Sunday, August 23, 2009

Spirit of the Horse: New Equine art cards at Pine Country Feed

New Artcards!


I was busy dropping off my new artcards, Horse as Teacher book, small prints and also large editioned mounted prints today while getting my new account set up in the boutique section of our local tack and feed shop. Sometimes I have to wonder why it takes such a fire under me to get these things going!

The cards have been extremely successful at all the fine art festivals this year. What I realized on the way home was that I never created the opportunity for you to buy some beautiful cards here on my blog. They will not be available on my web site. I had to sit down and do a bunch of graphic work this evening so why not continue on and create PayPal buttons.....fun stuff for a Sat. evening. I bet you want to party with me! LOL!

There are three different sets of cards; each box contains 6 cards, 2 each of three different prints. They are 5 x 7 so they pop easily into little frames and make a great gift for the horse lover in your life! Additionally they are printed on the highest quality of paper.

To purchase your set please go to the right hand side of my blog. I hope you enjoy them!

Susan
windhorseOne Studios

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

HorseConscious and Horse as Teacher Book Unite!

By gosh I am excited! Here it is...hot off of the press from the Horseconscious website. Click on the above image if you would like to read about the union of two great horse projects! So here it is...your official invite to sign up........ You are the first to read my invite before I have even sent it to my email list.

I am delighted to announce that I am taking part in a brand new teleseminar series that is coming up at the end of September. And the really good news is that it's absolutely free for you to listen to and attend! All you'll need is a telephone or a computer and internet connection, so let me tell you all about it.

It's called the Horse as Teacher Teleseminar Series and will comprise 4 calls featuring all the authors from the first Horse As Teacher book. The series is being hosted by Mark over at HorseConscious.com, who was responsible for the highly acclaimed Path of the Horse Teleseminar Series earlier in the year.

The theme of the Series is naturally based on the book and also it's subtitle, 'The Path to Authenticity with Horses', because that's what horses can do for you when you embrace what they naturally and beautifully reveal. Although the authors come from a variety of horse backgrounds, we all agree that these magnificent animals have the power to help us peel back the layers to reveal who we truly are. They raise our consciousness, teach us authenticity and give us permission to shine once more.

As well as discussing the impact horses have had in our own lives, we will be telling you how they have inspired us to help others and the amazing results we have witnessed. The calls also give us an opportunity to really put something back by answering your questions.

If you have a question for one of us or have hit one of life's roadblocks or just want to help us spread the word about the power of horses to heal, then I invite you to join us at the end of September for what promises to be a very exciting event.

You can find out more information and submit your question by going to the following page:
http://www.horseconscious.info

Please forward this on to anybody who you feel may benefit!

Yours in the dance,
Susan
windhorseOne Studios

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Horse as Teacher Book: 4 Week Horseconscious Tele-seminar Series

I wanted to start tonight's blog by personally thanking everybody who has purchased my book and it is my hope that it touched your heart the way it has mine! Apparently, based on feedback from lots of people, it is advisable to keep a box of tissues close at hand!

There have been all sorts of amazing synchronicities occurring lately from being a contributing author. I posted a while ago how I was promoting the book to an upscale "cowgirl" boutique when Lisa Dee walked in. Well there are a couple more Lisa Dee stories but I will move on to the next. Last Thurs. I was visiting the CO Horse Rescue to donate a signed copy of the book and lo and behold who was there but Anna Twinney! Anna managed Monty Roberts ranch in CA and is an amazing horsewoman.

To make a long story short, I never had met these women before but the book seemed to bring us together. And to add to this little gem, the office manager asked Anna to sign my signed copy and she looked up at me and informed me that she wrote the exact same thing in her books as I did. SO...she only signed "and Anna" after what I wrote. Then I signed "and Susan" after what she wrote in her donated copy. How cool is that? LOVE IT!


And now for something completely different! All ten authors were contacted by Mark Mottershead from Horseconscious (www.horseconscious.com) to do a tele-seminar series. HorseConscious promotes a way of being with horses where the primary focus is on understanding and honoring the horse. He did a highly successful 4 week series on Stormy May's "Path of the Horse" DVD. There will be four dates and all you have to do is connect to the link at the appropriate time to hear the series live. I am stoked to be able to reach all those people with our messages.

The first date is Sept. 30th and co-founders Kathy Pike, Coaching With Horses, and Marilyn Schwader, Clarity of Vision, will be speaking about the project. My day is Oct. 14th! I am nervous already.... :)

Well, have a wonderful week and may the horses bring much joy into your life!

PS - I am still including a complimentary 5" x 7" note card with each signed copy of the Horse as Teacher! You can order from my blog or website!

Susan
windhorseOne Studios
www.windhorseone.com

Friday, August 14, 2009

Molly Thanks Scooter or is it Vice Versa?

Yesterday I had the great fortune to have my good friend Molly assist me while I photographed Scooter, QT, and Shadow. It was quite a surprise to find her at the barn when I arrived! Melisa asked if it would be OK if she tended to some paperwork while I photographed the horses. Not only was it OK it was great!

