The history of the horse and the animal’s relationship to humans is relatively well known. From transportation to essential labor, to recreation and competition, the ways in which we interact with horses is widespread, and some individuals share deeper connections with the equine creatures than others.
Wei Tai, Happy Hour, oil on copper, 40 x 30”
Every year, the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona, honors and celebrates these phenomenal beasts during its Hold Your Horses! Invitational Exhibition & Sale. “It’s exciting to bring together returning artists with new invitees to deliver a different and fresh exhibit each year. With 36 participating artists in our 2020 show, we are thrilled to invite in six new participants,” says Phippen Museum executive director Edd Kellerman.
Barbara Meikle, In Mama’s Shadow, oil on canvas, 16 x 12”
This year, the invitational exhibition runs from August 1 to September 20 in the museum’s grand Marley Gallery, featuring such artists as Elizabeth Lewis Scott, Barbara Meikle and the 2020 featured artist Wei Tai, who won the Hold Your Horses! People’s Choice award in 2019 for his painting Autumn.
Barbara Meikle, In the Mesquite Forest, oil on canvas, 16 x 16”
A Signature Member of the American Academy of Equine Art and a Signature Member of American Women Artists, Scott approaches painting horses from a place of respect and reverence. “The horse is majestic, a symbol of power and authority, a symbol of freedom,” she says. “The horses in my life are my friends and companions. They grace my pastures, inspiring me as I watch and paint in my studio. My horses are my family.”
Elizabeth Lewis Scott, Ike in the Meadow, watercolor, 9 x 11”
Elizabeth Lewis Scott, Breezy, Conté, 6 x 5¼”
Meikle’s bold and colorful paintings will also be on view and available for purchase. In Mama’s Shadow and In the Mesquite Forest both feature parent-child relationships, with two burros in the first piece and two horses in the second. “I’ve been horse crazy since I was born, drawing and painting them since I was five years old,” says the artist. “My fascination never ends with these beautiful creatures, a constant source of inspiration for my paintings and bronzes. Once again, this will be a fabulous show!”
Hold Your Horses! Exhibition & Sale
August 1-September 20, 2020
Phippen Museum, 4701 AZ-89, Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 778-1385, www.phippenartmuseum.org
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