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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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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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For me, there is no more beautiful creature than the horse. I could go on for days about all the facets, physically and spiritually, that makes me think they are so, but I will just mention one for now and that is their summer coat. Bays and blacks are especially shiny, with muscles gleaming deep purples and rich burgundys with black manes and tails reflecting blue and lavender sparkle.  And if you really look at the red coat of a sorrel in the sun, you will see gorgeous copper highlights here and there. And then there is dappling...I love that too...Horses are just a pleasure to behold, a true gift from God.

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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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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. 

Click here for more information.

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Paint horses, another interesting avenue to explore concerning the color of horses - providing an endless variety. To me, Paints or Pintos call to mind "the wild", and they were favorites of the Plains Indians.

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This painting was inspired by the Nokota horses, native horses of North Dakota. I had the opportunity to observe them (or descendents of them) in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, beautiful Medora, North Dakota.I was particularly struck by a roan stallion that had the thickest mane I have ever seen on a horse and it shone like silver in the sun. I knew nothing about these horses, but observed that there were many beautiful roans, both blue and red. Since then I have discovered that there is an organization that was started to preserve the breed, The Nokota Horse Conservancy. One thing for sure, if these horses survived the winters in this part of the country, they are definitely a hardy breed. Here is their website - www.nokotahorse.org.  

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Here is a big red roan (or strawberry roan) out on the prairie enjoying the sun and wind. It is painted on a 6 x 6" gallery-wrapped canvas and is part of the Heads Up! Mini-series.

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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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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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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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I really enjoy discovering the colors in a white subject. This horse is painted on a 6 x 6" canvas with 3/4" sides that are painted so that you can display it unframed...(gallery wrap canvas) or frame as you wish.

Price includes Free shipping within the U.S.

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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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First in the "Heads Up!" Mini-series, focusing on the expressive eyes, ears and head of the horse. I think I might  be exploring this one for a long time. I am really enjoying the square format for this project and may try some larger ones down the road.


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I love all the different colors of horses and love exploring how each color absorbs and reflects the light. Bays are one of my favorites because their coats contain deep cool blue-blacks as well as underlying warm earthtones of ochres and siennas. The best part is adding the reflections with notes of blues, lavenders and a pinch of pink!
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Sometimes in the painting process, your painting will tell you what to do (if you are listening). This piece started out very similar to "A Watchful Eye", horses gazing at the viewer, fairly detailed. Somewhere along the way, I was starting to finish the third horse, just layering in colors softly when I starting liking what was happening and decided not to pursue the details. The background was already a gray day so I suggested a little foggy, misty weather with some grayed colors and soft, vague edges on the third horse. I then needed to go back to the first two horses and soften things up a bit to tie it all together. Then I stopped - sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.

Perhaps after I let the painting"stew" for a few days, it will tell me that it needs something else, but for now, I considered it finished. Read More

I just have to say that I had a good time with this one. I like trying to capture the individual personality as well as the general character of horses. Although these horses are taking it easy, soaking up the sun, you can still see their alert systems at work, twitching nostrils, ears perked in different directions, and here and there, a watchful eye. 
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Horses on the run is a favorite theme of mine. They are so inspiring to watch - no matter how domesticated horses are, once they are running they are as wild and free as the wind.

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Sometimes a person (or a horse for that matter) would just like to get lost in the crowd... I swear this horse was playing hide-and-seek with me while I was trying to get his picture.
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