Blue Dala Horses and an unexpected Red one

I'm always working on one sort of Dala horse or another. This first one with flowers on a blue background is a Christmas tree ornament.

I seldom do the same design on both sides of an ornament. You can't see both sides at once and it gives everyone a chance to turn it around whenever they get bored.

This next project is a recycling effort with an old metal horse broken off a windmill or something and discovered in an old shed.

The proportions of this horse are all wrong for a dala horse but it was free and is more effective than putting up a sign to show people where to find Dala Horses in the neighborhood.

My Latest Red Dala Horse

There's not much to say about this one. Most of the designs and colors are pretty traditional. I like it that this sort of thing is coming easier to me. Each of them is different yet they are part of a tradition that goes back hundreds of years and that's what makes them special to me.

I'm always practicing brush strokes as I get ready to paint another Dala Horse and continue the tradition.

This one is a Christmas ornament and will be part of another families tradition. I trust that they'll enjoy using it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Designs for a Red Background

As I'm working on these posts for the wheelchair ramp I'm also carving and sanding horses as I decide which designs that I would like to use on them. I'll be painting those next. 

 On this most recent one I did a different design on each side of the post.

 The blue flowers seemed to show up the best and I thought I'd use it on the saddle area of the horse.

 The dot and coma stroke designs will work well across the chest and the belly band.

I've got a firm idea of what the design will be now and will include pictures of it as soon as I have them.

Stroke Work Designs for a Yellow Background

Yes, I'm still combining my need to practice new brush stroke patterns with the practicality of getting my wheelchair ramp painted before another year of winter weather gets to it.

As always I'm thinking about the next dala horse that I want to paint and how I can combine different brushstrokes and patterns to keep the design fresh and different than other horses that I have done before.

I'm nearly halfway up one side of the ramp now and really looking forward to enjoying my handiwork over the long, cold winter. This is the end of it that I can see from my living room window so it will be nice to have something else to look at besides the snow until my flowers bloom again in the spring.

Brush Stroke Practice

I can use all of the practice I can get with my brush strokes but instead of endless practice pages in a workbook or sketch book I'm getting mine on the posts of my wheelchair ramp.

What I really like about doing it this way is that there are 4 sides on each post and that gives me lots of chances to try variations in color schemes and paint brushes.

The other good thing about it is that I find it really satisfying to have my own little art exhibit in the front garden to provide welcome color over the winter and between garden seasons.

It just makes anyone that sees it happy and it's a great way to show people the sorts of things that I like to paint,

Any Color Works

Sometimes I like to take a break from traditional colors and designs when painting Dala Horses. I've never heard of one that was purple and green, have you? Stretch your imagination and have some fun.

The hanging one has already been sold and Yes, the pink, green and yellow one is on it's way out of here too.

 I haven't finished with this one yet. I'm sure the polyurethane will change the color of the wood and I plan to enhance the designs with some outlining so I'll be adding one more photo to this post as soon as it's done.

Carving and selling Dala Horses

I put my Dala Horses for Sale sign up today and my finished horses on a table in the front yard while I sat and carved some blanks for new horses. Several people stopped and were interested but no one bought anything. I took that opportunity to make sure that everyone who wanted one got a business card. I'll let you know if any of them come back.