Posts Tagged ‘artist
Spring 2011 – New Pony Art
We’ve been waiting and waiting. Waiting for that perfect day, when the weather is warm, the sky is blue, and there is nothing we’d rather do than drag out the paints!
On Monday it reached 75 degrees, and on our small farm in Eastern PA – that meant that it was time to paint again. Winter always seems to drag on here. If the ponies had their way they would be painting ALL YEAR ROUND. Blizzards, Thunderstorms, Hail – nothing could keep them from making those magical strokes. Especially Minnow.
Me on the other hand, I hibernate in the winter. The cold is bad enough (there is no easy way to keep your hands warm when you have to hand sopping paintbrushes to an eager artist), but the lack of daylight is really what does me in. Trying to paint with the boys when it’s cloudy & grey out really does nothing for the “creative mood”. And the thought of dragging out the paints, the easels, the supplies (most of the time in the dark) in the dead of winter just sort of puts a halt to our creative juices. Although I have to admit the thought of standing in the middle of a blizzard (white snow all around) while Minnow paints a masterpiece does sound like a beautiful picture – I might just have the come out of hibernation next winter for that one! 🙂
But needless to say, I for one am glad to put the cold behind us. As I stepped outside on Monday morning I knew that I had to drop everything and make time to paint with the boys. Painting usually becomes an all-day affair for us. The set-up takes time, and preparing canvases before hand is necessary. Luckily this time I had a few ready-to-go canvases thanks to a some color suggestions on our Facebook page a few months back.
Several hours later I was at the farm enjoying the wonderful day with my favorite ponies (and a cute little dachshund). Minnow painted three amazing canvases and few little mini paintings as well. Unfortunately my beautiful day started to becoming windy pretty quickly, and as paint began to blow in the wind and I chased runaway paintbrushes – I had to cut short our session. Sadly Boomerang and Blitz had to sit the day out – as they nickered from the pasture in hopes of joining us. Sorry boys, today was Minnow’s turn, but don’t worry, there are plenty of magical days left to paint some more.
"Sun Flare" by Chincoteague Minnow
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You might need sunglasses, because this painting is brilliant! I think Minnow was dreaming of warm summer days in the sun when he painted this. That, or he was trying to convince me to buy him a new pair of sunglasses for beach season.
"Silver Lining" by Chincoteague Minnow
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Behind every cloud there is a silver lining. Magical things happen when you give the talented Minnow a paintbrush, and this masterpiece is no exception. Just when April showers come rolling into the farm where the ponies spend their days, Minnow can’t help but see the silver lining amongst it all. Or maybe he just knows that rain makes the grass grow! 🙂
"Retro Pony" by Chincoteague Minnow
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My little ponies, scrunchies, MTV, Pac-Man, and Leggings – do you see it? I think Minnow took a trip back in time when he painted this Retro 80’s tribute painting. He may not have been born yet, but I can see him now….pink hair & leg warmers, every little girl’s dream pony! Minnow keeps the 80’s alive with this fantastic painting for all the retro fans out there!
Keep on the lookout for more paintings to come from the boys. I have a feeling they are going to be even more spectacular this year!
P.S. check out Ammo the Dachshund’s Blog for a recap of his day of painting with the ponies!
CYBER MONDAY SALE!
Don’t forget to head over to the Painting Pony Online Shop today to save 10% off all items on 5AM to 12AM on Tuesday. And as a special thank you to all our loyal blog readers use the coupon code CYBERSALE10 at checkout to receive an additional 10% off!
Painting Pony DVD's make "kids" of all ages smile!
Every Princess needs a pretty little painting by a magical Chincoteague Pony
You don't have to be a Dachshund Lover to appreciate the detail Ammo the Dachshund puts into his artwork!
Holiday Cards made by ponies make everyone smile!
Every Gift Has a Story
Thanks to this great video from Etsy, I began thinking about the story behind Painting Pony , and how it came to be that on a small family farm in Pennsylvania there lives a couple of magical painting Chincoteague Ponies and their silly little Dachshund sidekick.
The story behind Painting Pony started years before the first paintbrush was ever put to canvas…..
It was 2002, and after just graduating high school I was about to take on a “project pony” from a friend. His name was Chincoteague Minnow, and all I knew about him was that he was born as a wild pony on Assateague Island and had since been bounced around between many homes for the past 10 years. At one point in his life he had been neglected, and he was now slowly on the road to recovery.
