equine form

"A Horse Of Course" is a group show opening this Thurs Sept 12, 6-8 pm, at ArtsWestchester in White Plains (31 Mamaroneck Ave). Curated by Alan Reingold, it features "contemporary contemplations of the equine form," so I turned my hand to painting horses, or maybe it's the same horse five ways. (I know I posted the grass one recently.) Each are 15"x15" acrylic on wood. They proved difficult for me to photograph due to their color, texture and sheen, so I'll try again soon, because I liked how the 5 paintings developed and I want to share them.

When I was growing up, my family's palomino horse, Blondie, was a constant presence out back, grazing on the hill, following the goats, or nuzzling at my hand over the fence as I held out fistfuls of grass. I seldom rode but I liked watching her, the physicality of her shape against a backdrop of green or brown close-cropped grass a kind of reassurance. In winter, she stood in the snow at the edge of the barn as we flew past on our sleds. These paintings reflect those visual impressions of her inhabiting that space in nature, and, in a way, of nature inhabiting her.