For the fourth year in a row I decided to participate as an artist in the Ellensburg Rodeo's Fundraiser and Art Auction. This year artists were selected to create artwork on animal hide drums that were made by the Yakama Nation. Three different types of hide were available: deer, elk and horse. The drum that I was given was made of horse hide, and my randomly chosen sponsor was Spirit Therapeutic Horse Riding Center in Ellensburg Washington.

 

Ultimately I wanted to create a work of art that respected the animal that this drum once was. I didn't want to cover up much of the beauty of the natural hide. I spent a lot of time looking at the drum in the light, examining its patterns, and listening to the sounds it made to come up with a composition. What I saw in the drum was a Paint horse that was just starting to run, like a snap and it picks up it's hooves to get moving.

 

I chose to use acrylic ink on the drum, because it would be less damaging over time, and the drum is still playable. I wanted to keep my painting simple, using white to suggest the outline, and white areas on the horse. While leaving the hide to represent the rest.

 

This is the best horse, I've ever drawn hands down, and I'm very happy with how it all turned out.