PRINTThe dark horse
Columbia exhibits equine art
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Friedenberg
“Opening Meet” by Kathleen Friedenberg is one of 17 sculptures exhibited in “The Horse in Fine Art,” which features work by 45 artists.
March 27, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Here, behind the barn, there is a showdown: 5-year-old Betsey versus a pony. Even with her back to us, it’s clear this little girl has a mission. Whatever it takes, she will hoist the saddle, which is nearly her size, onto the back of a reluctant horse.
Booth Malone laughs when describing this scene from his oil painting. “It reminds me of the old spaghetti westerns,” Malone says, “the films that made Clint Eastwood famous.”
What: The Horse in Fine Art exhibition
When: Through May 16, Tues - Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Where: Columbia Art League
Call: 443-8838
Malone is one of 45 artists featured in “The Horse in Fine Art” exhibition opening April 1. Sponsored by the Columbia Art League and curated by the American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, Ky., the collection showcases 47 paintings and 17 sculptures.
“An equine art show of this caliber has never been to Mid-Missouri,” says Diana Moxon, executive director of the Columbia Art League. Moxon says she discovered “The Horse in Fine Art” exhibition in her search to bring a nationally recognized show to Columbia. “I thought it would be great given that we have a very vibrant equine community here in mid-Missouri,” Moxon says.
Members of the equine community aren’t the only ones who will find value in the show, says Shelley Hunter, executive director for the Academy. “It is a branch of art that doesn’t need interpretation,” Hunter says. “This is art that can speak to anybody.”
Not surprisingly, much of the funding for the exhibition came from local horse-oriented groups, such as the Columbia Combined Dressage and Training Association.
“We thought it would be kind of cool to help in their efforts to bring an equine-oriented exhibition,” says member Beth Hussey, a veterinarian.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Malone and Pennsylvania-based sculptor Kathleen Friedenberg will each teach a five-day workshop co-hosted by Stephens College. In true Da Vinci fashion (who, by the way, sketched horses), Friedenberg’s classes will get to the bare bones of horse painting — literally. She says she plans on bringing in a skeletal model for an anatomy lesson.
Malone’s workshop will also deal with some tricks of the horse-painting trade. “Niche painters concentrate so much on painting a horse that they don’t know how to paint a sunset,” Malone says. “If you want to become a better horse artist, you just need to become a better artist.”
