Back to Life
His life was a fantasy of whirling lights and laughing children
Until one day when the lights dimmed, and silence descended
After many years, a glimmer of light appeared again, and gentle hands began to sand away the cracks, repair the jewels,
and restore the spirit
~ Kim McElroy
THE STORY BEHIND THE ART
In 1991 I was exhibiting my artwork in Saratoga Springs, NY during the racing season. There was an auction of carousel horses at the historical Canfield Casino Museum on Broadway. Somehow I got permission to view the horses before they went up for auction.
In the hushed, dim room the wooden horses stood in patient rows. Rearing, stamping, but standing so still. Most were stripped of paint and in need of repair. Even though their glass eyes were dulled by age, I could still see the life in those beautiful horses. I fell in love with one horse in particular. The one I would have chosen to ride. I dreamt of a work of art that could pay tribute to their restoration. I did a lot of research to envision what the original Illions horse would have looked like, what colors and designs would have been painted. I even put in tiny details like the crackling on the gold leaf mane.
