With the commission, I asked her two things:
What is her favourite animal? and
What are her favourite colours?
She answered that horses are her favourite animals, and that her favourite colours were neutral, sandy, beachy colours. So my dog Tiggy and I drove to Aldinga Beach and looked at the beach colours, the patterns in the sand, the different shapes that had washed up on the beach, and took lots of photos. On the way home I saw a Palomino horse and decided that was the perfect kind of horse for this piece. At home in my studio I drew many horses and lots of different shapes I saw from the photos I took at the beach. I sent Binny a series of the drawings I had done and she chose the one that is now completed. I did a watercolour version of it (shown above), and then transferred my horse design onto cotton fabric, painted it with acrylic paint and textile medium and then hand stitched the image filling in the mane, the girl's hair and face.
I also reseached world horse Goddesses like the Roman Goddess Epona and the Welsh Rhiannon.
Horse represents strength, wildness and yet also companionship as horses have been working alongside humans for thousands of years. Horses also represent journeys, both physical and internal. Binny told me this piece will be hung in her bedroom so this horse is also one of protection and nurture for Binny as she goes on her life journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment