Equine Art

Magic Bum by Billie Nipper

Where did all the pictures go?

Sorry, Samara................I decided to start over for the New Year. After 40 pages, the board creates a new topic whether I want it to or not. I will eventually put all those old paintings in one of the Archives.

Here's one from last year's batch that I'm re-posting here today. This is a drawing of The High Chaparal & Bob Cherry.
It is, perhaps, the finest action drawing of a TWH I've ever seen.

I just received a message from Bob Cherry about this drawing this morning:

"Smitty ... I was looking at some of the old photos that you posted here on facebook and I was surprised when I saw the drawing of The High Chaparral that was on the cover of the Voice mag in 1971. The late Charlie Terry's wife ...Florence ... bought the original pen and ink drawing at an auction somewhere and gave it to me as a gift when I retired from TWHBEA. I never met the lady (Wendy?) that drew it. She was a friend of Bruce Spencer (Voice mag) and it was his idea to put that drawing on the cover instead of the "usual photo" action shot."

It appears that the drawing may also be pencil and/or charcoal...........notice the shading, especially on the horse...

I love it when people send me digital photos, especially horsey stuff. Mirally Meadows just got back from a trip to California and took these nice shots of a interesting statue while she was out there. Thanks MM !

We had several beautiful sunny days earlier this week here in Kentucky.....the first we've had in quite a while.
I took advantage of the weather and decided to get out of the house to play with my new digital camera. I had cabin fever BAD! I decided to check out a couple of the Water Towers in my area that have paintings of horses on them. One of them was right here in Versailles and the other was in Shelbyville, Ky.



I'm sure you folks coming to the Bluegrass from the south have seen this water tower. It's right on the Bluegrass Parkway, before you get to Lexington. It says "Welcome to Versailles.....Horse Capital of the World. Funny thing is that Lexington claims the same thing! I had a hard time getting close enough to this tower to take a decent picture. It's on private property and as you can see, has barbed-wire fencing around it. I ended up pulling over on the Parkway to get this shot. It's as close as I could get. I wish I could have gotten closer, because it's a fantastic and huge painting of race horses.



Between Lexington & Louisville is the town of Shelbyville, Ky......known as the Saddlebred Capital of the World. Just off one of the exits is a water tower back on a golf course. I wasn't sure if I could get close enough to get a picture, but it was cold enough that nobody seemed to care. I drove right on up to it with no problem.





As you can see, the tower is high and has paintings of ASBs and their riders all the way around. I have no idea who the horses & riders are, but I assume they are probably champions. The riders all APPEAR to be ladies.
I am guessing at least one of them might be Mary Gaylord (?) but I have been unable to find out for sure.









I stopped at a McDonald's in Shelbyville one exit up from this one. The interior was also decorated with ASB paintings and had a large painting of a Saddlebred right in the center. By this time, I was too hungry and cold to bother to get a picture of these.

I've been in that McDonald's. Spent almost an hour looking at the neat Saddlebred stuff they had in there. Is there a Walking Horse Museum anymore? Wish they would do like the Saddlebred folks and have an auction for some of the old stuff.

Thanks for the close-ups of the Shelbyville water tower. I've driven by the Versailles tank/mural before and probably the Shelbyville one, too, as I've driven east from the airport, but I just didn't see the ASB one. (Louisville traffic makes me about as itchy as driving in NYC does, so I probably had my eyes on the road. )

Horse Statues of the Bluegrass
Part I (Woodford, Franklin & Shelby Counties)




The first stop was only a couple of miles up the road from where I live. This is a statue of famous racehorse & breeding stallion A.P. Indy, who currently stands at stud at Lane's End Farm here in Woodford County. (also Zenyatta's new home) This is a relatively new statue that stand outside the Falling Springs Recreation Center, where I go to work out & shoot a few hoops.


Traveling north out of Versailles on U.S. 60, this ornate iron gate is the entrance to the first Thoroughbred farm on your left. The name of the farm escapes me at the moment...








The above statues are rather small, but quite nice. One stands on either side of one of the entrances to the exquisite Ashford Stud, also on the left as you travel towards Frankfort.






This statue is about 5 ft. high and is in front of the Rebecca Ruth Candy store as you approach Frankfort.
Don't know the name of the horse or jockey, but it's a nice statue with good detail.






This weanling statue is on a traffic island near downtown Frankfort




This funny-looking hoss stands atop a sign in front of the Salato Wildlife Center, west of Frankfort on U.S. 60 as you travel towards Shelbyville.










One of my favorites, this statue stands on a traffic island in front of the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Shelbyville, Ky, known as the Saddlebred Capital of the World. The horse is WC Santana Lass ridden by noted local horsewoman Mary Gaylord McLean. The detail on this statue is awesome. Look at the bit, the reins, the folds in her riding habit..........this one looks so realistic, she appears to be riding right out into the traffic.

Love the details on this statue! Down to the buttons, braided reins, saddle flaps. So realistic, perfect seat!

Horse Statues of the Bluegrass
Part 2

My next outing was to downtown Lexington, which has several nice statues. Probably the most historic statue in this state is that of General John Hunt Morgan on horseback. This one's located right next to the old courthouse. This statue has been around for as long as I can remember. Interesting note: It used to be a Lexington tradition to paint the testicles of the horse red every Halloween.












