Commissioning a horse portrait can be one way of honoring our beloved companions and finding peace after their transition. Stars inspire us to look upward, to contemplate an existence and a purpose larger than our own. Every impression I receive from horses, whether embodied, or inspirited, is that they are in our lives to connect us with our higher purpose.
Lorraine contacted me a couple of years before the portrait of her horses evolved. She shared that her mare, Omega had transitioned. Omega had been her companion most of her life. They had many adventures riding on hunts and excursions. Omega gave birth to Lorraine's beloved filly Foxy Lady. Most of all, Omega was a big part of Lorraine’s journey of self-discovery and healing.
When I saw Omega’s pictures, I instantly thought of her appaloosa markings as a starry sky. I kept mistaking her name as I kept wanting to call her Orion. I mentioned this to Lorraine and she said she often remarked on seeing the constellation Orion at a prominent place in the sky above her land. That confirmed my intuition of a vision of Omega’s spirit in the star-filled sky overlooking the land.
Lorraine felt these impressions evoked her ongoing spiritual connection with Omega. Her grief had not yet abated, but the conversations allowed her to begin dreaming of a work of art that could portray all the feelings that words cannot express. When her elder stallion, Amour, also passed, she asked that they both be included in the work of art.
In the process of our correspondence, she sent pictures of her property showing dark trees against the night sky. I thought it would be lovely to portray the stars in alignment with her own landscape. When I asked her to send more pictures from the daytime so I could see the trees, she sent the photo of trees and their property gate, and that was when I knew then that the gateway was the perfect metaphor for the placement of the horses overlooking her land.
The best photo for the composition of both horses was of them grazing together. Though blurry, the image was able to convey the companionship of the horses, their gentle expressions, and her beautiful markings.
I spent many hours researching the accurate representation of the constellations and how they would look from earth in perspective with trees. The stars aligned with Omega's her appaloosa markings and also the star on her forehead. It was also inspiring that Monocerous. the unicorn constellation is seen from this perspective.
One of the biggest challenges in creating this work of art was making the daylight photo of Lorraine’s property into an image at night. Every night while I worked on this piece I would go outside and look at trees in the moonlight, trying to envision how well we see them. I would gaze at the night sky to record in my artist’s eye the exact color of dark blue that could convey the luminosity of the sky with the brightness of the mist and the stars.
When I began to paint the difficult details of the gateway I wasn't sure I could accomplish the fine details I wanted to achieve. But somehow my fingers always know how to place the soft pastel precisely where I want it to go to create a vivid and magical three-dimensional effect. As I looked at the old gate I was inspired to restore its beauty. It was while looking at the enlarged photo that I realized that there were lamps in the gate posts. I knew those lamps needed to be lit to glow in the night.
I suggested we title the artwork in French, "Sérénité"
This painting depicts the spirits of Omega and Amour in Sérénité, grazing in the starlit meadows above the land and the person they loved most in the world. The painting celebrates the love between them all, reaching up into the stars and back down to earth in an ethereal mist of connection. The lights burn brightly again in the gateway like a candle of remembrance. There is no distance, time, or space between pathways of the heart and soul. The art reminds us that home is not only where we live but that we are at home in a universe of love.
Lorraine’s comments:
"Thank you so much for this wonderful portrait and tribute to my beloved horses Omega and Amour. I miss them at times very much but I know they're here watching over me. Because my horses lived on our property, the art is also a tribute to how their presence is woven into our overall home presence, of which they're an integral part. Near the gateway was where Omega crossed over, so now instead of feeling as sad about that place I envision her spirit in the stars.” ~ Lorraine
Stunning!
Always revealing, always bonding, always becoming, always holding, always love.
And the heart of artistry.
Thank you Kim, so many of your blogs are poignant regarding equines, their spiritual nature and as healers/teachers. Oftentimes the tears flow abundantly when reading them. The light, love and magic that equines carry helps keep humans grounded when we are open to them. My beloved equine companions/partners are what helps keep me going in this increasingly insane human world. ~"But seldom have I had what I would call true friendship---except with another species of creature. I am a lover of horses. When I am with a horse, I feel happy. A horse does not seek my acquaintance for the sake of my appearance or my accomplishments; a horse does not expect a great deal of me a horse accepts…
You capture the love and connection of horse and owner so well Kim. Each one is such an amazing gift.
Thank you for sharing your beautiful process and intuition regarding Omega and Amour. I think you've captured their love of their home and family and brought some healing light to Lorraine. It's a beautiful work of art and tribute to your heart-based approach to uniting equine and human hearts.