June 22nd - Something olde becomes new again

Olde English Dorset 4x5 oil

Last night I had the pleasure of showing the local 4H Light Horse Club the joy of side saddle riding. It had been 2 years since I had ridden Chloe in the side and so Saturday and Sunday I re introduced her and myself to the intricacies of this "Gentle" way of riding. Chloe handled it like the super trooper that she is while I flopped about on her back like a landed trout on a rocky shore. Not a pretty sight to say the least.

The group arrived at the pre determined time and I went through the whole spiel about what makes a good side saddle horse and showed them the basics of riding side as compared to astride. I had expected resistance and maybe even some mockery but I was pleasantly surprised by everyone. They had an open mind and were all eager and willing to learn. Even when I announced that it was time for them to try riding. A slight trepidation was seen in the beginning but this was quickly erased by eager accepting minds. Even the leader rode around on Chloe.

My daughter wanted to ride as well and insisted she show her "advanced" abilities at the trot. Remember, I am as stiff as fence post from my previous 2 days of riding prep and Anna , whom I love dearly, has never trotted in the side saddle. So being the protective parent that I am I jog along side Chloe , who thank the lord lives to western jog with beginners, while I try to teach, talk and jog at the same time. Multi tasking while using physical acivity and coherent language abilities is not a simple as it sounds.

Folks, I spend the majority of my day in the studio. The only time I move faster than a walk is if a house is on fire, and now when my diva of a daughter wants to show off in front of the rest of the horse club. I survived and sent a multitude of "Thank you lords" upwards to the heavens and then prayed that the same good Lord would drop a boulder on me when another young member of the club decided he would not be out done by Anna.

Dueling riders and only me to lead them on their quest to victory. What was I thinking????I believe the fates are evil.

Long story short, I survived and I am taking enough Tylenol to boost shareholders profits for the next quarter! All joking aside (get it??) I really enjoyed myself and working with this small group of open minded folks. Even if they never pursue riding side I hope they brought away an appreciation for an old almost forgotten way of riding.

So what does this have to do with art?After my rather long segway, it has a lot to do with it. I am lucky enough to have a Veterinarian book that my Great Great Grandfather owned and in it shows a plethora of etchings of almost every type of agricultural animal. The thing I love about this book is that the renderings are artistic and completely inaccurate from a conformational perspective. I am a huge fan of this style of work which I call Olde English because that is the time frame I think of when I see it. No doubt someone will correct me and let me know the proper phrase but the point is I like this style of art.

To days daily is based on an etching in this book. I appreciate the artists attempt to render this Dorset ewe for future generations to enjoy. Being a portrait artist who deals almost exclusively in animal work I know the difficulty in capturing the essence of the animal and as a younger artist I dismissed this style as "wrong" because of its imperfections. Detailed folks are like that. Now I see the beauty in it and now I want to re create this style. My mind is playing around with the idea of incorporating that style with to days subjects and much like the 4H'ers last night wondering how to take something useful from something olde and applying it to my present infatuation.

SO needless to say, you will in the future see more of this idea represented in my art. I am already scheming how to paint my buddy Chloe in this "Olde" style. I only wish I could grow more arms and clone myself I have so many ideas bubbling up. What do you think? Does the world need more mes?? LOL