artworks for sale

I'm very excited to announce that I'll be making my way into the 21st century and getting my very own Paypal account. Which means that my artworks and limited addition prints will soon be available from this very site. There's still nothing quite like an exhibition in the flesh, but I have a whole stable of imaginary horses looking for a home and I feel a little bad for keeping them locked up so long. We all know how horses HATE to be locked up (sound of repeated hoof banging on stable door). I will offer a few at a time, but enquiries are always welcome about any of the work on this site as originals or limited edition prints.
It's also well past time for my next breed in the Australian Horse series. Stay posted!

Arabian Mare - to good home only!

google art - the unicorn in captivity

The Google Art Project brings together a number of very fine museums to showcase some of their paintings in beautiful close-up reproductions.
I thought I'd link to this unicorn - given the horsey nature of this blog - not that the traditional unicorn was all that horsey - having more in common with a goat (not to mention a lion's tail).
To marvel at the amazing vegetation and the elegance of the unicorn - just zooooom in ...
http://www.googleartproject.com/museums/met/the-unicorn-in-captivity-94001
For my thoughts on the symbolism of unicorns in general: http://opheliakeys.blogspot.com.au/2009/01/inspiration-unicorn.html

Dressage Junkie: Erik Herbermann Clinic August 2008

A great post describing an Erik Herbermann clinic. He wrote a really wonderful book called Dressage Formula - highly recommend it:

Dressage Junkie: Erik Herbermann Clinic August 2008

stuff riders say

This is an ad by SmartPak, but it did make me laugh out loud. Or maybe snort is a better word. As you can see - there is not much art being produced right now. Soon, I promise...

horses bring us down to earth

They say that princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom. Ben Jonson

Prince Harry

children and those sad sad horse stories

I put up a post on my other site and realised it was maybe more appropriate for this one:
http://opheliasfiction.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/children-and-those-sad-sad-horse-stories/

cafe exhibit

Have taken some horses out for a breath of fresh air. They're hanging at Piccolo Meccanico, Diamond Creek. I think they're much happier there. Only one of them was out at home (the chestnut). And I think it was lucky I took him off our wall when I did - the nail had been steadily working free and would no doubt have fallen in the early hours and woken the baby. Nothing like a horse falling off the wall to wake a baby...

cat drawing

My little one is sleeping next to me, so I grabbed the opportunity for a drawing. Just need to keep the Blue Lake watercolour paper within arms reach at all times!

new drawings

I've been enjoying watching the Melbourne Cup, but haven't quite got around to doing any racehorse sketches. Here are some non race related ones from today. Click to see them closer. The second one is on lovely hand-pressed watercolour paper.

Australian Horses Series no. 2: Brumby

The brumby is Australia’s wild (or, more properly, feral) horse. Brumbies exist throughout the Australian mainland, from the harsh terrain of the outback to the magnificent high country of south eastern Australia. They have any number of influences from thoroughbred, stockhorse and Arabian to Percheron and Clydestale – depending on which horses have either escaped or been deliberately released into the wild in their area. We met a brumby undergoing retraining with natural horseman Eric Godward. It was the most alert and watchful horse I have ever seen. No wonder – it had a clean bullet hole straight through one ear!

I have wonderful memories of reading The Silver Brumby, by Elyne Mitchell, first published in the 1950s. The Man From Snowy River (based on the Banjo Patterson poem) was a favourite childhood film, not so much for the storyline, but for the beautiful shots of horses and riders moving through the high country. The involvement of the Lovick family in the horse sequences added an authenticity to the depiction of the high country and ensured some incredible riding scenes. I always got a bit of a tear in my eye when all the riders pull up after the brumbies plunge down a steep slope, and well … you’ll just have to watch it. It still remains absolutely spectacular and I’ve included a link below – including the descent of the slope and some lovely shots of horses moving through snow. The Lovicks selected some great riders as extras and it shows.

The high country is a stunning area extending from Victoria to New South Wales. I’ve had the pleasure of riding there with Watsons trail rides, but the Lovicks also offer Man From Snowy River themed rides. If you ever have the chance I urge you to explore this area on horseback – absolutely magical.

Of course, the real experience of the brumbies is somewhat less romantic than novel and film would suggest (though Mitchell’s horses are constantly on the run from humankind). Debate ranges over protection of the Alpine regions and whether culling is required to control brumby numbers in the high country and elsewhere. There have been some disastrous helicopter culls, resulting in the slow deaths of individual horses. There have also been attempts to train and rehome some horses. Like the American Mustang, the brumby has a difficult future ahead of it.

Some of the most beautiful footage of the Australian high country in The Man From Snowy River, not to mention a legendary cinematic moment – the alarming descent (from around 3:50 if you’re impatient, and lovely snow shots at 5:40): http://youtu.be/2oMnGRec-nA

Some organizations attempting to help the brumby:

http://www.australianbrumbyalliance.org.au/

http://www.victorianbrumbyassociation.org/welcome