Summer 2004

This is a series about transition. The storm ponies were born in 1995 during a real thunderstorm among a herd of percheron mares. The air was electric and the sky almost turned green. Those big black horses moved as slow as manatees away from the wind, waiting. I was moved to the point of dragging a canvas out into the yard and dashing off a plein air piece, one of my first, while thunder crashed and lightning glittered around me. It was awesome. The painting rolled out and I fell in love with it.

That painting has followed me for nine years. It was the seed of the storm ponies. This series is synonomous with change, energy, emotion, uncertainty and excitement. The big heavy horses represent groundedness and solidity in the face of the unexpected. I chose to paint this as that has been the theme of my life these last several months. What a breathtaking journey it has been.

The titles of the pieces are all quotes from my journals. I have been keeping them on a regular basis for the last 20 years. Those titles are painted into the side of the piece as well. I love adding this extra element to each piece as it ties me to them even more, physically invests a part of my history into them. I believe that all of my life's experiences are poured into each painting, through the process of wrestling it onto canvas. Not always easy, but always rewarding.