Sleeping under the stars with the Pony Express

I'm happy to say that we are one third of the way through painting the horses!  I'm also happy to report that the fundraising is almost keeping pace with our painting progress.  Many thanks to the many kind people who have donated to our work so far!  If you feel led to contribute, you can do so here.

Our tenth horse is one of the two horses who have historically had names on their saddles.  You saw the Wells-Fargo horse a few entries ago, and this little beauty has been the Pony Express pony through her last few painted incarnations.  Here she is before her facelift:

So when I think about the Pony Express, I have a pretty romantic notion of brave riders and strong ponies dashing across the plains, camping out under the stars in the wild prairies, dodging storms and skirting mountains.  So of course she had to be a pinto pony, definitely what comes to my mind when I think about the early American plains.  (I'm hoping this pony can hang out near the Native American war horse, they'd have a lot to talk about.)  I also really wanted to give this horse a quilt for a saddle blanket, for a couple of reasons.  My mom is a quilter, and I grew up steeped in the lore of the traditional American quilt, pieced together by brave pioneer women using the fabric scraps and worn-out clothes they had to keep their families warm.  And not just a practical boring-but-serviceable blanket, but a beautiful patterned expressive quilt.  I can imagine that a Pony Express mail carrier might take a quilt with him on his trips, made with love by someone at home.  So this horse is dedicated to my mom the quilter, who sent me with a handmade quilt and a lot of love when I went out into the world.

Here she is:

I never really took to the sewing machine like the rest of the women in my family, so this might be the only quilt I will get to design.

Here's two bonus photos of me working on this horse down at lovely Stewart Park on one of those fine mid-September days that make Ithaca so delightful.  Thanks to Rick Manning from the Friends of Stewart Park for these photos!

-Christi

Pretty as a Peacock

Another horse is DONE!  Julia started this one from the outside circle of the carousel before she headed out to school, and I finished up the saddle and decorations.  She's a peacock (well, a peaHEN technically).

 Here's a detail, with the top of the carousel in the background.

 It's really hard to get good photos of the horses' faces, they always look really freaked out with their open mouths from this angle.  But they really have a better and more friendly personality than this.

 

The inside.

The outside.

 Detailed look at the feathers.  I used royal blue to represent peacock heads and necks, then the saddle is based on the transitional feathers between the birds' back and tail. 

-Christi

On the radio!

I was fortunate enough to get an interview on WHCU with Lee Rayburn this past week.  It's archived at
http://whcuradio.com/morning-newswatch/audio-help-repaint-the-carousel/

I think I only said "ummmm" a couple of times.

Pony Express, part 1

I took a week off there, for a well-deserved camping vacation, but am now, ahem, back in the saddle.  I'm back working at the maintenance building at Stewart Park during these last few weeks of nice summery weather.  I will sorely miss Julia this fall!

This past week I started on the TENTH HORSE!  We are 1/3 of the way there already!  This particular horse has been the "Pony Express" horse since before Annie painted it.  We decided to keep this one and the Well Fargo horse as part of the history that is constantly being layered onto this public piece of art.  Here's a photo before:

 

"Pony Express" to me implies dashing over the plains, with a generous splash of the pioneer spirit.  To that end, she will become a pinto pony (that's what those "cow spot" horses are called, but I hope mine will look realistically equine rather than bovine) with a quilt for a saddle blanket.  I'm imagining what the pony express rider would have taken with him to keep warm as they ran across the country.

Sadly I don't have a good photo of my progress to show you, because during the afternoon I stopped painting to (drum roll) be interviewed for Time Warner cable news!  And then it was about to rain so we scooted the horses and paint cans all back inside, and I totally forgot to take photos.  This has been a big few weeks of great media coverage and curiosity, and it was rather a thrill to be talking about our humble project on TV.  Also a little nervous-making, my introverted self would rather be quietly painting than be all over the media, but I think I did alright.  If you are a T-W subscriber, you can find the interview on their website.

I want to also thank my Farmers' Market community for their generous contributions in the last few weeks!  The public support for these horses has been amazing.

Also, we have a Facebook page now!  Like us at facebook.com/stewartparkcarousel for quick and easy updates.

-Christi

Goodbye...But Only For a While

I have left Ithaca and returned to Baltimore for school. Class begins Tuesday, and I'm very, very excited. However, leaving the carousel painting project was a hard goodbye. I've been having so much fun with this project. Painting's been a dream come true, and the love and support coming from so many Ithacans has me wishing for a couple more weeks in town. I want to say THANK YOU to anyone who has donated...you are supporting me as an artist, which has me so unbelievably inspired, and ready to head into a new year of school. I won't be too far away, and I will stay very involved in the project. I will be back in December for over a month, and I plan to continue painting then. In the meantime, have a great fall, and I'll see you all soon! With love, Julia