Influenced by Love and Familiar Forms

The profiles of Pinoteia and her dam, Bella

It occurs to me that the things I paint and write about are immeasurably influenced by feelings of love and familiar forms.  If my creative flow is unimpeded, it is for sure I am working with motifs that are near and dear to me.  

It will come as no surprise to long-time followers of the Journal of Ravenseyrie that a primary form I am especially moved by is that of Sorraia/Iberian Tarpan horse.

Interessado (Altamiro x Ciente)

  

Altamiro (Ultrajardo x Pompeia)

Pinoteia, Bella, Belina and Rija on the Twinravens range

Bachelors on the Ravenseyrie range

Akina and Bella on the Twinravens range

Bella (Silver Shadow x Miracle)

Such forms lead one to higher thoughts, poetic dreaming and just feeling good all over.  The form of the horse, especially these types of horses reflect something very classical, if not iconic.

"The qualities that define classicism--dignity, strength, grace, ease, confidence, and clarity--are also the principal qualities of the cave paintings.  Above all, the essence of classical art is that it aspires to imitate nature by creating images of nature's ideal forms.  In the Paleolithic era the ideal forms were not the Discus Thrower or the David.  They were horses, bison, mammoths, and the other species that obsessed the early artists, all created as ideals."  

--Gregory Curtis from THE CAVE PAINTERS

Paleolithic style rock painting by Lynne Gerard

Zorita (Sovina x Tia)

Bella

It amazes me how even standing idly, catching a breeze, these horses have such an aristocratic presence.  Sigh!  I never tire of being with them, of recording their forms and colours and dynamics with photos, paintings, and words.

I have a few ditties I wrote some time ago that reflect something I learned from the horses.  The first is:  

"Take a break, make a pause, Let the rest of the world go by."

--L. Gerard

This is maybe best illustrated by a long, luxurious nap session the bachelors had the other day:

Altamiro (a.k.a. "Big Daddy") sleeps standing among his many sons

Fidalgo and Sedutor

Capaz

"...Let the rest of the world go by."

The second phrase the horses inspired I recently put with an ink wash painting I did of Stevie, the crow who visits me at the studio:

Phrase, calligraphy and ink wash painting by Lynne Gerard

Stevie the Crow

This painter rewards her sitters!

Being in the now and savouring the moment are part of the delightful activity of mutual grooming horses engage in.  Many "sport" and "exhibition" horses never have the opportunity to give or receive this type of essential contact with members of their own species, but are kept in a type of solitary confinement that seems to me now to be an ignorant form of cruelty...what a pity.

Kris McCormack's blog had three thoughtful articles devoted to the importance of touch for horses, between each other and between us and them.  Check out Scratching an Itch and Touch and the Spirit of Scratching an Itch and Imke Spilker on Scratching an Itch.

Esperanda and Rija

Capaz and Ousado

Fidalgo and Interessado

Another form I am recently finding myself in love with is that of fish!  I don't eat fish or keep one in a bowl for visual enjoyment, but sometimes, especially in the rock paintings, their image is what desires to be expressed through my brush.  Living on an island, I suppose it was only a matter of time when these aquatic creatures captured my admiration.

Paleolithic style rock painting by Lynne Gerard

I forgot wealth and glory

I love calligraphy

I think of neither life nor death

I honor painting

--Sou Tsen-tsan