A New Take on an Old Subject

The first painting I ever did was of a horse. I was probably eight years old when I started adding watercolor paint to my pen drawings. I probably shouldn't put this out there over respect for my art career, but here is one of those early equine pieces:

I guess it's not a surprise that I started off my art life by drawing and painting horses - I grew up on a small farm in rural Illinois and part of our menagerie included several horses. Some were cantankerous and spirited, others were gentle and just wanted to be loved. One I claimed for mine. His name was Indian and he was a small paint horse, just my size and calm enough for a rambunctious child to easily handle.

"Spirited" Oil on panel, 10"x8"

Indian was a real sweetheart and cemented my love for all paint horses, everywhere.

But after college I grew out of my need to depict horses in my paintings. At that time I was more fascinated by wild critters, like elk and moose, than I was our domesticated friends. That's changed for me with recent excursions to photograph some of the west's herds of wild mustangs. Watching and photographing them has re-ignited my love of painting horses, and of paint horses, over the last few months.

"Dust Devil" Oil on panel, 9"x12"

This summer, it's my intent to once again explore the artistic world of horses both in these smaller vignette paintings and in larger, more expansive works. The larger pieces (in progress) capture the spirit of the west's mustangs and the vastness of the landscapes they inhabit.

Why go back and explore a subject I turned away from? Well, I guess it's that I've always enjoyed horses and it's time to just admit it. While I may never own one or ride them very often, I admire their beauty, energy, grace, intuition, and emotions. These days, too, I feel more comfortable with my painting process and think I'm better able to do them justice than I was 30 or 40 years ago.

So stay tuned....