Life drawing horses – sketching them live while they are free in their environment – is quite challenging!  For the past year, I have visited a number of horse rescues, therapeutic riding centers, and farms to practice drawing horses from life.

As an artistic practice, life drawing challenges me to try to capture the essential energy and characteristics of a horse very quickly, because they are almost always moving!  It is such a reward when sharing a drawing with the horse’s caretakers to have the horse be immediately recognized!  I generally use a Tombow brush pen as my sketching tool, which means no erasing and encourages me to work loose.

     

For me life drawing is also a meditative practice for being present with the horses and nature.  It always calms and slows me down and of course connects me to the surroundings and the season. (At times it was so cold my hands were locking up; other times I would get drenched in sweat sitting still in the shade.  More than once I had to escape the rain in a hurry!)  Life drawing is also a tender opportunity for me to spend time with horses while recovering from chronic illness that has made mobility and being safely with horses very challenging.

Special thank you to these centers and others who have allowed me to pull up a chair at their pastures!

Zorro’s Crossing Horse Sanctuary • Tiny Acres Northwest Florida • Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center

Contact me if you are interested in available life drawings or hosting me as a visiting artist.