A Canter Cures All Ills, part two

K suggested I post a pic of me riding Obi.. Here we are---from left, me, Obi, and K and Tim.

We had SUCH a great ride this day. It was a balmy, not-too-hot July day. PERFECT.


"I hear in my heart,

I hear in its ominous pulses,

All day, on the road, the hoofs of invisible horses."

---Louise Imogen Guiney, from "Wild Ride"

Merry Christmas...

...and Happy Holidays to the friends and supporters of Sound the Bugle Studio. I am looking forward to a busy and fun 2006.

Thanks to all who made this a great year for the studio.

Enjoy this snowy view from the studio entrance. This picture was taken just after the season's first major storm ripped through the Quiet Corner and dumped about eight (or more) inches of snow on us...
The snow was piled so high in front of the studio door I could barely get it open to take this shot.

The sun peeked through the clouds and presented me with this lovely moment....The calm after the storm...

Enjoy your day, everyone! Onward to a happy and healthy New Year...

Best Wishes,
Helen

Hollister

Here's Hollister, known as "Holly" to his proud owners. Holly always has a smile for his friends!

His portrait illustration is rendered in ink and watercolor.

Smudge

Here's my watercolor/ink portrait illustration of Smudge. He's a playful and curious little fella...

He lives with his canine pal, Hollister, in Newington, CT.

Happy Winter Solstice

The Holidays are fast approaching... And winter is officially here!

I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Fabulous Winter Solstice...

Keep warm...be well...be joyful...



Signs that Old Man Winter has arrived:

1. The deer are eating my evergreen bushes.
2. The furnace turns on every 10 or so minutes.
3. I faint at the sight of the oil bill.
4. I am in bed by 7pm.

BUT --I did finish the ink outline of Copar's portrait last night. The color studies are next--he is a bright, beautiful red chestnut color, so this will be fun! He has a very expressive face, too.

I included a picture of him in today's entry so you can see what I mean. Isn't he handsome? I got to meet him at this year's Ride for the Cure, and as you can see, we hit it off.

For more info on the Quiet Corner's Ride for the Cure, go here: www.quietcornersride.com

Congrats to the Platinum team of Rebecca and Copar!

The "Too Cute" Daquiri

(please refer to the "Daquiri Alpha Mare" entry from November so you can fully understand the story of the Daquiri painting)

This is Daquiri--looking a little too cute.

I must agree. After I met her, my new painting was tinged with fear and awe.

Daquiri is NOT cute, as this first painting suggests.

She is awe inspiring and demands respect. I know that now. Boy, do I know that.

I love ya, Daquiri!

Oh, those Alpha Mares...

Yesterday, I went along with my buddy to her jumping lesson. My buddy, K, is a brave, considerate and lovely rider--YES SHE IS--so I enjoy watching her progress.

So I helped her get her mount from his turnout. Her mount shares his turnout with a SCARY ALPHA MARE, and she was herding K's horse away from us. Isn't that nice of her to move her "herd" away from the predator?
So, K and I don't know this horse. Is this mare just a little pushy--or is she a charge/trample kinda mare?

We don't know. We approach with caution, looking for an easy getaway. There is no easy getaway.

As I clip the lead on her mount, the mare comes up behind us and starts getting K's mount riled. We are in a small narrow space--surrounded by electric fence. K and I have BOTH had scary experiences with electric fence. I still have a scar from my battle with it....

My heart is pounding in my chest as I say a little prayer, "please don't let me die" as the Alpha Mare snorts and tries to block me from getting her "herd." She is just a little bossy, and finally just lets us take her "herd" away to his riding lesson.

Phew.

We find out later from K's instructor that Bossy is just, well, "bossy" and won't do anything except be "bossy." She pushes everyone around. Sigh. Oh, those Alpha Mares.

I love those Alpha Mares. They are just...awesome.

The above photo is K having a blast at a lesson! She's getting quite good, and I fear for her future competition. *wink*

And now..Poetry!

Horses are poetry in motion, and my friend Katie has written a poem for all of us Sound the Bugle Studio bloggers!
Katie is 16, and is an avid writer and a talented equestrian--she's riding the fabulous Noble in the above picture.
She recently finished up her polo lessons at UConn, and I can attest that she is fearless and has a velcro seat! (When the polo mallets are flying and the horses get all wound up--Katie stays ON.)

