Also Showcasing Glass, Ceramics & Wood · wood plate, 30 x 30". Courtesy the artist and Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico. ... back—a reference to Maxfield Parrish’s model

Also Showcasing Glass, Ceramics & Wood

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Emperor Wu-ti (140-87 B.C.) of the Han Dynasty in China (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) coveted the mighty steeds known as “Celestial Horses” from Ferghana, several thousand miles away. When

negotiations failed he sent an army of 40,000 men to take them by force. The army was defeated. Two years later he sent 60,000 men, defeated the king of Ferghana and returned with some of the fi nest Celestial Horses there were.

The eighth-century Chinese poet Du Fu wrote:

The Ferghana horse is famed among nomad breeds.

Lean in build, like the point of a lance;

Two ears sharp as bamboo spikes;

Four hoofs light as though born of the wind.

Heading away across the endless spaces,

Truly, you may entrust him with your life...

The of the

HORSES P E C I A L F E A T U R E 2 0 1 6 By John O’Hern

1Rimi Yang, Dance in Illusion, mixed media with resin on wood plate, 30 x 30". Courtesy the artist and Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

2Funerary Sculpture of a Horse, China, Middle Tang Dynasty, about 700-800, molded earthenware with molded, applied and incised decoration and polychrome (sancai) glace, 29½ x 29⁄ x 10⁄". Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California. Gift of Nasli M. Heeramaneck.

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3Michael Bergt, Worship,

bronze with gold leaf, ed. 3/12, 12 x 16 x 5".

Collection of Adrian Castro, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

4Roseta Santiago,

Dreamscape 1: Maneuvering the Fray, oil on canvas,

36 x 55". Courtesy the artist and Blue Rain Gallery,

Santa Fe, New Mexico.

5Funerary Sculpture of a Horse, China, Sichuan Province, Eastern Han

Dynasty, 25-220, molded earthenware with modeled

and carved decoration, 37 x 12 x 28½". Los Angeles

County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California.

Gift of Diane and Harold Keith and Jeff rey Lowden

(AC1997.137.1).


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Horses were so important during the Chinese dynasties that they were buried with the rich and powerful. In later dynasties pottery horses were buried and included the famous Terracotta Army. Horse sculptures in the Han Dynasty were rounded and sensuous. In the later Tang Dynasty (618-906) they were decorated with the distinctive three-color sancai glaze.

On a tour of the Miho Museum near Kyoto, Japan, several of us were marveling over a spectacular Chinese tea bowl from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) that modern technology has been unable to reproduce. Michael Bergt, however, was busily sketching a gold Han Dynasty horse.

He explains, “I immediately saw that the interpretation of the form allowed me to take off and do any number of things. This wasn’t about the horse; it was about form and the relationship to form. Then it became symbolic of other things. It’s horse forms that can be

used in any number of interpretations.”Bergt’s gilded bronze Worship recalls the

form of the ancient Han funerary horses and gallops off into new territory leaving the interpretations to the viewers.

Rimi Yang was born in Japan of Korean parents and, in 1986, moved to the United States. In her paintings she unifies different cultural elements with abstract manipulation of the surface. Often her female figures are sitting astride horses. In Dance in Illusion, an Asian woman in 18th-century European court costume holds a bouquet of lilies, traditionally symbolic of innocence. Horses, flowers and other designs fill the field of the painting. In some interpretations, horses are the yin in the yin/yang of horse/human relationships.

The artist, however, denies balance and celebrates “the chaotic emotional duality” that exists in her life and in her art. She describes a temple bell in Kyoto as “The sound, just sound, no yin nor yang, just

vibration, without any purpose nor reasons, yet somehow very soothing, makes me feel very calm, and slows me down…”

Roseta Santiago’s Dreamscape I: Maneuvering the Fray depicts a horse leaping through a chaos of symbols and representing, for her, a “leap of faith” in the act of painting. She says, “These are objects I’m fascinated with and that make up past experiences. It’s the interior dialogue and symbols—visible and invisible—that influence my daily work. This ‘dreamscape’ is about ‘maneuvering the fray’—painting everything I see and feel.” Although she doesn’t explain all the symbols she does explain the figure on the horse’s back—a reference to Maxfield Parrish’s model and companion for many years, whom he never married. Unrequited love.

The horse has had practical and symbolic importance throughout history and continues to be a source of inspiration for artists around the world.

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AL GLANN(480) 560-3243 www.alglannsculptor.com

Price Range: $1,400 to $35,000

In looking for ways to create a visual statement with his sculpture Al Glann wants to give just enough of a sense of the horse so the viewer can fill in the rest and become an active participant. It is important to Glann that those who relate to his work see the connection between what he does with his horses and how they see their own horses. It’s all about designing and creating the open gesture that defines the movement, the anatomy and the unique personality of the horse.

Glann has always been drawn to horses since visiting a ranch in

Cody, Wyoming, when he was 5. “It was one of those experiences that touches your soul and becomes a part of your inner being,” he explains.

Glann’s larger steel horses continue to push the envelope with the addition of strong chromatic color. “The first time I did it was certainly going out on a limb, especially after spending two months creating the larger horse,” he says. “It has been challenging and fun to develop new directions with the horses. One of my new designs is working on a couple relief horses where the shadow creates the other half of the form.”

Glann works with steel to create his horses. The smaller versions are then molded and cast in bronze. The shapes and forms he creates in steel are unique to the media, as he doesn’t get the same effect in wax or clay.

Red Salutation, steel with powder coat, 60 x 56 x 13"

On Fire, bronze, 20 x 19 x 6"

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SUSAN EASTON BURNSdk Gallery (770) 427-5377 www.dkgallery.us

Price Range:$100 to $24,000

Her love and admiration with horses began at the age of 3 when Susan Easton Burns saw a riderless horse outside her home in upstate New York. Not long after, Burns’ father taught her to draw and paint horses at the young age of 8.

Since her first encounter, the majestic power and beauty of the horse became a part of Burns and her art. As an equine painter and the 140th Kentucky Derby artist, Burns’ works have an intuitive and emotional connection to her love of animals that allow viewers to relate in their own manner. Now residing on a farm in Georgia, Burns focuses her paintings on the nature and animals that surround her.

“I choose to paint nature because I am a part of nature” says Burns. “We humans are much like animals. The main difference is that animals have no fear of the future. They live their lives with great awareness and intuition.”

In each work, she balances the chaos and order of the natural world. Every painting Burns completes has an underpainting that provides a base and brings warm color and rich texture to the final piece.

The artist has an immense passion for connecting the viewer to nature through her art. Her inspiration has gone beyond her own art as Burns previously taught at the Art Institute of Atlanta and Portfolio Center. She has also volunteered as an art teacher for her local school system.

I’m Ready, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36"

This, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 36" Out of Town, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48"



KATHLEEN M. FRIEDENBERG(610) 642-2942

www.bronzealive.com


With a background as a veterinarian, and subsequently, a medical illustrator, Kathleen M. Friedenberg truly knows her subject from the inside out. Just for fun, she took some sculpture classes and was irretrievably hooked. Studying with Zenos and Evangelos Frudakis gave her a more structured and classical approach to her art.

Friedenberg has shown across the continent and abroad, has won numerous awards, and has taught sculpture of the horse for the Scottsdale Artists’ School and, for 20 years, for the American Academy of Equine Art. She just taught a similar sculpture course at Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina.

A special achievement for the artist was winning the American Academy of Equine Art’s Award of Excellence for three consecutive years and more—as judged by fellow equestrian artists.

She is a member of the National Sculpture Society, the country’s premier sculpture organizations, the Society of Animal Artists and the American Academy of Equine Art.

The artist’s work has appeared on the cover of The Chronicle of the Horse more than 20 times, and in many other publications. She was also featured in the National Sculpture Society’s online news.

Correct anatomy of a multitude of species, vitality and sometimes humor are her characteristics. She says, “If it isn't alive, I've failed!”

