This is one of the thousands moods of the mountain behind my sister's place. The pasture is just off her back porch and the horses are often standing there looking in on us hoping for a carrot.

The Wild West

With a short stay in Utah, I find myself being drawn to my roots as a cowgirl. I am loving the sparkle glittering off belt buckles, the fringe dangling from cowboy chaps and the dust puffing up under my boots as I kiss a favorite horse. My sister raises Paso Finos (a beautiful gaited horse--you don't bounce) on the south edge of the Great Salt Lake. There's lots of open space here with views in every direction. She is an expert horse trainer who uses the horses natural instincts and gentle psychology to create a bond between man and animal.
As an artist, I see the beauty and colors of the west waiting to splash themselves across a white canvas. Browns, blues and pinks become inquisitive horses sniffing the head of a small girl while childhood laughter echoes in the background. Horses teach this artist that I am more animal than human, that I too am timid, frightened, brave, playful and sometimes dominate or "alpha." They also remind me that a painting is so much more if it has these emotions I see so clearly in them and find hiding in me, if I only pay attention.