There seems to be a synergistic flow between Molly and me. While I only met her a short three or four months ago it feels as though she has been a friend all of my life. Without her assistance yesterday the shoot would have been challenging.....it was hot and humid and the horses all dropped their heads immediately to pick and chew on weeds. She kept their energy up and they all expressed their true spirit in many different ways.

Molly has been graced with experiencing the healing power of each of these three horses and maybe I will see if she would write a guest Blog about them. This shot was taken at the end, back at the barn where we thanked each of the horses for sharing their spirit with us.

I can't tell if Scooter is smiling or kissing Molly!

Have a super weekend!
-S

Thursday, August 13, 2009

QT, Scooter, Shadow: Melisa Pearce's "Touched By A Horse" Boys

QT
This morning was spent photographing three former champion reiners who now have new jobs in life. And yes I do take normal photographs! I once handed a client her proofs and she just stared quietly at them, finally looking up and saying softly..."These don't look anything like your work". LOL!

But back to these amazing guys, who are not old and retired but average aged that have experienced career changes in life that they embrace and love. Career changes are not just for people!

Scooter
Each one of these handsome boys have become a therapeutic healer. Melisa is a psychotherapist who uses horses extensively in her work. These are her personal show horses who no longer perform at World championships but work their magic on her clients and other folks who show up from all over the country to participate in one of many equine experiential learning workshops she offers at her Lil Bit North Ranch in Longmont CO.

Shadow
I have been very fortunate to share and sell my art at her workshops. People leave the ranch wanting to bring home a "horse" to solidify their experience so Melisa and I felt it would be more powerful and meaningful if they were able to bring home a representation of her horses whom they worked with. This is a fun and exciting project! I also photographed Kathy Pike's horses (Coaching With Horses) a couple of weeks ago for the same purpose. This is a very worthwhile project that may continue to help people with their healing process when they leave the magic of the ranch and return to their mainstream life.

I will continue to share more about this artwork as it develops.

Enriching the life of humans and horses one day at a time......

Yours in the dance,
Susan
windhorseOne Studios

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Horse and Their Person AKA Zephyr & Brad

Smile....you are on candid camera! I am not sure what Zephyr is up to here but I could tell you a little lie and say that on the command of "cheese" he gave me his best horsey smile! :)

This is a piece I created for a portrait submission and it is quite a departure from my usual work. I culled through quite a few of my photos for this little gem and with a bit of cropping, this was what I came up with. I have to admit I was quite pleased!

The piece will be judged by world class photographer (and famous) Mary Ellen Mark. She taught a class to the photojournalists at school while I was busy doing the fine art thing in a class room next door. That is not at all to say that PJs are not artists but their photography has more of a traditional look and a documentary flair. PJs are always on the hunt for that great shot and a story that nobody has ever taken before.

Sort of similar to my approach with the horses..... striving to create equine fine art photography that sets me apart from other horse photography colleagues. It is not about being in competition with them but working from my heart and instincts to create work that is unique because it comes from me.

Other things going on in my horsey world (is there any other world??? - well not for me) is that a fellow author from the Horse as Teacher book has asked to use six of my creations to make a promotional video. You may have heard of her - Stormy May. She is the producer of the Path of the Horse DVD. If you love horses and are interested in their welfare then this is a must see. She sold her ranch to travel the world and film several equine visionaries. It is not only beautiful but incredibly moving.

Time to sign off. Tomorrow is a busy day with a photo shoot and a visit to an equine rescue facility. Oops and I forgot.....dropping off a mounted print to a customer in the same neck of the woods.

Bye for Now!
Susan
windhorseOne Studios

Saturday, August 8, 2009

August

It is already well into the month of August and I can't believe how quickly this year has moved along! I haven't had much time or energy to any art work lately. I am surrounded by work that needs to ship to New Hampshire, Texas, Minnesota and locally from the shows I have been at but I took a little time to do some much needed work (for me!). This piece turned out to be a challenge and it took a bit of perseverance to get it to where I wanted it.

This is a portrait of August, a Canadian mare. I had never heard of the breed before I met Ingrid - the caretaker of my two boys. The Canadian Horse is a little known national treasure of Canada. This hardy breed descended from horses originally sent to the “New World” by King Louis XIV of France in the late 1600’s. These Norman and Breton horses were felt to be of Arab, Andalusian and Barb ancestry – traits of which can still be recognized in the Canadian Horse today.

There is quite an unusual lot at Ingrid's with this Canadian and her colt Echo plus the Peruvian Pasos and then my Friesian/colt crosses.

August is the alpha of the group and has quite a mind of her own! She is often standing near the gate gazing towards the house door or towards the forest. She is a horse who demands and commands respect.

I am glad to be home now for a while with no shows until mid-September! I have become enamored with a buckskin Friesian/paint filly in San Antonio. She is half sister to one of my boys and I can't seem to get her out of my mind..........Perhaps more on that later!

Have a super weekend!
Susan
windhorseOne Studios