Tuesday, January 22, 2008



I can't help it, I love painting horses. To me they are one of the most beautifully designed creatures on this planet! No matter the breed, there is a grace about them that can put a ballet dancer to shame. (And I love ballet) All different in color, size, shape and temperament; yet in some fundamental way, all the same incredible animal. You have also probably heard me sing the praises of dogs, cats, and all sorts of wild life in this blog. And creatures are truly my first love.

But of course I realize that animals don't appeal to everyone. Last summer a man stopped by our table at a book signing, looked at one of my cards. and sneered, "So, you paint horses." I smiled and answered, "Yes, I paint a lot of things, if you are really interested, you can see my work on my website." I gave him the card, which he put in his pocket before he walked away. I am sure it went directly to the wastebasket. He was a local politician, someone in county government. You can bet he lost three votes that day -- the author of the book, the other illustrator and me.

I don't know who it is that decided what is an acceptable subject for art, and what is not, but somehow animals have received a bum rap. Not that it matters to me. Anything the Good Lord has taken the time to create is worthy of a painting as far as I am concerned. A flower, an animal, a mountain or the seashore, I have painted them all, and each has its own unique beauty. So no apologies here, and nothing but pity for the county supervisor.
Ooops...A comment from my friend Nita reminded me that I forgot to include details of the painting with this post. It is acrylic on stretched, wrapped, canvas, 12 x 12 x 3/4 inches. The painting continues on the sides of the canvas, all edges painted, so that it is ready to hang with or without a frame. It was listed for sale on EBay Monday evening.

3 comments:

Vernita Hoyt said...

Della, this is one of your most beautiful paintings! How large is it?

You never mind anybody who scoffs at your animal paintings. They are really superb!!!

mousewords said...

I whole-heartedly agree! I just know the love you put into your beautiful paintings makes the Creator of animals smile. :-):-D

Thank you so much for your comment on my blog--you made ME smile!

And now I have a blog question for you! You can see it on my latest post:

http://tinyurl.com/2vm3j6

dellartist said...

Thanks, to both of you lovely ladies. Let's see if I can leave a comment here. The last two times I tried, it didn't work. Nothing more pathetic than a blogger who can't leave a comment on her own blog. Now, supposedly all I have to do is click on "publish"....