The Story
In the artist's story she describes running through a golf course toward a bluff that overlooks a lake. While I understood the scene as the storyteller wrote it, in my mind I was running away from something. A horse kept showing up to me in random everyday things. Clearly, I wasn't paying attention. I'll give you one example. Out of the blue, I decide to order a happy meal from McDonald's. Guess what the toy is? Yes, a horse. From this, and many other horse encounters I felt obligated to see where this process would lead. I've read that horses mirror our feelings or teach us what to do. For me, it means slow down and face some challenges instead of running from them. To summarize, The horse and the woman in this art finally become unified in a peaceful moment at the water's edge.
The Collaboration
Many thanks to the artist and model, Ashley Lieber, the horse handler, Ulla Frederiksen from the Sundance Center and storyteller, Taylor Lenhardt, for this wonderful journey. I also want to thank my second model, Autumn Karaus, for her contribution to this project.
Art Prize 2014
The artwork was printed on canvas and on display with many other artists and storytellers, as part of a collective project, during Art Prize. The display hung at Bar Divani in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