Opening Meet, bronze, 17½ x 11 x 16"

The Cones Course, bronze, 14 x 18 x 8"

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GAYLE GARNER ROSKI(818) 980-0385 www.gaylegarnerroski.com

Price Range:$1,500 to $6,000

A native of Los Angeles, Gayle Garner Roski studied fine arts at the University of Southern California. Her vibrant watercolors have been exhibited extensively in museums and galleries from Southern California to Scotland. Roski bridges her fine art career with her civic dedication and has headed public art projects throughout the city, including the Community of Angels Sculptural Project. She also serves on the executive board of the California Art Club and the University of Southern California Roski School of Art and Design.

A plein air watercolorist and avid world traveler, Roski has explored some of the most remote parts of the globe, always with paints and sketchbook in hand.

She has created several series of paintings from objects found in her travels around the world, including calligraphy brushes from Beijing and Italian pottery from Tuscany and Umbri. In 2015, she created a Zulu basket painting that won the Jesse Arms Botke Award for Best Decorative Work of Art at the

California Art Club 104th annual Gold Medal Exhibition.

Through her work, Roski seeks to capture the full spectrum of life’s vivid colors, while also embracing the adventure of artistic exploration. One of her more recent adventures has been painting the beauty and majesty of horses,

after she witnessed Triple Crown winner American Pharoah being celebrated by adoring fans snapping photos and selfies with the famed thoroughbred. A selection of her horse paintings will be on view when Roski participates in the California Art Club’s special exhibition at Santa Anita Park this fall.

American Pharoah, Champion of the West, watercolor, 29½ x 37½"

Andalusian Horses, watercolor, 23 x 60"



AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION (806) 376-5181, [email protected] www.aqha.com/museum

Price range: $500 to $8,000

America’s Horse in Art Show & Sale celebrates the spirit of the American Quarter Horse in a variety of media. Composed of pieces ranging from pencil drawings to sculptures from more than 40 prominent Western artists, the exhibit is on display from August 13 thorugh October 15. The show collectively paints a stunning picture of the American Quarter Horse and how he shapes Western lifestyle and culture.

This year’s signature piece is an acrylic on canvas titled Western Dust – Mottled Horses by Iwona Jankowski. Western Dust – Mottled Horses captures the horse with a blend of abstract color and motion with a touch of realism. The piece encompasses Jankowski’s approach to art, capturing the uniqueness of life using small details to insinuate an idea.

“The American Quarter Horse has always been an inspiration for Western art and lifestyle,” says American Quarter Horse Museum curator Crystal Phares. “We are grateful to be able to bring together such a talented group of artists each year to support the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum and pay tribute to the horse.”

To learn more or purchase artwork, contact [email protected].

Iwona Jankowski, Western Dust – Mottled Horses, acrylic on canvas, 37 x 31"

GAIL FOLWELLFolwell Studios, (720) 334-1164 [email protected], www.folwellstudios.com

Price Range: $5,000 to $500,000

The athlete in motion is a work of art. Gail Folwell's sculptures explore musculature, speed, grace and the dynamics of body language. Folwell creates art for the same reason we play games, gather with friends and watch sports: art can inspire, teach and heal.

Folwell has had the pleasure of creating public art across the United States. Her clients include the city of Canton, Ohio, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame; the Denver Art Museum; Vail Resorts; Silver Oak Cellars; and universities and private patrons worldwide.

Take The Lead is an edition of nine. These beautiful animals are sparring for dominance in the herd. The athleticism and physical dialogue of the horses in this context was the compelling force behind the piece. Take The Lead, bronze, ed. of 9, 22 x 19 x 42"


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JESSICA POTENZABrights Gallery(705) 445-4999www.jessicapotenza.com

Price Range:CAD$1,000 to CAD$7,000

(No Canadian Tax or U.S. Duty and

a 25+ percent savings on your dollar)

Jessica Potenza is a Canadian artist who works from her Montreal studio where she paints deeply contemplative pieces of horses cast from the shoulder upward. She professionally bought, sold and competed in the show jumping world. In 2013, she left that profession to establish herself as a full-time painter and has since conceived an exquisite

collection of highly coveted equestrian portraiture. Breaking away from the long furor, the artist’s transition to paint was symbolic of a return to stillness. This need to freeze is refl ected in the tone of her work, strengthened further by the use of the horse as her sole subject matter.

