Horses feel our thoughts. With hands as light as a dandelion seed we can direct our minds energy from our free necks and poised backs through our seat and hands to the horses mind, soul and spirit carrying us both through an ever expanding potential space. It’s called lightness and it takes practice as we…
Category: Equestrian Art
Angels are Everywhere!
The Angel of the Dandelion Clock I received this beautiful message about the Angel in the Dandelion Clock – ‘Some (of your paintings) have an incredible ability to remind me to stay present, and continue to observe what is happening inside myself. Observing the rhythm, feeling the flow, feeling the life. Allowing everything to be….
You can’t keep doing more paintings!
‘Kirsten, you can’t keep doing more paintings, you must sell! You are running out of space! You have too many paintings and too much stuff too!’ ‘Really!?’ Am I doing harm to anyone painting whilst holding a vision of planting a forest before I die, or that I find objects d’art, small treasures found along…
Making for a Frame
I had a beautiful frame at home bought from a charity shop and I wanted to make a painting to suit it, which is a backwards way of doing things. Along the way I developed a new technique which I am now excited to develop further. I sold the painting within minutes of posting it…
Do you believe horses and paintings speak?
A couple of mornings ago I wanted to write. The only word that came was ‘gratitude’. I closed my computer, it was all I had to say. That evening I received an email that I am sharing, with permission. I understood why simply ‘gratitude’ was all I had to write earlier. I am grateful for…
Keeping on Keeping On!
I am not sure how this happened. But take a look at the stages of the painting before it became this painting, which I am calling The Intelligence of Trees. I just kept on keeping on instead of stopping! I must have liked this at some point as I stuck a copyright thing on the…
Listen to the Wind
‘Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows.’ Native American Wisdom Riding a horse is an act of listening with every fibre of your body and being as balanced in all ways as you can be. In return the horse will listen to your thinking…
It’s All White Now!
I wanted to make a white painting inspired by the fact that I was enjoying the lightness and brightness of my freshly painted walls in progress, so whilst redecorating I went back to this painting with big brushes in hand and experimented with how white is white and still has a composition and subject. My…
A Million Layers of Doubt!
I decided today that two rather annoying virtual studio assistants need to be given their marching orders! They’re called Smudge and Mudge! They are not the helpful type of art assistant who prepare canvases, wash brushes, update your website and makes you cups of tea! (If only!) Mine are an increasingly curmudgeonly pair of inner…
White
White light meditation White is all colour and no colour White is the colour of honesty and truth, the colour of purity, virgnity, healing, the colour of possibility. A white canvas. A white piece of paper. Clean, pristine, perfect as it is. I’m painting the walls white. It’s soothing. Standing before a blank canvas is…
Contemplating Detachment
This painting has changed so many times! It changed again yesterday. I created a problem from the beginning by putting the horse right in the middle of the canvas, so needed to create enough energy to bring your eye out of the centre so as not to get stuck in the middle. Yesterday, I added…
I See Your Horse Trees
A visiting friend yesterday said – ‘I see your horse trees in the fields here!’ What lovely words to hear, as though horse trees have become a thing! At art school in the 80’s, I made a large, 3d, interactive canvas (you could put your head inside it through several holes and see more paintings)…
Creating Your Own Problems
That’s what artists do, we create problems to solve! As soon as you make a mark of a piece of paper, you’ve created a problem. What are you going to do with it? I guess this is what all creativity is – problem solving. In the grand scheme of things these are not big problems,…
It’s My Party
I was talking to an art friend last night as to why we both have very different styles in our work. It was helpful, fun and inspiring blethering about art and life. It makes me wonder though – have we forgotten how to socialise, beyond the phone? So many traditional meeting places have closed. I…
The Magic of Nature
Dandelion seeds transform into horses and then become crows. Crows feed on dead animals. The animals and birds spread seeds. It’s not as crazy an idea for a drawing as it might seem. Everything is magically interconnected. Is it the design of the dandelion seed or the energy of the wind that makes the seeds…
