My Beloved Horse

When I was a little girl, thoughts of horses filled my every waking moment. I dreamed and schemed of the horse I would own and how I would actually keep said horse in my suburban back yard. The reality; I was one of six children whose hard working single mom struggled to cover the basic costs of keeping us all fed and clothed. Actually owning a horse was most certainly a dream, but that didn’t stop me from happily imagining my world with a horse beside me.

I carried that dream all through my childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood. I volunteered at various stables just to be near horses, to touch and smell them, revel in that equine presence. Until I turned 40, decided "its now or never", and purchased my first horse! Equine number one was a huge, black retired dressage horse I named Gulliver. Gulliver had done it all, he was tired, but seemed sound and safe. Unfortunately he went lame (crippled) within six months due to the years of wear and tear on his tendons…so old Gulliver was given to a boys camp where I hope he is happily spending his retirement getting lots of love and hugs.

For a few weeks I thought my lifelong dream had ended with Gulliver’s departure, but then came Little Bit. An old cowboy friend of mine had "just the horse" for me. He was a bit on the ugly side my friend told me, a little fat, but a kind and sweet horse. When I met Little Bit he had no mane or tail! I mean, there were a few stray hairs, but that was about it. The poor lad had a bad allergy problem and had rubbed out all of his fur from nose to tail. He was in fact a bit unattractive, but his price was great and I brought him home.


Ten years and a few states later, my sweet Little Bit is still with me! I was able to cure his allergy and he now has a beautiful, long, wavy mane and tail. We have come so far together Little Bit and I, learning slowly how to ride and care for my dream horse, trailoring him across the country when I moved from Texas, and figuring out how to budget the cost of owning a horse through some very tight times.

Today there is not one moment of time spent with my horse that I don’t relish like the very finest wine. I drink in every heavenly smell, every warm hug, every moment that he knickers a welcome. We have galloped down country roads together, across snow cover fields with the Winter sun glistening off the ice, and spent many hours just being together in the barn. I have a long ways to go to become an accomplished equestrian, my skills come slowly without formal training, but having waited 35 years for this dream equine, I can wait a lifetime for that time when Little Bit and I are a perfectly synchronized team communicating on a higher level as we canter down life’s road together.

I often am at a loss for words when I try to describe time with my beloved horse. So a few years ago I began a series of graphically altered images that represent how I felt about a particular ride with Little Bit. Some of the above images represent those times with my equine pal. Below are links to last summer's series of "Where in the world is Little Bit?" My readers wrote their interpretations of my ride and were rewarded with free art prints and links.


"Where in the World is Little Bit?"

Where in the World? July 2009
Where in the World? August 2009
Where in the World? October 2009

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More images of my beloved horse:


My sweet horse "Little Bit" in the fall (above)


Above, my riding buddy and I out on the trail, (Little Bit was trying HARD to steal some corn!)


My horse and I in the fall (above)

Enjoy!!

Ivan The Feral Cat

Ivan is a beautiful jet black feral (wild) cat who lives behind a shed at our town dump. Its my job to bring him food, fresh water, and a loving glance into his beautiful eyes every day. Ivan has lived at the dump for over seven years now, here is his story:

On Christmas day in 2008 I lost a friend to pancreatic cancer, she was only 55 years old. Leslie Smallridge was an incredible woman who was an avid animal lover with a kind and a gentle heart. For seven years my friend (daily) cared for our group of local dump kitties. I was able to fill in for her on many occasions, once for about two months after which I got to actually stroke the soft little head of one feral kitty. All the cats at our dump were black or black and white. Their numbers ranged from four some years to just one. All of them have been trapped, neutered or spayed, and have had their basic shots. We live in New England which has some severe winters with lots of snow and cold. Because of Leslie's love for these feral cats, they have lived relatively well in a snug little igloo house packed well with hay and always fresh (thawed) water and food.

Now I am the main caregiver for the ferals and there seems to be just one beautiful black cat left, I’ve named him Ivan. There are many days of bitter ice and cold, when I need chip through Ivan’s frozen water to make room for fresh but I never miss a day because I know I will be greeted by those soft pale green eyes that become more trusting every week. Leslie worked closely with a local charity known as Berkshire Animal Dreams, together they made a huge impact on the quality of life for many stray and abandoned kitties.

After Leslie's passing, I looked into my heart to find the best way I could offer my condolences....I decided that helping Animal Dreams would be my way of remembering Leslie. As an artist and Co-leader of the group Art for Critters, I now contribute a large portion of my art sales to Berkshire Animal Dreams. I also brought Berkshire Animal Dreams into our Art for Critters list of charities so that all thirty five of our members donate to this charity. Leslie, if you are looking down on us...thank you for all you have done and I promise to continue to care for Ivan the "Feral Cat" forever.

If you would like to help Ivan, you can use the "Donate" button below or consider making a small donation to Berkshire Animal Dreams

Bunny Book Cover Illustration- Step By Step

The new children's book I am working on is called "Duncan's Magical Garden" written by Julia Wilkinson. The story is about a beautiful black bunny named Duncan who finds he has magical powers. Duncan discovers he can transform his environment in to a magical garden beyond any bunny's wildest dreams! There are broccoli trees, carrots that tower over his bunny head and every yummy greenery a rabbit could ever want. Of course, Duncan does run into some troubles along the way...but you will have to wait for the book to find out just what sort of mischief Duncan finds himself in!

Tonight I finished illustrating Duncan in his garden; the enormous broccoli and carrots are still only inked in. These will begin to take shape as I apply watercolor and layers of colored pencil.

Below is the initial sketch for Duncan's Magical Garden cover, giving you some of the step by step procedure in developing the painting. Also below is a close up of the delicious items Duncan had found in his Magical Garden.






Inside the book, many illustrations will have ornate borders like the one I've painted here. In this illustration the bunny (Duncan) and the ornate Ivy frame are two separate paintings that I have graphically combined. This graphics technique will give me the flexibility of interchanging images and frames.



Earlier in the illustration process I created a small painting (below right) with Duncan as the subject in order to practice capturing his beautiful ebony coat.



I've also included another portrait of Duncan and one of his bunny family (below left). In this piece I experimented with a different surface, one I was not ultimately pleased with. I find it very helpful to try a few supports (paper/board) and techniques before I launch into the actual book illustrations.



Duncan is a member of a bunny family Julia calls the "Fabbitz", (as in the Fab-Five-Rabbits) Cute, right? You can find out more about the Fabbitz here, and below are the Fabbitz, seen in my Triptich painting of their "Big Birthday Bash"!



All of the finished pieces are available as prints from my Etsy and Art Fire stores.

Enjoy!!