Well...lots has transpired since my last post and it is my goal to be back in the saddle again! We have traveled to 2 Equine Affaires and also have been to the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo where I curated the 1st annual Equine art exhibit. All equine artists - look out for 2011's prospectus in September! I have made lots of new friends - artists and folk who stop by to enjoy my art. My life has been enriched!
This week I will be exhibiting downtown in Denver for the second year. It is the official start of the fine art show season! Woo hoo!
Powerbar
But now for more exciting things....... I am pleased to introduce some new work of mine that has a new look all its own. I have called it "He arrived as Equus". I am fascinated with indigenous culture's relationship to Horse. Many feel the horse transports human's between worlds and this series certainly feels this way to me.
This aging stallion is so unassuming in his paddock yet his life force came alive in front of the lens as he circled the arena searching for his messages.....the scents left behind by those who preceeded him.
Well, I hope you can stop by and see me and say hello!
Recently I shared a blog about the fun and excitement of photographing the horses at Melisa P's Lil Bit North Ranch with my friend Molly. I asked her to be a guest blogger and share a bit about her experiences with Scooter since she met him last fall at a retreat for women and was able to experience the magical and powerful therapeutic healing from him...she was "Touched by a Horse".
Well....it is with a deep sense of sadness and loss that Melisa and Touched by a Horse unexpectedly lost Scooter in the wee hours of Sunday morning. She told me it was love at first sight when she saw first laid eyes on Scooter, immediately purchasing him to become her world class reining partner and then future co-facilitator of their very important healing work. People travel from all over the country to experience Melisa's work.
This is the first of a trilogy of blogs that we are dedicating to Scooter, a horse who has touched the heart and influenced many of our lives.
Dear Melisa,
It sounds so flat -but I will miss Scooter so much. It is hard to think of working in the arena without him there. Scooter was my first horse-healer, my patient "horse body language" teacher, and my first catch, bridle and lead horse. He was the first real horse I ever got to love thanks to you. He will always be my horse-angel anchor, my inspiration and the foundation for all the speaking, writing and personal equine supported work I will ever do in this world. Because of Scooter and you, Melisa, I can fully engage in the realm of horse supported coaching. He helped me transmute personal pain into forgiveness in one remarkable healing session, he made me laugh when he knocked on his stall when he wanted to "work", he made me smile when he snuffled and nibbled on my hair, he amazed and delighted me when he did his chakra clearing work, and he never, ever let me drift from the present moment when I was with him. He reinforced my now ingrained pattern of grounding myself before entering his safe, wonderful bubble of energy, always responding by coming to me when I went in his stall to ask if he "wanted to go to work for Mom". I treasure all the moments you allowed me to be with him. I will never forget Scooter's kindness, his mischevious nibbling of clothing, those great yawns of release, his smiling at all those 13 year old girls, and his noises of joy at the short bursts of amazing speed I got to witness at the photo shoot with Susan. He steadied me and gave me the confidence to proceed with the Certification Program as I built upon my seemingly hopeless zero horse knowledge. Through Spirit and his picture, he gave me the name of my business which is how I will forever think of him....with Unbridled Gratitude. The only way I can honor his memory is to do the best work I can and to tell the most people I can about the miracles of human/horse healing. I feel a call to action from his passing and renewed confidence to go on with the support of his guiding spirit. I am sure he crossed over in his prime to be the great Recruiter of Healing Horses and Willing Human Participants--who better to know just what and who you need for your work? I feel he will be our spirit guide to being in just the right place at the right time always for the connections with horses and humans who will help us take this work to the world.
I'm sending you Love and Light and great Gratitude for caring for and sharing Scooter with me and so many others. His passing brings us all to a new beginning of sorts, a space to take a deep breath and go forward with a clear vision of what a necessary gift this work will be to the world.
And splendid he is! I had the good fortune to photograph this special 21 year old Thoroughbred gelding called He's Splendid last week. You would never guess he is 21 because he is in fabulous condition. Splendid is a special horse with a very large heart and a ton of compassion. He seemed to possess the collective wisdom from his species.
Splendid came all the way from CA with his human Christie. I met Christie at Melisa Pearce's Lil Bit North Ranch at a workshop a week and a half ago. She and Splendid have quite a bond that didn't go unnoticed. I was touched and delighted that Christie asked me to come back later in the week for a photo session!
A little black cloud of rain and hail followed me down the mountain and to Boulder. I thought we would be rained out but I went anyway. Christie and I talked for quite a while in the barn and soon enough the sun came out. One thing about Colorado weather is it can change in a heartbeat and the shoot went well after all!
Christie gave me free rein to choose and work on any piece I wanted to. What trust! I was a bit nervous showing Christie the portrait because she was sooo close to her horse but she was delighted and went off to show it to Splendid, who we believe approved!
Splendid and Christie left for home yesterday and should be back in CA by now. Christie decided to leave the portrait with me so I could have it mounted on aluminum for her (She sent me an email already telling me she is counting the days until it arrives!).
Everybody at Melisa's was touched by this horse.....
I have been home for two weeks now from my trip to Europe. Every year my mother takes me and my sister on a cruise around several amazing countries in Europe. This year it was Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and France. Mom lost her leg to melanoma 4 years ago so she needs my help to tour the cities. You don't see me complaining! But if you ever see somebody pushing a wheelchair at warp speed (to keep up with the guides) down the cobblestone streets of Belgium - then it may be me!
There was an amazing trip to Andalusia to visit a villa where they raise famous bulls for bullfighting and also world class horses, also for bullfighting. I learned that when a matador is standing that means he probably comes from little to no money. When the matador is mounted they have come from wealth and if there is any goring going on it is probably the poor horse that takes the hit. Think about it - the price of these animals is amazing. Well I have to admit I am not a fan of bullfighting so I missed a good part of the tour to photograph the horses. What a pitty! LOL!!
The white stallion was tied in his stall and had probably already been ridden. The manners on these animals are amazing and we were allowed to enter the stall. The owner of the villa is associated with the Spanish Riding School so all the horses are trained in classical dressage.
This amazing stallion was tied up outside in a cobblestone courtyard. He is also an Andalusian but is an uncommon bay color. What a surprise awaited us...... We continued on the tour and visited an indoor arena where they train the bulls to become more aggressive. We then went on to the indoor arena where the horses were ridden and we were treated to a demonstration of how a horse is trained and prepared for bullfighting by this fine horse and the owner of the villa!
The tour continued for a tapa lunch complete with a Flamenco dancing show followed by a tour of a sherry winery. What an amazing day! I can still feel the passion of the horses and the dancers.
I will post some mare and foal pictures soon and maybe a pic or two of the villa so you can get an idea of what this place was like. Also, if I can find my note paper I will tell you the name of the villa.
There is something about the baroque horses that has me captivated.
I was recently asked to submit four images using horses that best represented the concept of relationships. Part of the challenge for me is that the work needs to be in a portrait format and much of my work that satisfied the request is in landscape format. There is an urgency to this, leaving no time to photograph so off to my archives of images I went!
A relationship is normally viewed as a connection between two individuals and as far as I am concerned the two individuals may be two horses, two people or a person and a horse. While people are not always clear about their relationships the good news is that horses are! Because horses are herd animals and also prey animals, it is imperative that they know how they relate to one another for the sake of survival. Horses also like to have consistent relationships and leadership from their humans.
I decided on head shots for the task because I felt the closeup gave a sense of intimacy, which may or may not be part of a relationship. These two horses enjoy the company of one another immensely and seem to respect and relate well to each other. All the key ingredients of a great relationship I would say!
Be on the lookout for the next equine relationship!
Well here it is as promised - the third appaloosa piece. I like things in threes. Believe it or not I have had this image for about nine years and never worked it up! If memory serves me they are all brothers and also related to a filly I had either through her sire or her older brother. I am not sure I like the all white background but these spotty lads are pretty graphic so for now I am holding off on adding any more busyness. Who knows what tomorrow may bring!
Are you seeing spots before your eyes? Sorry -bad joke!
I always looked forward to the new spring arrivals at the farm back east. Some of the foals were highly colored like these fine fellas and others were few spot whites. My filly was black with a white star and seven white spots on her rump. Then the next thing I knew she shed out and was a blue roan with a white blanket, black spots and a new white mane and tail!
I am busily working on a line of note cards and I thought I would do 3 or 4 sets of six cards (each box will have 3 designs - 2 of each). I pulled out all my small visuals and before I knew it I was up to seven or eight sets! I have never been known to be really decisive.
I just finished a week long equine experiential learning program at Medicine Horse Program in Boulder Colorado. Their mission is to enhance the mental health and life skills of youth, adults, families, and groups through therapeutic interaction with horses.
The six day program (EFLC Level One training) was taught by Kathy Pike, founder of Coaching With Horses. She is an Epona certified instructor and also a career coach from Carbondale CO. Kathy is also a co-founder and one of the ten co-authors in my new book Horse as Teacher: The Path to Authenticity Through Horses.