Screwing with Time
Father Time, Acrylic on Canvas, 150 x 100 cm Little things make a big difference but those little things can be time consuming. I’ve been slowly drilling screws into the brick work in my work-in-progress gallery space to make a flexible easy hanging system. It’s a hard dusty job but worth it! I’m still needing…
Intentions
How to Make a Horse, Ink on Paper Although in style ‘How to Make a Horse’ and the four cat paintings below are different, the intention behind them is the same – a search for fluency and the essence of the image to take into big paintings. Have you ever watched Roald Dahl or Picasso…
Creativity is Mistakes
‘Self Consciousness is crippling for an artist’ Grayson Perry I find social media somewhat excruciating! There! I’ve said it! For all that it is lovely too, connecting with wonderful people all over the world, sharing my art is a challenge to me. I find it embarrassing! However, I won’t give in to being ‘crippled by…
Mother Ship Paintings
‘The creative adult is the child that survived.’ Ursula LeGuin A mother ship painting is an expression I’ve recently coined. It’s a painting that contains lots of jumping off points for different paintings ie it could spawn it’s own babies aka a body of work inspired by this one painting, thus the mother ship. Here…
Living Through Magic
Bee Fairies , Acrylic on Canvas, 50 x 50 cm Drawing is still basically the same as it has been since prehistoric times. It brings together man and the world. It lives through magic – Keith Haring Isn’t it miraculous? Life on Earth Our planet, a dot in this unimaginably vast Universe Me, you, the…
Recalibration – How to Keep Your Bucket Filled
Crowscape – The Drama of Being a Bird! Ink on Paper, 21 x 29cm This 96 day drawing project is more challenging than anticipated and I’m wondering why? The concept is simple – 96 days of drawing inspired by the Queen and my grandmother, who both lived to be 96. The inspiration from the Queen…
The Importance of Being Wobbly
I don’t agree with arguing for your limitations! People do it all the time and it seems daft. Why not explore what your perceived limitations are telling you and let yourself wobble for a bit instead? You will recalibrate. Wobbling is important! Wobbling is part of being balanced. Balance is movement at its highest potential….
Pointless
I drew happily for several hours. Life felt great. Now I’m tired. I posted the drawings to FB, then deleted soon after. Again! An icky feeling crept in. Sharing to social media or having an exhibition, I’m doing one on Friday, can feel as though the only point of art is to to sell or…
Destroy, Delete
The Magic Mushroom We love creativity but what about its opposite, destruction? Creativity and destruction, life’s balance – the life of a painting. Yesterday I painted all day and thought I had finished three paintings that I’ve been working on since the summer. Layers of paint – a mainly fearless process of creating and destroying….
Three is a Magic Number
Pythagoras believed that three was the number of good fortune, a magic number. I’m no mathematician but it’s always been my favourite number. It is a holy number, the trinity Past, present, future child, woman, crone birth, life, death beginning, middle, end… Why do children have favourite numbers? Today is 33 of a 96 day…
The Angels Visit and Fairy Lights
If you’ve not been sleeping well or are feeling a tad stressed then, according to those who know, it’s planetary! All sorts of things are going on up there amongst the twinkling stars and planets that are effecting us. So don’t take things personally, stay positive, the planets will sort themselves out soon. So I’m…
Bucket List
‘The Hoof Sayer’ Ink on Paper, 21 x 29 cm ‘I cannot rest. I must draw, however poor the result, and when I have a bad time come over me it’s a stronger desire than ever.’ Beatrix Potter Beatrix Potter is associated with the cute, the whimsical, bunnies in dresses… but this quote reveals her…
Work in Progress
Colour, spontaneity, control… Horse angels, wings, feathers, lightness, movement, riding, spirit… Water, rain, tears, springs, spirals, vortexes, flow, source… Moon shapes – intuition, psyche, time, the unseen… Spiders webs – connections, detail, delicacy… Dandelion clocks – seeds, wishes, magic… Circles – life on earth… A visual language in development…. These two drawings, Well Water and…
Medicine Wheel – Persevere
Out on my travels I found a vintage/antique cross with the word Persevere written on it, plus a small brass horse. I put them on a string to hang by my drawing table. Persevere with life, persevere with horses, persevere with art… I wonder who owned it over the years? I decided to look up…
Art is not Therapy!
