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This painting was inspired by a trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park this past summer, one of many visits I have taken over the years to observe, enjoy and be inspired by not only the beauty of the North Dakota badlands, but mainly the wild horses that call TRNP their home. Like many visitors to the Park, I love watching the horses interact within their tight family bands as well as watching the awe-inspiring and often confrontational actions between opposing stallions or bachelor stallions vying for mares. I feel very fortunate to have witnessed these beautiful creatures in their natural domain, something I read about and dreamed about as a young girl.

 

On this particular day, two bands were grazing in the same area. One band kept moving slowly closer to the other - whether this was the band stallion's idea to possibly steal a mare or two from the other band, I can only surmise, but the other band stallion was not having it! He charged towards the other band and they immediately turned and ran in the opposite direction! These two in the painting were on the run with the other members of their family as fast as they could run. After he got his point across, the angry stallion backed off, snorted, shook his thick mane, then turned back to his family to continue protecting them. What an amazing thing to witness!

 

 

 

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My art has always been inspired by the beauty, personality and spirit of horses, first as a very young girl reading, drawing and dreaming of them and then as a teenager finally owning, caring for and riding them. Now, I also have had a special place carved out in my heart for the wild horses that reside in the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, one my favorite places to visit. I started out photographing the horses for reference material, and eventually got to following some of the photographers and organizations that have been involved with the wild ones for many years and know their history better than I do. Through them and my personal observations I have also come to know these horses, in a sense, and have been fortunate to have seen firsthand how they interact with each other within their family groups and between opposing bands. Its better than a TV soap opera, following their dramatic stories of being born, growing up, switching bands, having babies, fighting, and finally dying, all as Nature intended, good, bad and otherwise. So there have been several of the most popular horses that have sadly passed on in the last year or so, the most recent one being band stallion, Cocoa portrayed here, who made his final stand at the age of 18, protecting his family to the inevitable end. It's not as if you have lost one of your own horses, but its still sad and a bit shocking to know they are gone. He was a strong, proud stallion for many years holding a lovely band of mares so his strength of spirit and legacy will live on for many years to come. I am grateful that I have such wealth of inspiration in these horses.

 

Visit North Dakota Badlands Horse website or on FaceBook to follow their stories.

 

 

 

 

 

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I was hunting for the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park one day in early May, a couple years ago. I saw turkeys, buffalo, but no horses. Although I was enjoying the scenery of the beautiful badlands of North Dakota, I was disappointed with my luck of the day. I meandered slowly not wanting to leave, but the day was growing short and I needed to get back home. The sun was low in the sky and the shadows were getting longer. As I approached the gate leading out of the park, I was thrilled to finally see a band of about a dozen horses with a couple brand new colts in tow! I hopped out of my vehicle, camera ready and here they came crossing the road to get to a creek on the other side for a drink. My luck was getting better as the sun began to cast long violet shadows, beautiful shades of lavender, mauves and blues. The band stallion was pushing the mares with authority and I found a tree to stand behind as he came closer. He looked me right in the eye, making sure I was no threat and letting me know that he could be! As the horses settled down to drink from the creek, he finally relaxed and began grazing, with the warm light on his back, shining like the sun, with those beautiful shadows in the background. One can never recreate nature in its glory, but we artists are certainly inspired to give it a try!

 

 

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​I never get tired of watching horses, especially in a natural group setting. This painting recalls a beautiful summer day when a friend of mine took me to see her horses. They were like a wild band with mares and foals and yearlings, in a lush pasture at the base of the picturesque hills. Besides several blue roans, there were paints, a buckskin, various sorrels and a black - all gorgeous, of course - a horse lover's paradise. This particular mare seemed to be in charge, leading them all onto greener grass. Her colt seemed to have inherited her personality as he was confident and not a bit shy like the other younger ones. I love to observe horses in groups such as this - an opportunity to study the dynamics and behavior patterns - very interesting! 

 

Currently available unframed. Please contact Trish for other framing options.

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When I approach a group of horses that don't know me, I notice certain personality traits in the individuals. They are all naturally curious, and express different degrees of that; some boldly venturing closer with ears, eyes and nostrils analyzing me, while others cautiously hang back to see what happens, although still interested. After a time, they become bored with me and most go back to grazing or snoozing. There might be one, though, that is still keeping an eye on me, staying on alert for any hint of a threat. Do the others instinctively know this and therefore can relax? Has this wary one been assigned the duty of guardian? Or has this horse has less than positive experiences with humans before? I just like to think that horses have very different personalities, much like humans, with their strengths and weaknesses and maybe this horse has a strong sense of protectiveness, keeping a watch over his herd mates, employing a deeply ancient survival tool. 

 

 

 

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Watching horses in a corral as they jostle for seniority rights to the water or food is a study of their unspoken language of body signals. Ears pin back, nostrils flare, tails switch warnings as the dominant ones push the more submissive ones to the back to wait their turn. As they respectfully accept their positions, a moment of uneasy calm ensues, until the leaders finish up and the jostling begins again. These are traits of the herd mentality that runs deep in their equine veins as a means of survival, as in a wild band, respecting the stallion or alpha mare to lead them to safety, food or water.

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"Here Comes Trouble", original pastel is included in the American Academy of Equine Art Spring Invitational. This is a unique show in that is exhibited in the historic Spindletop Hall, a 45,000 square foot mansion in Lexington, Kentucky. If you happen to be in he vicinity for the Kentucky Derby or otherwise, and love horses, this is an show you should see. It opens April 17, 2015 through the end of May. Read More

This is an original oil painting of a young blue roan. I love to see a horse's mane blowing in the wind - it's beautiful and evokes a feeling of freedom to me. It's much the same feeling as when riding a horse -  racing with abandon,  the wind in your face - exhilarating! Admittedly, something I have not done for awhile, but...you never forget the feeling!
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A horse that is used to "pick up" cowboys at the rodeo is very well mannered and knows his job inside out. He has to remain calm in exciting circumstances as he and his rider get in the middle of wild broncs to insure the safety of the bronc rider. I never tire of watching a pick-up horse and rider do their job at rodeos as there is always great action to watch. I find it very inspiring as far as artwork goes. Here is a calm moment before the storm as the wise cow pony checks out his surroundings and waits for a cue. 

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I haven't painted a white horse in a while and this particular horse inspired me with his confident stride and the way he held his head. He was very well-built and seemed to be in the prime of life, in possession of a great proud spirit. My favorite part of painting this was exploring colors in the shadows of the horse. White subjects are so much more than white!

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I haven't spent a lot of time around draft horses but when the Budweiser Clydesdales came to town a few years ago, I was enamored enough to have my picture taken with them and wandered around their stables checking them out. Big horses seem regal and elegant to me. They seem to know the power of their size and yet are very careful with it, staying calm and mellow. This painting of course is not one of the beautiful bay colored Clydesdales but still as regal and willing to do whatever is asked of him. How different the history of mankind would be without the cooperation and "horsepower" of the draft horse! 

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Nature is amazing. A few hours after a foal is born he is pretty wobbly trying out his adult-size stick legs but just a day or two later he can gallop and keep up with the band. This one in the painting is a couple of months old so he is doing quite well, even staying ahead of his mother. 

I liked this grouping of colors with the buckskin, the blue roan mare and her smokey-looking foal. I decided to forego details in order to focus on the movement of the horses. I could watch horses running all day long!

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This was from a little band of domestic horses that were friendly but also wary as they had been in the hills all summer and none of them were broke. I really enjoy trying to capture different aspects of the horse's personality - each horse has it's own unique characteristics, so much like people. Some are outgoing and greet you right away while others hang back a little more careful. This one seemed to be saying "I'll stay back here until I figure you out!"

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If you watch horses in a group long enough you will see that they have definite preferences as to who they hang out with, who they tolerate and who they don't want too close to them. Hmm... sounds a bit like humans, right? This painting is heading to Cody, Wyoming with me for a show at the historic Irma Hotel next week, September 20- 23, 2012. Stop by the Phonograph Jones room if you are in town. It's also the week of the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Rendevous Royale - lots of art happenings next week in Cody!

