Every summer, the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona, hosts a two-month-long celebration of all things equine art. For many, the horse is a symbol of freedom, loyalty, hard work and the enduring spirit of the Western way of life. For others, horses mean something even deeper—a soulful kinship that’s been around as long as horses and humankind have lived and worked side by side. The annual Hold Your Horses! Exhibition & Sale,taking place this year from July 26 to September 28, highlights an array of remarkable artwork by some of the most prominent Western artists of the day, all of whom capture the tiny details of the equine form with dynamism and anatomical accuracy.
Gary Byrd, Racing the Prairie Fire, oil on linen panel, 24 x 18 in. This year’s show and sale will bring together the works of nearly 40 artists, including Texas artist Cheryl Koen and Gary Byrd, raised in Oklahoma and currently living in New Mexico.
Koen’s oil in the show, A Special Bond, depicts a young girl cloaked in crimson tending to her horse. “The impetus for the painting A Special Bond came from an image of a beautiful young girl in an intimate moment with the horse she grew up with,” says Koen. “Through mutual trust, respect and love, they built an enduring relationship. The red blanket against the lush greenery of the river bank and the natural light radiating throughout the scene highlight the horse and her owner. I also loved the novel, figurative pose. As an artist and a horse lover, I am always looking for a connection that tells a story.”
Cheryl Koen, A Special Bond, oil, 30 x 30 in.
KW Whitley, Wind Ward, gouache and colored pencil, 14 x 8 in.
In Byrd’s oil Racing the Prairie Fire, a cowboy on horseback rushes away from a blazing wildfire. Multiple narratives could be derived from the scene: maybe he’s fleeing from the imminent danger, seeking to protect his land and livestock, or perhaps he’s speeding toward help, ready to take the fire head on. “I have always felt the story of the American West is a uniquely American saga. From my early days in Oklahoma, Western television, movies and Western art museums had my rapt attention,” Byrd says. “The farmers and ranchers that my father, a veterinarian, had as clients fascinated me. They were the real unvarnished truth. Although art was not a focus in our home, it found its way to me. I am at my best in [my] studio painting.”
Marlin Rotach, Siesta, watercolor, 18 x 24 in.An opening reception and members’ preview for Hold Your Horses! will be held on Friday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. Museum members are admitted free of charge and guests for $20 each. The exhibition continues through September 28. —
Hold Your Horses! Exhibition & Sale
Phippen Museum4701 AZ-89, Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 778-1385, www.phippenartmuseum.org
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