All artists are willing to suffer for their work. But why are so few prepared to learn to draw. – Banksy The great thing about blogging is it’s a chance to be opinionated. So here is an opinionated blog from an artist who is interested in the healing arts. Art is not therapy! Far from…
Treasure Hunter
The other day I realised that one of my archetypes is ‘The Treasure Hunter’. It was quite illuminating. As a toddler treasure was stashed in my pocket – bits of broken pottery and dried worms found on the pavement. I lived in a village that seemed to have lots of broken pots and worms! But…
Hallowed Bee Thy Name
I found a wooden cross shaped thing at the car boot on Sunday for 20p and thought it would be interesting to try to incorporate this symbol into a drawing. Bees, saviours of the planet, hallow’d bee thy name! This drawing explores this idea … The horses in the wings of the bee hopefully portray…
Thank you! Carpet of Flowers
Listening to reportage on the Queen’s death I kept hearing a quote used to describe her style of wearing bright, colourful clothes on public occasions – ‘You have to be seen to be believed’ I have been mulling over this idea and the opposite – you have to believe to see! I am using these…
Allow
During the summer I decided to stop volunteering to organise big group exhibitions at The Tolbooth Lanark after 5 years, an idea initially inspired by JMW Turner who painted our local beauty spot the Falls of Clyde. It had been a wonderful experience and I’d met lots of brilliant people but sometimes it’s time to…
Pensive – On Clarity and Focus
It’s taken years to start to build a symbolic language to explore through art. I feel so slow in progress at times, so lacking in true focus despite working hard. In some ways knowing what you want to say is the hardest thing. It’s like slowly chipping away at a rock of your own density…
Wishes Are Forever
Every now and then you happen on a theme that becomes your own, a signature of sorts. Van Gogh’s sunflowers, Monet’s lily ponds… Horses flying out of dandelion clocks are mine. An image that went viral and has been plagiarised too many times. An image that has resonance for many, so much so that people…
Farewell
A corgi turns on the television, watching the coffin lying in state. Another corgi lies under the table, he can’t bear to watch. Britain, a nation of animal lovers. The Queen an animal lover and champion of animals. A rider to the end. Bless her! I bet she would have always preferred to hang out…
The Great Gathering
The Royal Oak, Queen of Trees. Watercolour and ink on cartridge paper, A4 – 21 x 29.7 cm. The sight of miles of queuing people quietly paying respects to the Queen lying in state. Stories of elephants gathering at times of death… The Queens horses gather under a mighty oak tree…. I wasn’t intending to…
Farewell Scotland
Watching the flight with the Queen leaving Scotland for the last time was emotional. As it took off I ran into the garden to see if I could spot the plane flying overhead. Looking at the sunny beauty around me, feeling my heart, feeling loss, the skies were empty. It was quiet. The flight must…
Don’t Go Back to Sleep!
The prolific author Dr Wayne Dyer (1940 – 2015) said – when you wake in the early hours, don’t go back to sleep! The early hours are potent. Spirit/intuition/higher self, whatever you want to call it, has woken you for a reason. Don’t go back to sleep! Ideas are like seeds. They grow, but first…
All the Queens Horses
Four days ago the Queen died. My Danish granny lived to be 96 too! The Queen and my Bedste, two inspiring long-lived women. This morning I woke at 5am with an idea… I listen to ‘first-thing thoughts’ as it often feel like guidance! This morning – ’96 days drawing… follow this drawing muse of the…
Intentions – A bit of a stretch!
Artwork – Floating Above, Acrylic and Gold on Panel, 30 x 30cm I wrote a blog a few days ago called ‘The Joy of Not Setting Intentions.’ It definitely helped me have more fun with everything, so returning to the word intention this morning curious about its etymology. Intention comes from the Latin intendere meaning…
Heavenly Beings – I am Listening
Heavenly Beings, Oil on Panel, 40 x 40 cm I have tinnitus. It started during lockdown. Apparently it’s common and there seems to be no cure, so I’ve decided to listen into the high frequency, to allow rather than react to it: to be curious and see what I can hear. Now there is an…
The Art of Getting it Wrong!
