Appaloosa Horses of Idaho

 

In recent months, I've been feeling creatively stuck. Part of the issue is that I work primarily in B&W, which can get monotonous. To shake things up, I pulled out my gouache paints, Prismacolor pencils, and markers. It was a lot of fun to fill the paper with color, and work loosely, without pressure.

I've been focusing on drawing various official US state animals. In this case it's Idaho, known for Appaloosa horses,

 

Secretariat

 

No doubt, the spirit of Secretariat looms large in Louisville. I finished this drawing a few days before the 2023 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. I discovered later that this year's race marks the 50th Anniversary of this racehorse's legendary Triple Crown run, an extraordinary achievement.

Signed prints of this piece are available here, in my Etsy shop!

Musical Mares

You never know what to expect from your next illustration assignment.  I certainly didn't foresee interpreting a horse as a singing star on Broadway! But thanks to John Van Cleaf, art director at Rutgers Magazine, this became reality. He asked me to illustrate a story about horses who've had roles in famous musicals. I'm no expert on Broadway, but it was fun to assimilate an equine element into some familiar theater posters. Who knows, maybe my next assignment will be drawing Birds of the Bolshoi Ballet?

It's time for equestrians and thespians to unite,

and support the musical mares of Broadway!

You can view my new illustration website here!