Why Do I Paint Horses?

The easy answer is that there is nothing else that equals the grace and beauty of a horse. There is a quote running around somewhere that says, "Ask me about poetry in motion and I will show you a horse." That pretty much sums it up for me. When God made the horse, He did something very special.

And when God made me, He put inside both a fascination with watching horses and with attempting to capture on canvas and paper what I see in life. A never-ending challenge, to be sure.

But sometimes, when I've been asked why I am so fascinated with horses, I sit back and try to look at things logically. What is a horse, after all, but an assembly of bone, muscle, sinew, and all the rest. Life and breath. The same ingredients go into all other living fauna. Why don't big cats fascinate me the same way? Or cows?

And when I consider things like that, I cannot give an easy answer about why I am so fascinated with horses or why they are so appealing, I paint them over and over.

But when I see horses running free across an open pasture, something stirs down inside that can't be explained. It doesn't need to be.

And when I see horses competing against each other on the track, that same intangible emotion is there. That 'thing' that makes my throat tighten up and tears come to my eyes.

And I think, "I've got to try to capture that look and that spirit" and it's off to the studio. No explanation needed. No explanation wanted.

And so I've gotten to the point at which I simply say, "I paint horses because it is one of God's purposes for me."

And that is all the answer I need.

Thank you for visiting this online journal of mine and for taking the time to listen. If you also choose to follow along on some of the ramblings that will follow, thank you in advance. It is my hope that you, too, will find some inspiration, some purpose, in the journey.