Chincoteague Ponies conjured up images of the famous Misty of Chincoteague, mystical wild ponies, and the magical love that little girls everywhere shared for them. Only the pony that came to live with me seemed to only be able to channel his inner WILD pony, with a fear of almost everything, and an inability to trust me. I spent years working with Minnow in the hopes of developing the kind of relationship with him that I had always dreamed of.
In 2004, on the verge of giving up hope, I discovered a book on how to teach your horse tricks. That winter I taught Minnow his very first trick, to give me a kiss. Things began to change, and Minnow began to look forward to my daily visits to the farm. Our relationship began to evolve, and I decided to take him to college with me that year.
Three years passed, and by the time I was graduating college I was looking at a completely different pony. My special Chincoteague Pony now shared an amazing bond with me, and we were able to communicate with each other in a way I never thought possible. In the winter of 2007 I decided to see if Minnow could learn to paint. I was a fine arts major in college, and thought it might be fun if my pony could make me a picture.
After lugging out an easel and some brushes to the farm, I handed Minnow one with paint and waited to see what he would do. His first stroke was magical and each one there after made me smile bigger and bigger. Sometimes he jabbed at the canvas, sometimes he made long swooping strokes – each one unique in it’s own way. As his masterpieces began to pile higher and higher I was running out of places to put them.
Soon I realized that Minnow had an amazing talented that he needed to share with the World. His paintings were so much more than abstract pieces of art, they had a story to tell. A story about how a little pony could overcome his fears and become something amazing. With each sale of his paintings I began to donate money to charities, in particular the Chincoteague Pony Association – which helped to care for and maintain the wild herds of ponies on Assateague Island – and Minnow’s ancestors. Over the years Painting Pony began to grow into something even bigger than Minnow and I.
With Minnow entering into his retirement years due to arthritis, two more amazing Chincoteague Ponies (Boomerang and Blitz) were added to our small family herd. Minnow took on the role of elder, and took the young boys under his wing. He has since passed on his painting talents to them, and continues to be an inspiration to them on a daily basis. Ammo the Dachshund entered our family in 2008, and quickly struck up an amazing friendship with Minnow. Never before have I seen a pony give a dachshund belly rubs.
Every time I see a child watch the ponies paint I am reminded of how I felt that first day when Minnow made his first brush stroke. A child’s smile is contagious – and there is nothing better than watching the twinkle in the ponies’ eyes when they realize they have made someone happy.
Painting Pony is about happiness and joy, and experiencing the magic of ponies. And if we can make you smile, then that’s all that matters.
Painting Pony Etsy Shop
Holiday Cards
After helping Ammo the Dachshund design his Christmas Cards for this year’s Holiday Season, I realized that I had neglected to help the ponies with their cards. So after a little brainstorming session with the boys, we came up with two fun designs for this year’s cards.
This card set features a selection from three different paintings by Chincoteague Minnow. The inside greeting says: May your Holidays Sparkle & Shine.
This card set features a selection from a Holiday painting by each of the ponies and the inside greeting reads: May all your Holiday wishes come true
In celebration of the wonderful season of giving we will be having a Cyber Monday Sale on everything in the Painting Pony Shop. 10% off all items on Monday, November 29 from 5AM to 12AM on Tuesday. And as a special thank you to all our loyal blog readers use the coupon code CYBERSALE10 at checkout to receive an additional 10% off!
Wishing you a joyous Holiday season!
All my favorite boys!
Sticker Shock
Today I got a surprise package in the mail from Picthall and Gunzi, a UK based children’s book publishing company. Inside were two children’s sticker books that featured ponies. It took me a few minutes to realize why I had been sent these, but then I remembered!
Inside were two stickers that features my sister’s morgan cross mare, Jet. The stickers were created from a photograph I had taken of her galloping in an open field a couple of years ago.
It may be a small publication – but it’s still something to smile about….finally putting my photography degree to some use! As of late my photography has taken more of a back burner to running my custom framing shop and managing the art careers of a couple of painting ponies. Someday I’ll get back into photographing more, I’m toiling with the idea of a few picture books…so we shall see!
You can purchase these sticker books here and here!
