Karen Y. Gerhardt, equine artist
I’m happy to report that both of the custom glaze commissions have been purchased. I am also glazing the bisque Breyer porcelain Gisele. That’s it for china commissions this spring, I’ll be busy!
Also I’m excited to let you know that I will have the Roundabout china mold by June, and probably some bisques before that. I am looking forward to getting Fido the Kiln running again!
As many of you know we lived for a year in England in 2009-2010, west of London near Windsor. While the year had its ups and downs due to Paul’s job being really tough and me not being able to get out and explore the country nearly as much as I would have liked, I still think about our time there constantly and fondly. (Even all those damp, rainy days seem not so bad, 2 years later, ha.)
I’ve been offered an opportunity to go back to the UK this summer, to help hold some workshops for model horse collectors at a 3-day weekend event in Newmarket, England. This is not too far from Cambridge, right in the famous horse racing town and on the grounds of the Newmarket Stud. I didn’t get much chance to explore the country north of London and I am being so sorely tempted to go back now!
But I have to raise all the funds for travel. The airfare from Denver alone will be over $1000. Being highly motivated to do this, I am reaching deep into my unglazed china and porcelain “stash” and offering a rare opportunity to china collectors…
Custom Glaze Commission on Horsing Around/Eberl “Azham” Arabian stallion sculpture, English bone china
This is the hot hot hot sculpture by Brigitte Eberl of Germany, produced last year by Horsing Around of the UK. A sold out edition of only 50 pieces, I own two unglazed bisques. I was planning on keeping one and someday glazing the other for sale. Or maybe keeping both. I love this sculpture that much. But I will part with one now and this is your chance to choose the color on this rare and in-demand piece. I could probably get over $1000 for the unglazed bisque as-is. I will glaze it for you for $1750.00 postage paid to anywhere. It can be either gloss or mattte finish. You can take until May 30th to pay in full. Because of the value of this piece, I do need to protect myself from a customer backing out during time payments (when I’d already started glazing it to their color choice) so I will request a non-refundable deposit of $500.00.
Custom Glaze Commission on authentic Royal Worcester Saddlebred, Porcelain
This is an authentic Royal Worcester porcelain Saddlebred, from the edition made in England and sculpted by Doris Lindner in the 1960′s. It has a lot of value as an antique in this unpainted white gloss glazed finish. I bought this piece from the Crawleys of Horsing Around of the UK, when they purchased the contents of the Royal Worcester porcelain company’s factory archives 10 years ago or so. I have a letter from Royal Worcester confirming this. I will custom overglaze this porcelain to your choice of color. I have already fired this piece in my kiln as a test to make sure it doesn’t have any flaws or restorations (apparently some from the factory might). I have been looking into a local woodworker who can make wood bases for this porcelain and others in my collection, because they didn’t come with the matching factory bases. I will also include a custom wood base in the price. Glazed to your color choice, for $2200.00 postage paid to anywhere. You can take until May 30th to pay in full. Because of the value of this piece, I do need to protect myself from a customer backing out during time payments (when I’d already started glazing it to their color choice) so I will request a non-refundable deposit of $700.00.
If these pieces don’t interest you, I will also consider custom glazing these other bisque pieces from my private china stash: HA/Eberl “Sharif”, Breyer/Eberl porcelain “Gisele”, Mink Studios “Stormwatch”… or a claybody custom on any of my own sculptures (resculpted to your specs). Email me to talk about these.
I know there are a LOT of great and pricey china horses coming out right now and this coming year, and I thank you for considering my work on these great pieces… and giving me a chance to get back Over the Pond!
This past year I have been experimenting with oil painting. I finished my first painting in 2010, and I have started two others. I really like the quiet application of paint with brushes. Most of my painting life—all involved with finishing my horse sculptures in either resin or ceramic—has been using the airbrush. It is fast and beautiful, I have always thought, but noisy and mechanical tool-intensive. I’ve wanted to branch out a bit from horses in art and working on “flat” landscape paintings with oils was a good way to do that plus learn something new. Paul and I have traveled a lot in the past 10 years and got on a huge art-museum jag where we saw a lot of the most significant old masters paintings on the planet. So naturally I was itching to try oils myself after all that quality art exposure!
Enjoyment of painting naturally led me to thinking about finishing my sculptures in oils. Especially since I have a sculpture in resin edition at the moment, and some unpainted white ones staring at me in the studio every day. I just finished my first Roundabout resin in oils, and here he is. Since this horse is a British Cob, I named this one “Marlow”, after a delightful town in England near where we lived during our year there…
I am so pleased with my first attempt with oils, that I’ve started another one which will be dappled palomino:
The palomino will be for sale… if I am satisfied with the results. Next, I will be interested to figure out how to paint a dappled grey in oils. I’ve spent 30 years perfecting dappled greys with the airbrush for both acrylic paint and ceramic glaze (because it is my favorite horse color) so that will be a challenge!
By the way, you can buy an unpainted Roundabout in resin at my Etsy Store. They are in stock and ready to ship.
What else am I up to? I’ve started another sculpture (about 4″ tall) that I’m not near ready to talk more about yet. Plus I will be getting back into the china glazing too I hope… Roundabout in ceramic IS coming this spring! I am thinking about glazing a small edition in an OF color, probably 10 pieces all the same color. But that won’t come until much later in the year, after I get the molds and get the hang of casting and cleaning them.
All work has been slow recently because I’ve been struggling with sciatica in both legs since September which makes it painful to sit for very long. After flailing around with chiropractic and physical therapy, I’ve been escalated to a spine specialist which I see tomorrow. I sure hope they will be able to help me because not being able to sit really inhibits my work time!!
Lastly, here is the first china horse I completed in 2012. An earthenware Boreas I cast myself. Isn’t he amazing looking in chestnut sabino color? A great color idea from the person who now owns it!
Still time to have one shipped to your friend or yourself as a holiday gift! 
Or if you want to do time payments, I can arrange that too. Email me directly if you need help with that.
Cheers!
I bought an Apple iPod Touch about a month ago and keep learning about new apps for it. I was thrilled to find that WordPress has one, which is where this blog is hosted. This means I can now write new blog entries “on the go”!!! My work life has changed a lot since I retired from graphic design and I need my laptop less and less. And I am already in love with doing everything from my so-portable iPod!!
I can take photos and send them to this blog along with my news. Maybe I will write more blog entries now too…
Ski season starts for us next week and I start my volunteer job at Beaver Creek ski area on Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to meeting other “locals” through the program and building a new social life.
On the art front: I’m all over the place with different projects but not working too hard on any one thing. I have 2 custom glazed china commissions promised this month. I’ve been working on a new oil painting of a scene I shot in Cornwall. I’m experimenting with painting a Roundabout resin in oils. I have been fooling around with some clay hand-building of some sculptures. (Not of horses!) I am hoping for word of the Roundie china molds soon. I feel like I don’t want to glaze anything much at the moment so I think perhaps I am waiting for Roundie.
Well, thanks for reading my test of my first via-iPod entry!
Here is a test photo. It is from our vacation to the Florida Keys last week (and the only photo on my pod at the moment).