Spreading Light, Oil on Canvas, 150 x 100 cm One thing painting teaches is the art of getting things wrong…. over and over and over again and having the tenacity to not give up. Art is the practise of not knowing, experimenting and failing repeatedly. In a world that seems largely defensive, where people seem…
Advent Calendar – 22nd December – Death of a Horse Tree
Mid Winter, solstice, long dark nights, solitude, a time for reflection of the year gone by. Trees bare of leaves, their skeletons showing, shaped by the wind and time. Branches crashing to the ground in the arctic winds. Some trees will fall by the wayside. To me the interest in a crucifixion image is not…
Advent Calendar – 15th December – Baby Forests
Some paintings, like trees, take a long time to grow. ‘Cows at the Horse Trees’ is a learning curve painting and probably not done but has given me an idea… Baby forests! Baby forests are like the woodlands planted to commemorate a persons life but even more positive! Let’s plant trees to celebrate new beginnings….
Advent Calendar – 14th December – Tree Lovers
For years I blamed a persistent cough on fumes from painting in oils. This summer a friend alerted me to the dangers of mouth breathing. He was resorting to taping his mouth at night to stop his habit. My cough is all but gone as I remind myself to shut my mouth as I walk…
Advent Calendar – 13th December – We Tree Kings
Although a tad ‘bah-humbug’ re the extent of commercial Xmas trees chopped, as opposed to a sea-change in thinking towards planting hardwoods for Christmas, I do love the smell of pine and will cut a branch to bring in. Pine is an amazing natural healer full of Vitamin C as well as antibacterial. If you…
Advent Calendar – 9th December – The Clearing
Tree planting, letting go, The Xmas story
Advent Calendar – 8th December – ‘When You Change the Way You Look at Things…’
‘When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change!’ Dr Wayne Dyer A horse contemplates a dandelion clock. A weed or treasure from mother earth? Underground horse spirits guard treasure, rich nutrients stored in the soil. A true story – Two fields, side by side. Different owners. One with…
Advent Calendar – December 6th – It’s in the DNA!
‘A tree excels at being a tree and no-one really knows how it does it. There is no way of imitating a tree, the only thing is to be one.’ Alan Watts Spiralling DNA, the Tree of Life, branches as horse trees… A rider sits quietly contemplating spirals. Listening to space. Breath flows from the…
Advent Calendar – 11th December – The Embrace
Children hug trees. One girl stands beside a horse. ‘It is time to take action! We are ready!’ she says ‘ Show us the way!’ A prayer of sorts. Fencing off areas within our horses fields to plant stands of trees is a gift to the future – trees to embrace and nurture the children…
The Horse in Motion – After Muybridge
When I drew ‘If Wishes Were Horses’ (see below) I looked at this early still animation by pioneering photographer Edweard Muybridge (1830 – 1940) for the differences in the horses movement. This week I decided to pay homage to Muybridge with a large mixed media painting. Again I was interested in the differences. This time,…
Crucifixion – After Dali
This painting is very loosely based on ‘Christ of Saint John of the Cross’ by Salvador Dali housed at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery in Glasgow. It obviously looks nothing like Dali’s luminescent masterpiece, but I looked at the work as a starting point for the feel I somehow wanted to attempt to convey. *** My…
Breath
First Garden by Kirsten Harris, Acrylic on Board We all know that trees are the lungs of the planet, but did you know that it’s unhealthy to mouth breathe? Notice if you do it! Mouth breathing can cause of a lot of problems. There is a fascinating new book on the subject called Breath by…
To Earth We Return
To Earth We Return by Kirsten Harris Why do humans find it so hard to accept that none of us are getting out of here alive? Me included! Life is short! My dad told me that all the avenues of beech trees in Britain were planted after the first world war to commemorate the dead….
