Lead to Another Place
Patience is one of many skills that horses teach. The early years of learning to ride on lesson horses became a standard of patience for me. In these early years of riding, it was impossible to see the amount of patience the horse had for the young student. We were trying to hang on, sit up straight, keep our heels down, ignore leather that was rubbing the wrong way and made blisters. As time went on, and memories return of the first canter or jumping the first cross rail, an awareness grew that someone was always there with you. That someone had great patience with children and with unsteady hands that tugged on a bit or unsteady weights that shifted and bounced the wrong way.
The time sitting in a quiet stable was another place to understand this patience. Horses stood quietly on crossties for long periods of time. They stood in stillness in the center aisle and waited patiently. The stable was in a different time, outside regimented school bells and countless flickering screens at home. It was spacious and calming. It moved at a slower tempo set by horses, chewing on hay, shaking off a fly, scraping a hoof around in a stall. The first time I drew from life, it was a drawing of a draft horse on crossties. I was disappointed with the drawing, but I realized an important reason for drawing the horse (along with my love for him). This reason was admiration for the stillness and patience of a horse like this to stand on crossties for whatever reason he was put there.
Stillness creates patience and patience creates stillness.
“Crossties”, created as a tribute to these teachers.
This year, art prints of this painting are offered for purchase.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/crossties-i-iyekudo.html
The image of a horse on crossties is a big contrast to more popular images of horses flying in a gallop across some majestic landscape. The quiet patience of interior stable life is the norm, and not the frantic images typically associated with horses. I realized we tend to do this with images of ourselves. Many pictures of our modern life are images of non-stop action that we cannot possibly continue, like 24/7-running marathons, driving through mountains, working hard in late night hours. We need stillness and patience too.
I forgot about the first portrait that I drew in the stable, but I returned to the memory of a horse on crossties many years later. This painting, “Crossties”, was a reconnection to the different space I remembered around horses. Instead of a rural setting, the canvas was painted in the space of a New York studio. The original color sketch for “Crossties” was light and airy, with an intention for a softer palette. In the process of painting the four foot canvas, it became clear the palette should be more stable for this subject at this size. Glowing reds developed over time from layers of translucent color. The color’s radiance reminded me of the warm, quiet expression of a familiar friend as I greeted him. The minimalism of the painting was a choice to maintain a peace and patience in the canvas that was similar to greetings from equine friends.
“Crossties”, color sketch
“Crossties”, detail
“Crossties”, detail
The secondary color of this minimal palette, viridian green, was chosen for its cooling hue and sparkling contrast. Viridian green was also a favorite for landscape that surrounded the horses I’ve known. In this painting, it was a nod to this environment and also a fun challenge to make it read as a blue.
The time spent immersed in this minimalist painting allowed the horse to emerge from memories of his space and also memories of museum and gallery spaces that had the quietude of Rothko and Frankenthaler. In these tranquil moments, the peacefulness allowed engagement on other levels, like the sensations of warmth and weightlessness of color, or feeling the presence of a good friend who knows you. This horse greets the viewer on the surface of the canvas, standing between us and the quiet, radiant patience of the stable that is his home.
“Crossties” detail
Sample interior with a 15 x 30” print.
Sample interior with a 7 x 14” print.
“Crossties” fine art prints
A horse greeting in sparking light, as he is radiating and radiant in a field of color. The original artwork is a contemporary painting from a special memory.
To learn more and order:
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/crossties-i-iyekudo.html
-Printed are on acid free paper using archival ink.
-Available in a variety sizes, price varies with size.
-Choice of artist papers as well as canvas and metal prints.
-Choice of framing and matting with corresponding prices.
-30 day refund guarantee.
-Limited time discount available.