Working in unconventional mediums, Potenza experiments

with different pigments found in various coffees, Japanese and Indian inks, and acrylic paint on wood panel. By observing and responding to the unique interactions between materials, her technique evolved organically.

Starting with lighter hues, Potenza moves to progressively darker, more saturated outlines and washes. Between the loose

arrangement of lines, grainy stains of color fall in textured layers of browns and blacks. Wrested from the canvas, the spirit of each horse is eventually brought to life in a poignant moment of graceful melancholy.

Potenza's unique and beautiful work was specifi cally chosen to be on display at Cavalia’s Odysseo as it travels the world.

Reverie (triptych), mixed media on Belgian linen, 36 x 72"

JENNIFER MACKBrights Gallery(705) 445-4999www.jmackfi neart.com

Price Range:CAD$1,000 to CAD$7,000

(No Canadian Tax or U.S. Duty and

a 25+ percent savings on your dollar)

Canadian-born artist Jennifer Mack has painted horses since the age of 8. Her works blend acrylic and India ink on canvas and are often mistaken for oils due to their distinct visual richness. Dictated by subtle, loose brushstrokes, Mack’s work delicately captures the horse’s internal state of being.

The artist paints each horse

against a backdrop of empty space, using simple color schemes to communicate emotional experience above outer physique. Each painting celebrates the horse’s unique sense of independence, dignity

and grandeur. Self-possessed and highly present, these animals stare back at the viewer as if to engage them in a dialogue. The horse’s figure dominates each piece, whose outline emerges in the stark contrasts of light and

dark, with portions of its interior cloaked in shadow. Meaning is found in these hidden spaces, those darker parts, which while we may not see, are able to intuit. Mack’s horse art is a must for any collector of equine art.

Aria, acrylic and India ink on canvas, 30 x 48"

Take The Lead, bronze, ed. of 9, 22 x 19 x 42"



LINDA MUTTI(805) 964-9093 www.lindamutti.com

Price range:$300 to $3,500

Award-winning California artist Linda Mutti grew up with a love for horses and the Western way of life. For most of her adult life she showed quarter horses and they are still a passion that is revealed in Mutti’s drawing, Waitin’ To Work.

“My drawings are inspried by the team spirit of the horsewoman and her buff working horse. That relationship is a joy to experince and interpret in my art,” she says.

Mutti works in pastel, oil and graphite. She is a Signature Member of Pastel Society of America and a Distinguished Pastelist of Pastel Society of the West Coast. Waitin’ To Work, graphite, 15½ x 17"

LINDSEY BITTNER GRAHAM(720) 935-6571

www.lindseybittnergraham.com


Drawing and painting has been Lindsey Bittner Graham’s passion since childhood. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she began studying and sketching horses at a young age while learning to ride and working in stables after school.

When her family later moved to Colorado, Graham obtained a Bachelor of Arts in art from Colorado State University and continued to pursue a fashion

illustration career for the next 18 years. Her drawing skills are a key element in the development of each painting composition she creates today.

Graham’s goal as an oil painter is to immerse the viewer into

the energy and emotion of each painting as she utilizes a wide variety of loose brushwork to build textures, move edges and create shapes. As displayed in Mustang Alert, the artist's sincere passion for horses, their beautiful form and

the many ways they continue to enhance our lives is evident in her award-winning work.

Graham works and resides in Denver with her husband and their two dogs.

