My Reluctant Goodbye

It's bittersweet. I'm both sad for the end and relieved it's over. Another year at Saratoga Race Course concluded on Labor Day and I'm still humming on exhausting energy that just won't quit. I've got orders to fill, deliveries to make and people to contact but I can't seem to focus. Must be symptomatic of PSB (post show blues) or lack of sleep or a combination.

This summer I did make a commitment to eat well and I more or less managed, only sashaying over to the Snack Shack for breakfast on Saturday mornings when both Michael and I opened the booth early. There were some late nights when we were too wired/tired to eat but it didn't hurt us to skip an occasional meal.

It was an improving year for us. I welcomed many repeat clients, realizing how important it is to continue building my equine brand and be where people can dependably find me in the same location. Undeniably, it's an affirming and humbling experience to be sought out by those who love my artwork. The vast majority of folks who visited my booth were wonderful, gracious with their admiration of my artwork and fun to talk to even if they couldn't spend any of their hard-earned dollars. Others freely pulled out a credit card often enough to give me faith that we may indeed be in a recovering economy. May it please be so. It's a relaxed and ambient atmosphere as most are vacationing and enjoying their time from whatever demands the serious. 

And of course, they're visiting the most beautiful, historic and prestigious race track in the USA. Saratoga never, ever disappoints. This summer I said a misty goodbye to Tom Durkin and fell in love with Wicked Strong. Cheered on our girl jock Rosie Napravnik who made the impressive top ten list and was awed by the miraculous comeback of Wise Dan. The best of horse racing's best is all here and it's non-stop entertainment to observe the unfolding dramas from my ringside seat. How can I not show up every summer?

I did my best to do some plein air painting but it's demanding and creates an even longer day. Showed up on the Oklahoma side several mornings before fatigue began to set in. Photographed early mornings with my friend Jim in the main stable area while I picked his brain for marketing ideas (he's a former ad exec). I'm determined to to be present when the foliage changes. I promise myself.

Wonder how many submissions there will be to the Jockey Club for Splashtastic?
It's all good...no...great,
Sharon

Customizing Racing Silks

I've previously droned on about the necessity for artists to take control of their careers and become their own agents. We also have to get creative about gleaning the most out of an opportunity, mine being an artist vendor at the Saratoga Race Course for the entire summer season. Basically, it comes down to how to get the biggest bang for my buck. Entrepreneurship.

I wanted to offer something affordable and desirable. Racing fans here treat the top jockeys like rock stars and are thrilled to nab an autograph, let alone experience the sheer luck of being gifted with a set of goggles. With that in mind, I came up with a way to capitalize quickly and easily.

First, I drew a classic jockey stance. My jockey has his back to you and presents a combined hipshot pose of attitude and elegance. He's tall and graceful, sort of. Not that I have any prejudice against the short guys but this is my rendition for a pretty piece of art.

After the drawing was completed, I inked in the simplified shapes and sparingly floated some watercolor for color and form. I left the "silk" (shirt) blank to be custom painted. Voila!

I've sold several dozen or so already. Other than having to look up some silks and translate some vague descriptions (it's grass green with a big pink stripe that goes this way on the front and back), it's been easy and enjoyable. A couple of clients took the opportunity to design their own, right on the spot, using the colors and symbols they'd imagine if they ever owned a racehorse. What a hoot!

Here are a couple. The first is an original design (notice the pale pink wafting from the button on top of the cap, emphasis via client request) and the second is West Point Thoroughbreds, a very well-know syndicate.

All this for the very low, low price of $75. And I'll ship it!
Riders up!
Sharon

Working Hands

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Look closely at this amazing photo of Calvin Borel being led back to the winner's circle aboard Derby winner Mine That Bird. He's dropped the reins in his lap yet his left hand still grasps firmly with a half cross while the right has put away the whip (or maybe still tapping a shoulder).

Hands are an integral, expressive element in my paintings. Rider's hands are literally holding onto over a thousand pounds of pulling, jerking, grabbing-the-bit horsepower. Tendons stretch, joints enlarge. Okay, you imagine that I study them endlessly, and I do, but here's a secret: almost every hand in every one of my paintings is Michaels'. Props keep company with art supplies in the studio - from helmets to silks. Tied to my storage rack is a set of reins that I coax Michael into taking a hold of, pull back hard, and make 'em gnarly (then sketch like mad)!

Hands from "Harrowing":

Twirling the stick.

Reaching for a new hold.

Getting ready for the drive.

And, from the Farrier Series:

Clinching down the nails.

"Hands to work, heart to God" - symbolic Shaker saying.

P.S. I think Calvin should be designated the official ambassador of horse racing.

Legends of Racing

Tomorrow's fourth race on the card at Santa Anita is an allowance providing mounts for the "Living Legends" - Hall of Fame champion jockeys coaxed out of retirement. They be: Pat Day, Julie Krone, Jerry Bailey, Gary Stevens, Chris McCarron, Angel Cordero Jr., Sandy Hawley and Jacinto Vasquez - it can't get any better than that. Not just an exhibition race, it's the real deal with pari-mutual wagering.

I received an e-mail today from my friend Tom Chapman out in California who is himself a former race-rider turned terrific artist. He's painted a fantastic, and I mean *fantastic* depiction of some of the legendary characters squeezing back into various silks.


The piece is an absolute hoot, and you can read more about it here, including Tom's inspiration and ideas on his website. Giclees of the original are also available.

“Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of ''the rat race'' is not yet final.” - Hunter S. Thompson