Something from the Past

OMG two blog posts in one day! What on earth has possessed me..well the group #horsebloggersmeetup has.. as I mentioned in my previous blog, been running a blogtober. I have only just partook.. (is that a word? It is now 🤩). You could say I am often late to the party, but, I am often early, to everything!

Anyway, 30th October is the date, and the subject is...

So, the art above, is my photo from the past, and here is the story.

I had moved to Essex to be with a man. I had sold my house, one I had lived in for a year and spent 5k on a new kitchen 😆, then upped and left. My 3 cats and horse (Bronte) travelled to our new life in Essex. I had got myself a part time job working on a competition yard and things were set to be rosy.

That Horse went Lame

Bronte was a hack, a beautiful TBx Section D. Dark Bay, elegant, and a pain in the bum.

But I loved her non the less for it. She weaved, was flighty, often trampled me and seemed to spend most of her life feeling stressed. Our relationship on the ground wasn't always the best, but as a ridden horse she was as safe as houses and forward going. She suited my ambition to be nothing more than someone who enjoyed hacking out. But, being on a competition yard I was feeling the pressure, the pressure to have more horse than Bronte and I were capable of. I started to push Bronte to be more of a dressage horse. It was then she went lame. Of course I was very disappointed by this, but things happen for a reason.. so they say.

Hail the new Sports Horse

So, the look out for a new competition horse began. I trawled the papers, the horse magazines, the internet, went to view a few. Put a deposit on a 6 year old black mare who failed the vetting. Started again. And ended up with my horse of a lifetime, which at the time I didn't know, and for reasons most people would say she wasn't a horse of a lifetime.

She was very well bred, out of the Grade A Showjumper Nelson Z don't cha know.. and her great grand pop is non other than one of the most famous showjumpers in history, Ramiro Z, and this was the ONLY reason I bought her, (and the fact her canter was rocking horse status, so comfortable!) I didn't like her. Thought she was ugly. She was uncomfortable to ride (apart from her canter), reared up and was well, just not my kind of horse! The girl who I went to view her with said if I didn't buy her she would, and my ego got the better of me. I handed over my £££'s and left with a new horse. Nantesse Z, aka Nancy.

Well, what an expensive mistake she turned out to be!

I can honestly say this horse broke me. I spent 1 year being bolted with and thrown off. She knocked my confidence. I was told to sell her, she was too much horse blah blah, and frankly I did not enjoy her. But, she was now my responsibility. Ive told my story in 3 parts.. you can read the first part here.

The beginning

So, you may be wondering why Ive posted a piece of artwork as my main image and why its significant to the subject of the blog.

It was the beginning of Urban Fraggle Art!

I was feeling stressed. Stressed that I had a horse who was not a pleasure to be around, who was difficult, expensive, on my mind 24/7 and destroying my relationship.

I was leading Bronte out one morning and she spooked, I raised my arm to keep her out of my way and ooooooooooowwwwwwwww, I felt the sharpest pain run down my shoulder and bam, I could not move my arm! My shoulder had seized up. This was not good.. I went to the hospital and yup, I had a frozen shoulder and it would take about 6 weeks to come right. I was house bound!!

What on earth was I going to do? I couldn't drive let alone tend to my horses. Of course, my then boyfriend came to the rescue, but he wasn't happy about it. He had no interest in the horses, didn't particularly like them, in fact I think he resented them as they took up so much of my time, physically and mentally.

I was bored. Bored. Bored. I started to look for artwork for our newly decorated maisonette. Nothing inspired me, so I decided to do my own.

I had never used Photoshop, and hand on heart I have no idea where the inspiration came to download it. But I did, and I started to play about with it. Hmm, 😊 liked what I did. I showed the 'boyfriend' and he liked it too. So, I found a printers who could print them BIG, onto acrylic.

The result was fabulous! I was so excited to get them mounted.

The big red piece was the first one I had printed. I had people complimenting the art, and my horse neighbour said I should start a business.. rise Animal Acrylic Art. I did a website, and that was it. Back then I didn't really have the power of social media.. so it ended before it began. But, I sold one to my horse neighbour so I officially had a business 🤣.

Fast forward to now, 14 years later, picking it back up again and producing what I believe to be more sophisticated work, I've sold more art, got a buddy helping me and someone else interested in a business collaboration to help further with sales.

Jung Psychology

The name Urban Fraggle Art was a pluck in the dark. I liked both the words and just thought it was funky. It has no meaning. Whilst designing the logo I flipped the GG to mirror one another. I'll be honest, Id love the take credit for the GG meaning Gee Gee (horses, get it 😆), but it was someone else who spotted that little significance. But, it helped me remember the perfect coincidence of why I believe Urban Fraggle is meant to be..

when I bought my little Audi TTS I wanted the private plate GEE GEE, but at 200k it was a little out of my budget. Erm, no, it was a lot out of my budget 🤣. However, if any of you know about Jung Psychology, that, my friends, is what is called sychronicity. Or, a meaningful coincidence. So, even when things are not going so well, I take myself back to my time in Essex, and why Nancy came into my life. She taught me more about horses, but the stress she caused led to my frozen shoulder and then.. well.. you know the rest.

Here is one of my latest works 'No name'- Can you help?

Joanne GG Barrett