshly signed. This is "Racing Ready" a wonderful moment captured by fellow artist and friend  Linda Shantz on one of her very early morning escapades in Keenland a few years ago. She gave me the green light allowing my pencils have a wee bash at rendering this amazing athlete (speaking of the horse of course!) I miss the horses, daily, and wanted to feel one near me. I figured putting down an extra layer of detail and sharpened the pencils that wee bit more might do the trick. "Racing Ready" Pencil on Paper 37x41 cm Reference courtesy of Linda Shantz Available

Going right is what you get when a powerful combination of precision, speed and strength fuse. This stunning equine athlete had to be drawn, highlighted, brought to paper. The harmony between horse, jockey and gravity eternalised. Pencils sculpted and moulded the graphite into shape. An amazing experience! Going Right Pencil on Paper 43x56 cm Reference courtesy of Juliette harrison Available p.s ( a very loud p.s!) Once again a million thank-yous go out to Juliette Harrison for the fabulous reference photograph which is at the source of "Going Right". Make sure to check out her black and white world . It's beautiful!

This "in-between commission" drawing has been fantastic learning curve. Very intense. I pushed myself out of the very comfy zone I always draw in into a new dimension. Gave myself the challenge of portraying a stunning horse in all its beauty and strength through a dramatic cropped composition. All I had to play with loads of textures, light and lines. Very addictive way of working. Can't wait to re-offend! Intensity 34 x 54 cm Pencil on Paper Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Been a good week. Pencils were on form. (Has to be down to the imminent start of spring: it affects us all!) Their form was such that they rustled up this portrait of beautiful Fiona effortlessly, composed, working untiringly with a steady daily tempo. A rarity of late. It felt exceptional. Fiona Pencil on Paper 23 x 27 cm SOLD

Massive mistake! I never introduced you to Cherry. I had the pleasure of spending time with her image in the studio at the end of last year. The wee lass is an amazing 32 years young. An impressive fact that qualifies her as the oldest horse I have had the honour of drawing. This mare's honest, charming and friendly nature were a joy to render. Quite frankly, interpreting and immortalising this gentle soul is what makes my job plain fantastic. Cherry Pencil on Paper Sold

Tender and trusting. I met Ally last year. Outside. free as a bird but never further than a metre away from us (and the camera lens). She was a sensational model, posing beautifully with an air of elegance and wisdom. Displaying an air of such grace and peace that instinctively the only way forward was to reach out and hug her. And hugged she was. "Ally" Pencil on Paper 42x48 cm Sold

Last week, like so many weeks, went by in a bright spinning flash (there is such a thing... really!) The trendy "dreaded lurgy- virus thingy" paid us all individual visits and tried it's damnedest to cool my hard fought back resolution of getting back into the swing of things. It tried... and failed. Now finished, with revisited lessons in mental focus, how to embrace loose strokes, speeding up, drawing from the "gut" and foreshortening, is Pull Forth. A fab way of warming up the pencils! "Pull Forth" Pencil on Paper 38x26 cm Up next: one gorgeous mare

Over 200 photographs, many blurred due to nosy-foal intervention , led to this final drawing. This moment really did happen . It's not a "photoshop special". The four babies stood together , safe in their own proximity, attention and curiosity divided between a waving branch and a very strange sounding photographer. Drawing this piece has been a bundle of fun , from start to finish.  By the end of the very first line I knew it would all fall into place. Working out of my comfort zone and approaching it with a different goal in mind, the overall effect is looser, not as tight and detailed as I have been drawing. Being a study of a moment , of a scene that was not staged but left to fate, s pontaneity and movement had to take centre stage. Detail really welcome only as a (VIP) backseat passenger. The choice of paper helps tremendously in staying looser. For "Get together", I went with  Hahnemülle Nostalgie  and smooth flowing strokes of 6B, 2B and

a work in progress that lead to my new drawing "Buckled". "Buckled" Pencil on Paper 35x26 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved. Pencils: 2b, 2h and a 6b Paper: Mellotex Size: 37 x 26 cm (pretty much lifesize)

Last week I was sure it had seen the last pencil stroke, this week I  stand by my initial decision and have signed my latest drawing "Weymouth". Part of the daring mistakes challenge. Looking for inspiration deep within. Thinking unconventional. Digging deep. Going in close. Staying personal. Cropping, mercilessly . Highlighting, contrasts. Drama, angst and power. Really liking the result. "Weymouth" Pencil on Paper. 17x30 cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Ever wondered if, we artists, like writers, have to tackle the notorious "page blanche" syndrome? The big white gaping blank page hole? We do. Sometimes. These infuriating times, times when everything you know goes blank, do plague our creative muses. Paper Clone and " Uncrushable " are results of blank moments. Symbolic pieces. Drawings tentatively touching the third dimension. Nothing is quite as it seems. Nothing crushed remains crushed forever. Strength and beauty always rise to the surface. "Uncrushable" Pencil on Paper 42x50 cm 1550 Euros Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved .

Unique Trust Pencil on Paper 57 x 46cm Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved After spending a little more than six weeks hand in hand with my feelings, memories and pencils, I proudly present "Unique Trust". In line with my 2013 resolutions, I was determined to jump out of my comfort zone and roam a little in the unknown suburbs of my drawing ability. A different approach had to be taken. So I went big much much bigger, stepped away from the classic head pose and began discovering how to convey a very special intimate, precious moment.  "Unique Trust" happened in layers: a layer of technical knowledge topped with a double layer of whipped emotions, sprinkled with a wee bit of pencil magic. 

Currently on the board: a new drawing. Pencils have been scribbling dreamingly and slowly on this new piece. Leaving marks highlighting tenderness, trust and emotion. Technically I wanted to push myself and work big (57x46 cm). Emotionally it's all about pulling off combining that very special contact between horse and man. So far :  one (half-closed) eye and two ears closer to my goal! (Untitled) Pencil on Paper WIP Sheona Hamilton-Grant. All rights reserved.

Yeah! 2013 is here ! 2012 was a year in which I believe I stood too still. Enjoying my comfort zone a tad too much... artistically not taking risks, trying too please, my curiosity asleep. 2012 is being archived just after this post. 2013 is when I step FORWARD pick up my pencils out of our snug comfort zone and into a colder  unknown & un-tackled world that we have ignored for too long To prove my point, here's "Touched" my brand new drawing. An amass of verticals and horizontals, stark and dramatic yet soft and tender. A mix of contrast, texture and shapes. A study of both equine and human body language. A little girl lost safely in the world of big gentle equines. " Touched " Pencil on Paper. 57x44 cm. Sheona Hamilton-Grant. 2013 All rights reserved  2013 will be my year of marching FORWARD one focused step at a time. ... left, right, left, right, left, right...