Year of the Fire Horse

(above – Year of the Red Fire Horse, 8″ x 10″ copper plate)

My personal animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiacal calendar — something predetermined by the moment of my birth — is the snake. This past year has put me in alignment with the characteristic of snakes that I most appreciate, their ability — and need, in order to grow — to shed their skins. I have been deep in archival work, and, in the process, shedding a great deal of paper and unneeded objects from my loft. Overdue, mentally cleansing, as well as necessary…..

The animal whose year is coming up next in the zodiacal cycle, on February 17, is the Red Fire Horse. As a person magnetized to horses since I was little, drawing them incessantly as a child, riding them when circumstances permitted, choosing them as a focus of art historical research in my first profession, and still finding them, as an adult visual artist, the most beautiful of animals to portray, I have been delighted to create some new images of horses in honor of their upcoming year.

Here are some very recent monotypes. It’s been helpful to be knowledgeable about equine anatomy, but I have particularly enjoyed ignoring that knowledge in the interests of trying instead to convey what I understand to be the qualities of concerted high energy associated with this particular Year of the Horse. Also, I have found in my preliminary research that teamwork is expected to be important this year – come to think of it, though, whenever isn’t it?

Coming Soon: Year of the Red Fire Horse, 1/1. 2026. This is a unique monotype impression from an 8″ x 10″ copper plate that has become one of my favorite pieces of equipment. The following two monotypes were pulled from the same plate; in each case, I’ve chosen the first of two impressions for this grouping.

This might best be described as one-and-a-half of a team. Only as I reached the final drawing stage did I realize that the horse at right lacked its hindquarters. By then it didn’t seem visually advantageous to add them. I am reminded of relationships we all have known in which one party pulled full weight and the other – not so much…

This not-quite-heraldic composition depicts two horses very much feeling their oats, quite unified into a team, as they attempt to settle themselves into the energies of the new year. A much better matched team, truly trying to work together, it would seem. Their mission is yet to be revealed.

This pale trio and the single black horse following them were loosely inspired by a famous ancient bronze Chinese horse. One of my students at City College long ago gave me a beautiful miniature version of him that I treasure. 

I’ve also enjoyed going back to look among the works in my inventory for a selection of other works about horses. Some are large oils, others small watercolors, and there are a few earlier monotypes in which horses appear front and center.

The black Rorschach horse was done during a brief but highly experimental period following a small stroke six years back. I practiced drawing with my non-dominant hand, just to see what the slightly disrupted eye-hand connection might produce; I didn’t worry much about correct anatomy and just had fun sending my horse out of the starting gate.

The identifying brands don’t show in this view, but this band of teenagers were members of the Class of 2012;. A band of wild ponies who subsist on salt grass, seen during a boat tour around Chincoteague, Virginia, they came to the water’s edge, probably hungry and hoping for food. Strictly forbidden to do, so we just watched, fascinated. The herd of which they were a part is maintained, culled annually and supported through the efforts of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, which raises funds through an annual roundup and auction each July.

A precious cultural and recreational resource with no guarantee of survival, from city administration to city administration, the horse-drawn carriages of New York City’s Central Park are, collectively, a great attraction, especially to tourists. Some city people cry “Animal abuse,” but anyone with horse-sense understands that the drivers working in this industry are highly motivated to take very good care of their horses. Having worked earlier in life as a stable-hand in several barns, I happen to like the smell of horse manure, and sometimes am overcome momentarily with nostalgia when my pedestrian path crosses that of one of these rigs.

One of my ongoing inspirations for my own composition is a significant slice of the work of Edgar Degas. LIke me, he admired horses, portraying them in many racing scenes. He was also a master of showing people not paying attention to one another.

These elegant riders were members of the Smithtown Hunt on Long Island, at a rest stop during their morning’s ride. No foxes are harmed during their outings. A designated rider serves as the “fox,” riding ahead of the main group with a spray can of fox urine to lay a trail of scent to be pursued by a pack of hounds who are then followed by people on horseback.During several seasons,I was among the hilltoppers – those not riding but driving to vantage points to watch the field across the landscape of the north shore of Long Island.

Also a scene from an autumn outing of the Smithtown Hunt. They typically ride to hounds in the non-growing seasons of the year, so as not to disturb agriculture.

Two modest watercolors, each painted over something I must have considered a failed composition. I like doing this sometimes, as I often obtain random color combinations I wouldn’t see otherwise. The substrate in each case was probably a landscape gone wrong. The original horse whose outline was the basis of these two was a black Central Park carriage horse moving along at a good trot, keeping pace with a yellow New York City taxi. 

If you are interested in exploring the monotype medium, you might like to register for one of the monthly monotype parties at the Salmagundi Club of New York, open to the public as well as to Salmagundi members

If interested in joining small group classes in watercolor or gouache at my studio, or in purchasing any of the works seen in this newsletter, please get in touch with me.

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