Mustang Alert, oil, 20 x 37"


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MELISSA MASON(386) 295-0035 www.melissamason.me

Price Range:$1,000 to $11,500

Melissa Mason is a contemporary abstract expressionist painter best known for her equine art. Many of her paintings are non-representational, but there is a reccurring equine motif in the work, as seen in her piece One Trick Pony. The devotion and familiarity of horses is an enduring constant in her life, so it seems only natural for her to use it to explore the painting process.

The energy and freedom of the abstract expressionists deeply influenced Mason and instilled a passion for the direction she chose in her art making. Mason compares line and color to musical notes and seeks to combine them to create harmonious, lyrical abstractions. The process involves pouring, brushing and dripping paint to activate the surface, letting the colors merge into beautifully formed shapes, and then responding to that surface to finish the composition.

Mason’s art has garnered many awards, is in the collection of the Museum of Art in DeLand, Florida, and the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Florida, along with multiple corporate and private collections. Her work has also been published in Picturing Florida: From the First Coast to the Space Coast, a book featuring 38 Florida artists.

Originally from Western Maryland, Mason now calls central Florida home.

One Trick Pony, acrylic, oil and pastel on canvas, 72 x 50"

LESLEY B. PICKFORD(650) 224-6897 www.facebook.com/lesleypickfordart


Having drawn horses and people all her life, Lesley B. Pickford’s passion is to paint horses in action, with figures, in natural settings—working both in her home studio and plein air.

Pickford rides everyday if she can, now pursuing the discipline of modern competitive dressage based on classical principles. “My horses are often the subject of paintings, as well as other sources, along with commissioned portraits of other darling animals. My

favorite subjects are figurative and include animals, particularly horses. I prefer to paint them in realistic settings, with their riders or handlers, and often dogs or cats in the picture.,” she says.

Painting mostly in oils, Pickford’s style is impressionistic realism. She has found that painting other animals, waterscapes and still lifes keeps her challenged and entertained. “My desire for my portfolio is to be fresh and clear in style and subject matter, and to do justice to the composition.”

Pickford’s works hang in several counties, and two of her paintings were awarded the Tony Governable Best Racehorse Art award at the San Mateo County Fair in 2013 and 2015.

“ I am s tudying wi th San Francisco artists and teachers Michael Rodman and Dean Larson, MFA, MFE,” Pickford says. Quoting Leonardo da Vinci she adds, “‘I am still learning’ and enjoying the process of capturing special moments to the best of my ability.”

Cooling Out, oil on canvas, 24 x 18"



LINDA MUTTI(805) 964-9093 www.lindamutti.com


Award-winning California artist Linda Mutti grew up with a love for horses and the Western way of life. For most of her adult life she showed quarter horses and they are still a passion that is revealed in Mutti’s drawing, Waitin’ To Work.

“My drawings are inspried by the team spirit of the horsewoman and her buff working horse. That relationship is a joy to experince and interpret in my art,” she says.

Mutti works in pastel, oil and graphite. She is a Signature Member of Pastel Society of America and a Distinguished Pastelist of Pastel Society of the West Coast. Waitin’ To Work, graphite, 15½ x 17"

LINDSEY BITTNER GRAHAM(720) 935-6571

www.lindseybittnergraham.com


Drawing and painting has been Lindsey Bittner Graham’s passion since childhood. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, she began studying and sketching horses at a young age while learning to ride and working in stables after school.

When her family later moved to Colorado, Graham obtained a Bachelor of Arts in art from Colorado State University and continued to pursue a fashion

illustration career for the next 18 years. Her drawing skills are a key element in the development of each painting composition she creates today.

Graham’s goal as an oil painter is to immerse the viewer into

the energy and emotion of each painting as she utilizes a wide variety of loose brushwork to build textures, move edges and create shapes. As displayed in Mustang Alert, the artist's sincere passion for horses, their beautiful form and

the many ways they continue to enhance our lives is evident in her award-winning work.

Graham works and resides in Denver with her husband and their two dogs.

Mustang Alert, oil, 20 x 37"


Documents

Also Showcasing Glass, Ceramics & Wood · wood plate, 30 x 30". Courtesy the artist and Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico. ... back—a reference to Maxfield Parrish’s model