Ali Bannister
Taboo (pastel on pastel card)
A pastel commission that I finished just before Christmas. This one was tricky as Taboo sadly passed away before I was able to meet him. For that reason I worked very closely with his owner, Nicola, to create a portrait that captured him just as he was. We worked from several different photos and I created multiple mock-ups for her to see; from head shots to action shots to full body. This was the composition that she chose in the end. We fine-tuned it together in front of the computer before I even picked up a pastel. When it comes to commission work, time spent with the client like this may be time consuming bit it is never, ever wasted as not only do they know the animal best, they know what they like the best too.
I'm thrilled to hear that Nicola has recently caught herself 'talking to him' now that he is framed and on the wall :0)
A little about Taboo:
Taboo came to Nicola as a cheeky, hardly rideable, crazy, four year old. The plan was to bring him on and sell him. He was well bred and had an enormous jump -coupled with an enormous fly-buck! Little did she realise that he had been very hard to break, was cold-backed, cut late, a bully with the other horses and was generally a bit of a brute.
Taboo was well known in Gloucestershire for his numerous attempts at unseating Nicola and the capability of clearing a warm-up arena in seconds, but it was always just his playful character rather than any malice. He was also well known with fellow riders in the area for charging at them as they rode past - the local riding school even stopped hacking by - and jumping from field to field. Six foot high fences had to be installed to try and keep him in one place. He liked creating his own fun!
Nicola and Taboo had a brilliant seven years competing together. They were successful at BSJA and dressage and Taboo excelled at eventing. They completed two CCI** together, numerous Intermediates and were shortlisted for the European CCI** team in 2011. Sadly an injury at the age of eleven meant that they had to say a hard goodbye.
In Nicola's words, 'Taboo was my best friend, my secret keeper, my superstar and my safe keeper rolled into one. A one in a million, we had a special relationship and he looked after me every step of the way. This was my 30th birthday present from my husband. Ali had to create this pastel painting from a collection of photos and she has captured Taboo's quality and elegance beautifully. A beautiful, treasured piece for my beautiful missed everyday best friend. RIP Taboo x'.
As always, prints from a limited edition of 250 are available online:
www.alibannister.com/cart/taboo-p-121.php
Taboo (pastel on pastel card)
A pastel commission that I finished just before Christmas. This one was tricky as Taboo sadly passed away before I was able to meet him. For that reason I worked very closely with his owner, Nicola, to create a portrait that captured him just as he was. We worked from several different photos and I created multiple mock-ups for her to see; from head shots to action shots to full body. This was the composition that she chose in the end. We fine-tuned it together in front of the computer before I even picked up a pastel. When it comes to commission work, time spent with the client like this may be time consuming bit it is never, ever wasted as not only do they know the animal best, they know what they like the best too.
I'm thrilled to hear that Nicola has recently caught herself 'talking to him' now that he is framed and on the wall :0)
A little about Taboo:
Taboo came to Nicola as a cheeky, hardly rideable, crazy, four year old. The plan was to bring him on and sell him. He was well bred and had an enormous jump -coupled with an enormous fly-buck! Little did she realise that he had been very hard to break, was cold-backed, cut late, a bully with the other horses and was generally a bit of a brute.
Taboo was well known in Gloucestershire for his numerous attempts at unseating Nicola and the capability of clearing a warm-up arena in seconds, but it was always just his playful character rather than any malice. He was also well known with fellow riders in the area for charging at them as they rode past - the local riding school even stopped hacking by - and jumping from field to field. Six foot high fences had to be installed to try and keep him in one place. He liked creating his own fun!
Nicola and Taboo had a brilliant seven years competing together. They were successful at BSJA and dressage and Taboo excelled at eventing. They completed two CCI** together, numerous Intermediates and were shortlisted for the European CCI** team in 2011. Sadly an injury at the age of eleven meant that they had to say a hard goodbye.
In Nicola's words, 'Taboo was my best friend, my secret keeper, my superstar and my safe keeper rolled into one. A one in a million, we had a special relationship and he looked after me every step of the way. This was my 30th birthday present from my husband. Ali had to create this pastel painting from a collection of photos and she has captured Taboo's quality and elegance beautifully. A beautiful, treasured piece for my beautiful missed everyday best friend. RIP Taboo x'.
As always, prints from a limited edition of 250 are available online:
www.alibannister.com/cart/taboo-p-121.php