Current Project
Being able to call myself an international artist feels like a dream come true. I currently have one painting in England, but I’m about to add two more paintings to my international repertoire. This past spring, Sonja reached out wanting me to do portraits of her two horses, Staccato and Tierra. Sonja is originally from Serbia, and the two portraits will be hung on the wall of her apartment in Serbia for when she travels back home. Both of these horses have a special place in my heart, and I have known them for a couple of years. Staccato was the first horse I rode after losing my mare, Forte. So we share a very special bond, and I am so happy I get to honor her in a portrait.
Although I have an established relationship with these two horses, I took advantage of the opportunity to try out a process that had been on my mind recently. I would like to regularly offer this when people commission me to do a portrait of their horses. I spent time with each horse, telling them about the project and getting to know them better. It is very important to me that I have an understanding of the horses I paint. I believe you can feel their presence in the painting if I do my job well. I want the horses to know that I am working for them, to capture their spirit in a piece of artwork. I ask them to send me inspiration and guidance on how they want to be portrayed.
I have found that each horse has a unique interest in their portrait. Staccato is very happy to have her portrait done; she almost expects it, as if to say, “ well, duh, why wouldn’t someone create my portrait?”. She is a very well-bred, athletic, beautiful mare. She has a refined eloquence about her. Tierra, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care as much. She has more important things to focus on, like lunch. She is still a beautiful horse, but she is more rustic than Staccato. It will be interesting to see how the final paintings reflect each horse and if these feelings come through. So far, Staccato’s portrait seems to just flow. In fact, it has surprised me how easily she has appeared on the canvas. Tierra, on the other hand, has felt stickier, like the inspiration hasn’t found me yet. I’m sure it will in time, but the contrast of the two has been very interesting to me.