I started painting horses seriously about the time I starting working with a horse trainer in Arizona. Although, I have to confess I began painting horses early in my life when I fell madly in love with them at about age two. I was one of those horse crazy girls and dreamed of nothing else.
The process of learning to ride and showing has been an incredibly challenging and often humbling experience in many ways but also thrilling. Most of the riding problems I’ve encountered had little to do with the horse but most often with myself. Horses can teach you some amazing and profound lessons in life. The paintings honor the partnership we have with the horse. They are about being grounded on this earth and present in the moment. Like horses the paintings are direct, not complicated but full of sensation. Horses have made me a better person and when I’m around them I feel whole.
I start the paintings by photographing the horse. I look for an interesting expression in the eyes or a particular look I find inspiring. I manipulate the photo on the computer, play with color, light and add a different backgrounds to the photo. I take a lot of photographs of landscapes and sky. I’ll first paint the canvas or panel in black and white in order to find that dynamic interplay of light that I find to be critical. Next, is where the real fun begins when I work with colors and the all the details. I recently started painting in acrylics which at first I didn’t like. They have allowed me to paint faster with more immediacy.