In Legend and Story

For weeks I followed the progress on a huge horse mural - the Horse Gift (Le Cadeau Du Cheval) that will be premiered in September at Spruce Meadows. It totally fascinated me that the artists involved were taking what amounted to abstract panels and turning them into horse paintings, that when put together, will form a new image .

But I couldn't take part - I had too much work, too much "stuff" happening that had to be dealt with. There was no way I could do a mural panel - was there?

One by one, the impediments slipped away and suddenly, I realized that I would be able to do one after all, and I wrote and asked if there was anything left for me. Fortunately, I wasn't too late, and I was able to join in the fun with Panel 19 that became IN LEGEND AND STORY. My panel is about how legend became stories, and those stories eventually became the horse books that young girls dream on. My panel salutes the glorious stallions of every color, the gentle mares, and the loyal geldings.

Many of those horse crazy girls are lucky - they never outgrow that love of horses and they grow up to be horse crazy women who make their horse dreams come true. I know they do, because I was one of them.

Horse Show Saturdays

The Horse Show season is upon us now, and there are lots of wonderful small shows at the various stables in the area. What could be better than a morning spent among horses and surrounded by beautiful rolling fields and forested hills. It is always fun to see the kids with their ponies and the special bond they have. The show ring photos that become painting references are fun to take, but my favorite photos to paint are the serendipitous ones - the horse who leans over and gives her young rider a nuzzle, or the rider who spontaneously throws her arms around her pony for a big hug. In any situation where animals are involved, it's the love and affection between human and animal that draws me and makes me want to get out my watercolors or colored pencils.