The Icelandic Stallion.

When I was a young girl, riding was my passion. I can not really adequately describe the sensation, but I was the happiest when I was on a horseback.
This was however a life time ago and the last time I sat on a horse was almost twenty years back, riding towards the sunset on a secluded beach in Puerto Rico.

In life though, we never know who meet and what those encounters can lead to and as luck have it, one of my husbands acquaintances, a jovial and kind woman, has a passion for horses. And thus once again, with her help and guidance, my own passion for riding has been rekindled.

Sitting on horseback recently for the first time after a couple of decades, I relived the happiness I once felt as a young girl. The sensation and "know-how" returned to me easily and the encounter left me wanting more. In difference from my past experiences, when I rode large stallions, this time I rode an Icelandic horse. Pony like in size, however not a pony, these horses are  known for having additional gaits, among others a very distinguished riding stride called tölt, which is a mix between a walk and a trot. They are small, yet strong and resilient, with a placid temper.

Riding through a beautiful natural scenery, in great company, my world was once again set momentarily right, as yet another set of unforgettable moments were added to my recollection.

White Stallion.

Recently I experienced a couple of days of absolute magic.

A weekend filled with unforgettable moments spend in the company of two special people -
my very dear friend Elizabeth, my greatest confidant and sister from another mother - and the man that makes my heart soar like an eagle. A man like no other, one that has changed my world around...

In my perception, happiness is measured by experiences that leave us wanting more. Time etched in our memory, creating recollections that will last a life time.

The weekend included a memorable walk near my home, on a beautiful evening, so very defined by the white light of Scandinavian summer nights and the vigor of the northern air.
As we walked towards the sunset, taking in the allure of the moment, our faces were caressed by vernal wind gusts and our eyes mesmerized by the sight of dramatic skies and breathtaking views...

At one point we made an enchanting encounter with a stunning White Stallion. This beautiful animal, full of stamina and vitality left an everlasting impression upon all of us.
A symbolic representation of purity, grace, endurance, loyalty, romance and chivalry - it in no uncertain terms illustrates so very eloquently the current state of my mind and the contents of my life...

(All the photographs in this post are taken by me, by the man that makes me endlessly happy and by my dear friend Elizabeth. Please click each image for a larger view.)

My Passion.

Horses are my passion. Even though I do not ride anymore, I still recall the beauty of a ride through an autumn forest and the sense of freedom it offered me.

Today, what fascinates me about these animals is their elegance and the speed with which they move, with such an ease and grace. When I was young, I loved to draw horses and did this constantly. I even made clay artwork depicting fairy tale horses in art classes. I watched horses and studied their anatomy and the way they took their strides and how their body moved in a wild run. I developed a skill of drawing a horse very fast, just a few lines using a pen.

Today - and ever since I began to draw - I have been fascinated by two subjects; ethereal beauty and action in a movement. I tried at all times to depict these in my drawings or paintings; and both can be found in a run of a horse.

Below is a mix of images I drew when I was really young. I have posted a picture of one of my oil paintings previously, however I always preferred to draw horses with a pencil. Some are inspired by the old Czech fables and most are unfinished sketches, but all are over 2o years old.

The clip below documents an attempt to draw a horse the way I used to. I am of course a bit out of practice and although it is difficult to draw with one hand, while looking at the image through a lens of camera in my other hand, I think you get the idea. The drawing is a bit off proportionally (way too long front legs!), but the learned skill is still there, somewhere, even tough it is in need of some serious "dusting off".

The Run Of Wild Horses.

When I was young, I was crazy about horses. I was one of those mad girls that would do anything to be able to ride. I pursued this interest with a strong passion of a young girl, one that I today miss and even envy.
It took months of persuasion until my mother allowed me to ride. As any parent, she was worried about me, but finally gave in.

We all have recollections of complete and ultimate happiness. Those moments in time, when world stands still and we are simply happy. When this emotion consumes us and overtakes us entirely. Those are rare occasions in life and can be easily counted with fingers of one hand.
Being on a horseback was one of those moments for me. The sense of freedom, the feeling of speed, the loss of control, yet simultaneously, the overwhelming feeling of being in charge of an impressive animal, were all enthralling.

Unfortunately, I only got to ride for a short period of my youth, as more important things, such as school, took over my time.
But I never forgot horses. I drew and painted them as often as I could. The essence of speed and the symbol of ultimate freedom in their motion were an incredible inspiration, which I longed to capture on canvas. I always loved when my paintings depicted movement.

Here is an example of one of those paintings, on display in my guest bedroom. I left it unframed, to accentuate the wild run of the spirited animals.

Mouse Art and Moo's.

The title of this post might seem strange. I am not talking about mice, the small rodents (at times cute). Nor am I referring to cattle or the sound cows make. I am referring to two separate, yet connected issues of my past.

The first one is associated with drawings or art created using a computer mouse. I was inspired to write about this by Stevyn. He recently posted a delightful piece on these kind of drawings, which made me think about a little creation I did about a decade ago. Actually, come to think of it, almost 15 years ago (now I feel old). It was a drawing of horse, as horses were (and still are, although to a lesser degree) my great passion. I was at that time, member of one of the first Internet based communities connected to tripod.com, called Moo. Now that brings me to the other part of the title. Moo stands for Mud Object Oriented and describes a text based virtual community, where several players can be connected at the same time, interact with each other and create objects and can build and extend the environment around them. One of the most famous Moo's is LammdaMoo. Ok, this makes me sound like a nerd, and perhaps I am.

At that time, tripod tried to move this text based environment into the web browser, allowing players to interact not just through text, but also images and pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed creating rooms and objects using my imagination and my humble artistic skills and the drawing depicted here was one of them.

Unfortunately, tripod decided after about a year of its creation to shut this Moo down, despite petitions and protest from all the players. Luckily, after digging through my back-up system, I found all my pictures posted there intact.
Thank you Stevyn for inspiring me to take this walk down the memory lane.