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A Dark Horse Came Running is currently available. This limited edition is printed on Kodak ENDURA Metallic paper and will be exhibited in an 11x14 opening in an 8 ply museum quality matte and a 16x20 frame.
In mid-February we had house guests and the last wave of that adventure was the arrival of one of my ex-students. S. is an absolute delight and we were so pleased that she took time out of her busy trip to California to spend some of it with us. As noon last Wednesday approached—her scheduled time to hit the road, she announced that she needed a few minutes to browse through my prints once again. I was thrilled that she wanted to spend a few more minutes with my work and I encouraged her take her time with her final tour. After all, her energy was a tonic for us and I hated to see her leave.
She moved slowly from one viewing section to another, hall to room to another hallway, then said, "I brought one blank check with me just on a whim." For several minues, I didn't grasp the meaning of the sentence and how it connected with her tour of the prints. It turned out she wanted to buy a framed print. I was taken aback, but obviously pleased at the turn of events.
After considerable deliberation, she returned again to the image above (previously posted at my journal blog), and said that she couldn't resist the one with the gremlin on his back. I chuckled because when I completed that piece, I hadn't a single thought about gremlins. Then a friend posted a comment and asked about the goblin on the horse's back. Well, of course, since that time, I can't not see the beast. How I ever missed it is now beyond me.
After the comment, my first impulse, frankly, was to fix it. I seriously considered reworking the piece immediately, reprinting, and ridding the horse of his gremlin burden. But, the more I thought about it the more I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. That gelding has had a demon on his back for years. He was, apparently, mistreated as a youngster and never fully regained his trust in humans. He was a one-woman horse. Had you ever seen the animal, you would have immediately sensed the wildness in him. Since I have often talked about allowing my subconscious mind to play its role in my creative life, it seemed quite hypocritical to deny all that by throwing out something that made it all the way to print and exhibit without my conscious mind ever catching on. To deny my work philosophy along with the horse's story and erase these influences after the fact didn't ring true. Ultimately, I let the work stand.
It seemed fitting that there was surprise to complete the strange story of this image. The last thing on my mind while our charming guest was with us was art sales. Her purchase was a delicious surprise and I shouldn't have been shocked that she chose a piece that had already offered some surprises.
She moved slowly from one viewing section to another, hall to room to another hallway, then said, "I brought one blank check with me just on a whim." For several minues, I didn't grasp the meaning of the sentence and how it connected with her tour of the prints. It turned out she wanted to buy a framed print. I was taken aback, but obviously pleased at the turn of events.
After considerable deliberation, she returned again to the image above (previously posted at my journal blog), and said that she couldn't resist the one with the gremlin on his back. I chuckled because when I completed that piece, I hadn't a single thought about gremlins. Then a friend posted a comment and asked about the goblin on the horse's back. Well, of course, since that time, I can't not see the beast. How I ever missed it is now beyond me.
After the comment, my first impulse, frankly, was to fix it. I seriously considered reworking the piece immediately, reprinting, and ridding the horse of his gremlin burden. But, the more I thought about it the more I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. That gelding has had a demon on his back for years. He was, apparently, mistreated as a youngster and never fully regained his trust in humans. He was a one-woman horse. Had you ever seen the animal, you would have immediately sensed the wildness in him. Since I have often talked about allowing my subconscious mind to play its role in my creative life, it seemed quite hypocritical to deny all that by throwing out something that made it all the way to print and exhibit without my conscious mind ever catching on. To deny my work philosophy along with the horse's story and erase these influences after the fact didn't ring true. Ultimately, I let the work stand.
It seemed fitting that there was surprise to complete the strange story of this image. The last thing on my mind while our charming guest was with us was art sales. Her purchase was a delicious surprise and I shouldn't have been shocked that she chose a piece that had already offered some surprises.
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