My next stop was next to a bank on central Main Street. This interesting statue is a copy of the Chinese-style horse statues you may have seen elsewhere.









My last stop was at Thoroughbred Park at the corner of Main & Midland. This is probably the most visible and visited landmark in downtown Lex. The park features a stone walkway & fountain with a grassy knoll above it.
It has benches, markers for deceased well-known Thoroughbred horsemen & women and many statues of horses. The cluster of race horse statues coming down the stretch is amazing.

Awesome pictures Smitty! If it EVER warms up again, I may do some scouting around this area for horsey statues!

DURN Smit - I feel like I've been on the road with Charles Kuralt! Good Job! I see a coffee table book!
Is it just a coincidence the the WH capitol of the world and the ASB capitol of the world have the same name? It has always struck me as an odd thing!

That would be great Boss! I'm sure Virginia has many good ones, especially of a historical nature.

The clear skies and sunshine really helped me out a lot on these, although the glare was a bit of a problem. I would have preferred a "softer" light, but they turned out well regardless. I'm no professional, but I do have a knack for capturing interesting angles. I might try doing some in B&W at some point.

Unfortunately, the weather has been too cold & gray lately to get any more shots, but as soon as we get another good day, I'm going to drive up to Louisville and see what I can find up there. I know of several in that area, including the new one of "Barbaro". I will also eventually venture out to the Ky Horse Park, which is a mecca for great horse statues.

The detail in some of those statues are beyond Awesome. I saw two pastels for sale on e-bay (American Saddlebred) by Martha Huff. She had a sister Marna Haff. Wonder why the different spelling. Only reason I know is I have two pastels by Martha Huff of a fine harness mare we had, Gamblin Gal and WGC Delightful Society and I have an oil by Marna Haff of Delightful. They had a booth set up at the American Royal in Kansas City and both were there working on commissioned work. This was in 1959. You got any thought's on this Smitty?

Awesome...hard to find a favorite as they all evoke a different feeling. The race to the finish was exciting, but I so love the foals at play!!!

Great photos, smitty. It seems you are having wonderful success with your new camera. What make and model?

Scooter, it's just a fairly cheap SAMSUNG given to me as a Christmas present. I'm not particulary fond of it, but it does a decent job I guess. Can't complain since it was a gift, you know!

I'm a little spoiled on cameras. I've had some good ones over the years. I had a Canon Powershot digital camera that I was very fond of a couple years back. I didn't use it that much at the time and foolishly sold it. I really need a camera that is waterproof up to 10 feet. I do a lot of shooting around water, you see. I've always been afraid to take my camera out in the wilds, for fear of dropping it in water or on rocks, therefore I didn't use it much. I see there are some cameras out now that would fit my needs. Digital cameras have really come down in price over the last few years.

Thanks,
I've been wanting a new small digital camera. I have a digital SLR, but it's just too much camera for everyday candids. I used to be fairly serious about photography, but with grandkids, I'd love to be able to just point and click. Have you had any luck with indoor shots with this camera?

Yes, it takes good shots indoors and out, but I don't like the viewfinder. If I was looking for a good all-around point & shoot, I would recommend the Canon Powershot. Don't think you can go wrong with it, although you might find some a big cheaper. I also like SONY...........almost everything I own is Sony, except my camera and my car.

Love the photos Smitty! I agree with MM...They are all beautiful it is difficult to pick a favorite. I really love "The Race to the Finish" but I also loved the statue of Santana Lass too. Heck I liked them all!!

Gorgeous statute pictures, Smitty. Whenever I'm in Lexington, I never can seem to get over to Thoroughbred Park. Thanks for the close-up look.

Horse Statues of the Bluegrass
Part 3: Louisville

The weather was supposed to be partly sunny and warmer Thursday, but I found that didn't ring true as I traveled up to Louisville to attend a fishing show at the Fairgrounds. I took my camera, but had my doubts the conditions were good enough to shoot some more statues. I decided to give it a try, anyway and stopped on Bardstown Road to take a few shots. Since the skies were gray and the lighting was on the low side, I decided to shoot everything in black & white. This puts more emphasis on texture, shading, contrast and form in a photo, since there is no color to mislead the eye. Shooting these in black & white also seemed to capture the wintery mood of the day.

My first stop was next to a Kroger store where I spotted one of the fiberglass/plastic horse statues that was part of the Gallopalooza Festival held here last year. There are literally hundreds of these painted statues scattered around town, painted & decorated in many different ways by many Ky Artists.










My next stop was just down the road, near Cherokee Park at the John B. Castleman Monument. It honors John Breckinridge Castleman, who was a Confederate officer during the American Civil War, and later an U.S. Army officer in charge of the Louisville Legion, and fought in the Spanish-American War. Only this monument and the John Hunt Morgan Memorial in Lexington are Civil War monuments in Kentucky with equestrians. As he founded the American Saddlebred Horse Association, he is seen here in civilian clothing rather than military garb. The horse which Castleman rides on the statue was based on his beloved mare, Carolina. The statue is made of bronze, and rests on a granite pedestal. It stands 15-feet high, with a base of 12x20 feet.



















More coming tommorrow....