The Horse Paintings Of Wild Faces Gallery

This lens was created to showcase some of the horse paintings of mine that I like best.

I will talk a little about each, whether it be about the horse or the creation of the painting. Most images will have a link to my website for print and purchasing information.

Just One Of Those Horse Crazy Girls

I participate in art fairs as one of the ways I market my art. No matter how long the hours or how hot the weather, the one thing that always brings a smile to my face is watching the countless young girls flipping through my print bin looking for just the right horse picture. That one image that comes closest to their fantasy horse.

As they come over to me, clutching it like a treasure, their parent often says something like "she's completely horse crazy".

Sometimes, in the interest of maintaining a good creative energy, it's helpful to not cling too tightly to reality.Occasionally I ask her if she has a horse and depending on her reply, I say, "You're a lucky girl." or "I completely understand. It took me 30 years before I got a horse of my own." Regardless of their situation, their reaction to my statement is always the same. Shock and perhaps a little horror. Either because they have a horse and can't quite grasp what it is like to be denied such a basic need. Or they are suddenly faced with the idea that sometimes you might not get that long-dreamt-of pony. At least, not right away.

For much of my life I was unhorsed. I had to rely on friends or work at equestrian jobs to get my horse fix. I have always loved horses. And it is a good bet that they were my subject matter the first time I picked up a crayon. When I was a child, I had no interest in dolls. However, my collection of model horses was quite large.

My paintings tend to shift between a realistic look to a more expressionistic style. Slipping back and forth tends to feed my creative side.

My work is not so much about trying to recreate reality, as it is about filtering reality from an emotional and spiritual place.My passion for horses is so fundamental and deep, I have yet to completely understand where it comes from and why. They have filled my imagination and been my artistic inspiration since the beginning. I think horses are just deeply embedded in my genetic code.

My Reference Horses

I work exclusively off my own reference photos. I have spent many year and unknown amounts of money to build a equine reference library of around 15,000 images.

I draw upon personal experiences and emotions when creating. However, photos play an important role as my primary reference source. Using them can be a bit of a two-edged sword. They are extremely helpful for anatomy and lighting, but they can also distort reality, both figuratively and literally.