All I can say is wow! The transformational power and magic of the horse to teach and heal is nothing short of amazing. One of the powerful tools I learned was how to use my senses like a horse. I left the workshop feeling as though new doors had been opened. One of my goals was to deepen my connection to horses and transfer it to my art. Lets see what happens!
I was looking through my archives of images tonight for a photograph to work on of my two colts when I passed by this one. I had to go back and revisit it. It seemed that she wanted to be noticed. Her name is Grace and she is not sure if she is a pony or a horse! A little of both perhaps! I don't know her well but I wanted to create a portrait that would give her an air of elegance just like her name. She has had a rough former life and I think with a name like Grace she deserves an ethereal setting. Amazing Grace!
Call of The Horse; To Order your copy today click on the link below!
Free equine note card with each order!
This 3 CD audio book makes a great gift for a horse lover in your life! The retail price is $19.95. Place your order now to receive your copy and your beautiful free 5" x 7" note card of Excalibu ($5.00 value)!!
Horse as Teacher: The Path to Authenticity Through Horses. To reserve your copy click on the PayPal link below
Free equine note card included with each order!
I am pleased to announce my book Horse as Teacher: The Path to Authenticity Through Horses! I am a co-author along with nine other equine visionaries in a collection of poignant stories and photographs on how the horse has led us to lead an authentic life. My chapter is named "The Horses are Calling..."
Included authors are Stormy May (The Path of the Horse DVD), Kathy Pike (author and equine facilitated learning coach), Melisa Pearce (Touched By A Horse) and others! I have read the whole book and I am just amazed at the quality of the stories, the writing, and our kinship with horses.
Click on the image above or this link to go to my website (www.windhorseone.com) to learn more!
This book makes a great gift for a horse lover in your life! The retail price is $19.95. Place your order now to receive your signed copy and your beautiful free 5" x 7" note card of one of my prints ($5.00 value)!!
You may now purchase a boxed set of 6 beautiful high-quality 5" x 7" blank artcards of three of my popular prints for only $18.00! These cards are only $3 each and currently sell in stores for $4 to $6 each so the savings is substantial.
They come packaged in a clear box with a silver metallic ribbon.
Not only are these great for any event when you need a special card but they are suitable for framing!
"In the steady gaze of the horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love and loyalty, strength and courage. It is the window that reveals to us how willing is her spirit, how generous her heart" ~Author Unknown
Whispers from a Horse's Heart Inspirational Cards
Touched by a Horse: To order a set of these amazing cards click on the link below
Whispers from a Horse's Heart
You will be delighted reading the in-depth, prophetic messages of the horses from a beautiful herd. What is so different about these card decks, other than their beautiful artwork? The inspiration and guidance that is offered on the cards will encourage you to reflect upon your dreams, desires, and challenges. I just love them!
Every day, just pick one of the 52 cards that appeals to you in that moment and read its message.You will be amazed with just how appropriate the message is to what you are feeling or dealing with. They often provide you with comfort as well as reaffirm your actions and decisions.
Beautifully boxed, these cards are $29.95 and make a great gift!
To order your set click on the secure PayPal link below:
This is the BLOG spot of windhorseOne Studios and Susan Williams, a Denver area equine fine art photographer whose unique and distinctive imagery portrays the magical and powerful essence of the horse.
I am a photographer who primarily photographs horses and also dogs. I live in the mountains of Morrison Colorado. My mantra is "Portraying the powerful and magical essence of the horse."
My pencils and paintbrushes were given up for a camera many years ago however my photography is rendered in a very painterly style. I believe this yields the best of both worlds; a photograph and a painting at the same time. It also satisfies my need to add a personalized touch to the work
After The Gathering
After The Gathering: Number XXXX
After the Gathering is a series I have been working on about the wild mustangs after they have been rounded up and removed from the freedom of their home range by the BLM.
To see more from this series please visit my website: www.windhorseone.com. Or to learn more about America's wild horses and the danger they currently face visit some of my links listed below.
To become involved in the preservation and welfare of America's wild horses please visit some of the links below.
The horses are calling and need your help.
Save The Wild Horses
Become involved! Click to email Secretary of the Interior & the BLM
windhorseOne
windhorseOne Etsy Shop
Please visit my Etsy shop where you can easily purchase some of my beautiful prints. Just clink on the link above to be redirected to Etsy, which is set up to accept secure PayPal payments!
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