Muse or Move!

Day 2

Day 1

Su Nimon, an artist who has the neighboring studio to me at Second April Art Galerie asked as I was leaving for the day what I had been working on.  I told her putting paint ON the canvas and then taking paint OFF the canvas.   I was sneaking in a fun, quick portrait to get back in the saddle after the holidays.  I didn't anticipate not being able to leave the starting gate!  Or maybe I should say I encountered 'balking' of my muse!  I spent the last two days working on a painting of my daughter and ended right back where I started! 

Luckily I have horses.  I have encountered balking before.  For those of you who are not horse literate balking is a term describing a horse who is asked to go forward and they don't.  Balking can go further to the point the horse is asked to go forward and they go backwards.   I have a horse who was prone to balking.  He came to me as a ring sour ex show horse and would balk when I  first got him.  I helped him get over this by listening to him.  I began riding him with a lighter touch and rewarding him with a 'release' when he responded.  As I listened to him he became a better listener to me.   He didn't need the martingales, whips and spurs that were said to be needed.  

How does this help with a 'muse' that stalled and fizzled?  Just like the horse that had a stronger hand and louder voice used on him until he stopped in his tracks, the muse is waiting for the quiet so I can hear the whisper.  

Okay, I won't fight with this painting.  I've already decided it may just need to be something other than what I thought it was going to be.  My job is to let it develop.  Loosen the reins and listen.  Now lets see if I can do just that! 

stay tuned! 

Sue Steiner
animal and horse artist
custom pet portraits in oil   

PS  I wanted to share a link to this foal, Unique.  http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horsetalk/2010/01/bet-youve-never-seen-horse-like-this.html