I told her she had better go to a college with a riding program or she's in BIG TROUBLE. *grin*

So here's a taste of an up and coming talent in the poetry world:


Boundless

all the colors blend

the sun sets patiently behind the clouds

my heart is left with the sound of thunder

I fall asleep with their soft scent

nestled in my memory



all the colors blend

the sun rises vengefully into the night sky

my skin knows how they feel

I wake to their soft breaths against my cold cheeks

staring into the eyes that will always bring me comfort



all the colors blend

with the pallet of the desert air

I'm where I belong

I'll ride through every night with my confidants

the boundless horses of dreams


--Katie Duncan, 2005

Sound the Bugle, aka "Rooster"

Here's my studio's inspiration again... It's the wonderful and happy Sound the Bugle, aka, "Rooster," "Roo," and "Goofball" in his turnout.

This is one of my favorite pics of him because he is walking towards me with that special "happy to see ya" look on his face.
Sadly, Roo left us about three months after this picture was taken. He departed for his Horse Kingdom in the sky in 2003, and I still miss him.

Look at the face--- is that the picture of horsey happiness or what?

Truc

This is the mighty Truc, the 21 year old polo horse featured in Michael Palin's incredible travel series, "Himalaya."
He is rendered in ink and watercolor on cold press Canson watercolor paper.

The original lives in London with Mr. Palin.

Note: As I respect photographer's copyrights, no photo was traced, projected or copied to create this painting. I studied Truc's color, personality and facial expression from watching Michael Palin's travel program, "Himalaya." What you see here is an original pose/rendition/artistic interpretation of Truc.

Trail Riding

I have been on some amazing trail rides...Oh, how I love trail rides.

I must give many thanks to the great people (Jan, Pam) who give this horseless horse nut a chance to ride through the woods and open fields of the "Quiet Corner."

On Misty, (pictured above) I rode through deep woods and jumped a log or two. I'll never forget the moonlit ride on the rail trail--the full moon was reflected off of the marsh and it was so peaceful and magical. There were some exciting moments too, especially when Misty decided to channel Seabiscuit. YEE-haw! Misty is a sweet, reliable trail mount (who likes to be in the lead) and I enjoyed riding her very much.

My current trail steed is a wonderful Tennessee Walker named Obi. This horse is amazing. Smooth as butter, completely trustworthy and cute as a button. We've had some fun rides. On one memorable ride, we came upon an abandoned house--in the middle of the woods. Spooky! It was GREAT! It was so, "Blair Witch."

So remember this the next time you are feeling down:

"A canter will cure all ills."

I believe it. Happy trails!

Zeke

Zeke's portrait is done, and ready for framing. Rendered in charcoal on acid free Canson.

Image and Noble

I love working in charcoal. I love expression of the line, and the sharp contrast against brilliant white paper, and the smudging! I love smudging...Oh my! I think I have charcoal embedded permanently in my fingers.
When I first started working with charcoal as a kid, I aimed for a tight, photorealistic effect. Now, I prefer a looser, more expressionistic style when I work with it. Charcoal enjoys being liberated and given a chance to show its magic with lines...

These two horse portraits were done two years apart. The white horse, Noble, shows my fondness of the wispy expressive line, and the dark horse, Image, shows my LOVE of smudging to achieve mid- tones and depth.

have I mentioned I love smudging? And wispy lines?

Compare and contrast the following works. There will be a test later. *wink*

Image is the 2003 Quiet Corner's Ride for the Cure Platinum Horse, owned by Jane Rizzitano. Jane was the Platinum Rider of 2003 as she raised the most money for breast cancer research for the ride. Way to go, Jane!

Image's kind face was a joy to draw in my favorite medium, charcoal.

For more on the Ride for the Cure, go here: www.quietcornersride.com

Hope to see Jane and Image at the Ride every year!

Bentley

A cute little guy done in charcoal.

BIG HORSE!!

Here I am with the Champion Shire stallion, Isaac. Over 18 hands of gentle giant...
This picture was taken at 2004's Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA.