New Horse Art- Phoenix Mother & Child

Original Ideas: Broken Boy Soldier

Often, my work is experimental. I have an idea then that idea develops kind of away from the original idea into something completely different to my original idea (I know, the use of idea and original are heavily used, but art is an expression of ideas- and often original so I feel justified 😁).

Execution of the Idea

This piece was my first offering after a long break of actually not being motivated to create anything. I was going to do Inktober, a fun art project run in October where artists create work around key words. One such word that stuck out to me was 'cruelty'. Quite heavy I know. But I have quite strong opinions about horses that are used in our equestrian world. This, I know, will not win brownie points from everyone, as no one likes to think of themselves as cruel, but one act within the equestrian world is Rollkur.

I'm not going to go in to a big essay about why it's cruel and why it's even allowed by the FEI (International Federation for Equestrian Sports), but I was going to create a piece where rollkur is depicted.

I didn't want it realistic looking. But the eye was going to be the centre piece. Similar to I am Gracious and Rasta Stallion in its style, but much less softness within the eye, and more angst and pain.

Let the Games Begin

So, Wacom at the ready, all other applications and programs closed down so Photoshop could run at its full potential I started to feel the tools I had not used in a while and experiment with the brushes. It was like I had never been away.. I knew what the subject was, but I didn't know how I wanted to take it with colours etc, so, the outline was drawn, with the head down at the chest and the eye was began to progress. I was incorporating red, depicting blood and pain, but the style of the eye was still soft and I felt it wasn't really working. A horses pained eye does not work in the style of the soft and loving Rasta or I am gracious.

Abort and Rebirth

With my original idea not really taking shape how I had imagined in my head, I had to re-think. Using the philosophy of dark and light which is depicted quite heavy in most of my work I began to paint light to dark. Light being the metaphor for no ego, and dark being the metaphor for ego. And through our lifetime ego's become stronger in order to survive, thus, in my world, getting darker.

So, keeping with the theme of cruelty, the purpose of light to dark is the horse starts off free from pain and as pressure for him to perform increases his 'aura' becomes darker. In the above image he has no expression, the complete opposite of what I wanted this piece to have. But no expression, or 'face' is very powerful.

But.. I just couldn't leave it there!

Lets Soften things up Again

The above image from a philosophical point of view is perfect, but from a visual point of view I felt it was missing something. Actually, re-looking at the above piece its not missing anything, and I may well add this to my collection along with the piece I entitled Phoenix: Mother and Child. (below)

The eye makes this quite a harsh piece, but I like it. Its pre-historic and maternal in its feel, with the burning energy I like to give a lot of my work. Possessing the love as Rasta Stallion and I am Gracious, even when the softness of the eye is missing, it was described as "contemporary and unique, and very different to a lot of digital work" by a fellow digital artist.

Compare them below when they are side be side...

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Joanne GG Barrett