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I have read that the Icelandic Horse has a long history and could be the purest breed in the world, started by the Vikings. All I know for sure is that they are a lot of fun to paint with their abundant manes and forelocks and that they come in any color!

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Because it absorbs light, I find black can be a bit of a tricky color to portray when it comes to painting, but I  still find color in the light areas - various warm grays (and shadows - deep blues & purples.) I had not painted a black horse in this series yet and I do love black horses so I had to give it a go! 

Price includes shipping. This is painted on a gallery-wrap canvas, painted on all 4 sides so you can hang as it is or frame as you wish. 

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I love watching the pickup men at a rodeo - those guys have a lot of work to do and in a timely manner if the rodeo is to go on. They see alot of action! I also like to wonder what the horses think of each other - the wise, well-behaved one doing his job and the wild rebel he is chasing down.

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There is an endless variation of color when comes to horses, which gives me a lot to work with. I enjoy the challenges of all of them, whether they are paints, sorrels, bays, palominos, buckskin, greys or whatever. I liked the calm and sweet look of this horse, like anyone could climb on board - which may or may not be true! I also like the touch of red provided by the halter.

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What is this horse thinking? I just wonder what animals think of us humans sometimes, the way they look at you, kinda sideways, like "are for real?" I always enjoy exploring the colors of white in a painting and this time I contrasted the cool blues with a warm background, great fun.

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I was going to call this "Blondes Have More Fun" but this horse looked a little too noble and wise for that! I have not painted too many Palominos up to now, maybe because I had never really known any before. However, I have met one now and he is a bit of a character, (what do you expect with a name like "SpongeBob" )? and I do love exploring the colors of horses. This is #13 of the Heads Up! Series.

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The wide open spaces of the prairie can be quite beautiful and peaceful - maybe a bit lonesome at times. Here this young horse seems content to munch alongside a couple of visiting birds.

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I think that one reason many people love horses is their ability to express freedom. Even the most domesticated horse will take an opportunity to shake it's head, snort, rear, prance and take off galloping and bucking as if were a wild mustang free to run on the wide open plains. I "pushed" the colors in this painting because I felt that it helped to express that fire and life in a wild horse. We all need to kick up our heels once in a while!

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I have 3 "little" sisters, even though we are all "50-something" now. This painting was inspired by my younger sibling, Rita because even though she never barrel raced, she was very athletic and had a lot of spunk - and still does. I also named it "Little Sisters" because this horse and rider are very much a team, they learn and grow from each other, much like sisters. We did have a buckskin when we were kids, but he was a gelding aptly named Joker...I'm pretty sure he would not have made a good barrel horse!

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Horses are so cool. Whether it's English or Western, rodeo or dressage, they allow us humans to climb on their backs and boss them around.

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This young horse is sticking with the more experienced horses as the herd moves, using his ears and eyes, learning as he goes.

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Horses communicate with a flick of an ear or the switch of a tail. They seem constantly on the alert as to what their equine companions are up to. Perhaps it is the survival instinct, waiting for the herd to move to water or flee if necessary. These two seem content for the moment to bask in the sun.

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Horses put up with a lot from their humans. This pretty little sorrel seems to be saying, "Come on, Boss, what are we waiting for?"
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Here is a young horse, curious and a little shy. Painted on a 6 x 6" canvas with a 3/4" edge painted all 4 side so that you can display it unframed - or frame if you wish. Free shipping within U.S.

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This horse is giving a warning sign by laying his ears back a bit. If he was really irritated the ears would be flat against his head, then you better watch out! I used a palette knife in the background for the sketchy, abstract effect.

Painted on 6 x 6" gallery-wrapped canvas, painted on the 4 sides so that you can hang as is, or frame if you choose to.

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Ever curious, this horse was investigating something on the ground when I interrupted him. Painted on 6 x 6" gallery-wrap canvas, painted on the sides so you can hang it as is, unframed or choose to frame as you wish.  

Free shipping within the U.S.
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