Why I've Always Drawn Horses

I've drawn and painted other things. Landscapes, pets, florals - subjects that sell, subjects people ask for. And I can do that work. But horses are different. Horses have always been different.

I didn't choose them as a subject. In a way, it chose me.  I just never stopped drawing them. Since the beginning, they've been the thing I come back to - not because they're easy or because the market demands them, but because it’s part of me.

The silliness of their less than majestic tendencies, but still, they look majestic. The intensity of the movement, or lack thereof depending on the horse. The individuality and their propensity to never judge a book by its cover. That of course includes the bench in the arena that moved an inch and now is some monster in the corner.

That's not technique. That's caring about something so much that it shows in the work whether you intend it to or not.

I think every artist has a subject like this - the one that's less of a choice and more of a given. The one where you stop performing and just work. If you haven't found yours yet, you'll know it when you do. You won't be able to stay away from it, even when it's inconvenient. Even when you've already done a hundred versions of it.

For me, that's always been horses. It still is.

Gunilla Wachtel is an independent artist working in pencil and paint. Her original work is available on eBay.