Tao Te Ching – Twenty Two
Yield and overcome; Bend and be straight; Empty and be full; Wear out and be new; Have little and gain; Have much and be confused. Therefore wise men embrace the one and set and example to all. Not putting on a display, they shine forth. Not justifying themselves, they are distinguished. Not boasting, they receive…
Tao Te Ching – Twenty One
The greatest Virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone. The Tao is elusive and intangible. Oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image. Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet within is form. Oh it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence. The essence is very real, and…
Tao Te Ching – Twenty
I’m stepping back from the business end of art to enjoy art’s fun. In a world where it seems ‘all about the sale’ and making a living, it’s been a challenge to disentangle from trying, but I’m feeling my inner flame beginning to burn brighter the more I do. It’s exciting! What a challenge it…
Tao Te Ching – Seventeen
The very highest is barely known by men. Then comes that which they known and love. Then that which is feared, Then that which is despised. He who does not trust enough will not be trusted. When actions are performed without unnecessary speech, People say, “We did it!” LAO TSU *****
Tao Te Ching – Thirteen
Accept disgrace willingly. Accept misfortune as the human condition. What do you mean by “Accept disgrace willingly”? Accept being unimportant. Do not be concerned with loss or gain. This is called “accepting disgrace willingly.” What do you mean by “Accept misfortune as the human condition”? Misfortune comes from having a body. Without a body, how…
Tao Te Ching – Twelve
The five colours blind the eye. The five tones deafen the ear. The five flavours dull the taste. Racing and hunting madden the mind. Precious things lead one astray. Therefore the sage is guided by what he feels and not by what he sees. He lets go of that and chooses this. LAO TSU ****…
Tao Te Ching – Eleven
Tree Lovers by Kirsten Harris
Tao Te Ching – Nine
Better stop short than fill to the brim. Oversharpen the blade, and the edge will soon blunt. Amass a store of gold and jade, and no one can protect it. Claim wealth and titles, and disaster will follow. Retire when the work is done. This is the way to heaven. LAO TSU ******* The woodpecker…
Tao Te Ching – Eight
The highest good is like water. Water gives life to ten thousand things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. In speech, be true….
Tao Te Ching – Seven
Heaven and earth last forever Why do heaven and earth last forever? They are unborn So ever living. The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all. Through selfless action, he attains fulfilment. LAO TSU **** I didn’t paint yesterday, creativity ‘unborn’, instead I moved paintings around, searching…
Tao Te Ching – Six
The valley spirit never dies: It is the woman, primal mother. Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth. It is like a veil barely seen. Use it; it will never fail. Lao Tsu ***** Another cold day. Wind stealing energy. Walking with Maisie, feeling low, thinking about the word ‘valley’ in the verse….
Drawing – A Line Around Thoughts
‘Drawing is a line around my thoughts’ Gustav Klimt. I love this quote. It expresses drawing so clearly. Following a line, a train of thoughts, as the hand draws across paper, as the mind flows through the hand, allowing oneself to see where thoughts lead. Drawing is a withdrawn, introverted pursuit – simply being quiet…
20-20 Vision – The Haggis Party – Profile of a Hill
The Haggis Party, Pen and Watercolour on Paper My latest few blogs are collections of art on specific themes. Certain themes recur almost without thinking. So these blogs are a kind of sketch book for me or mini exhibitions. (Apologies in advance for my poor photography of some of the images.) Tinto Hill here in…
20 – 20 Vision – Get Back on Your Unicorn Gallery
Welcome to my Unicorn Gallery. 20 Unicorn drawings and cartoons from £20 as part of my 20-20 Vision project, drawing a weird and challenging year to an end. I expected everyone to be talking about 2020 vision this year not viruses, so thought I would create a 20-20 vision personal art project and challenge to…
On Tintock Tap
On Tintock Tap by Kirsten Harris, Pencil on Paper ON TINTOCK TAP – Traditional Rhyme ‘On Tintock Tap there is a mist, And in that mist there is a kist, And in the kist there is a caup, And in that caup there is a drap; Tak’ up the caup, drink aff the drap And…
Painting ‘Too Big’ and ‘Too Small!’
During lockdown I was kindly gifted two large canvases by a friend, as they were ‘just too big’ and some mini canvases by another friend as they were ‘just too small.’ They say – don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and I was delighted. Here’s what I did with the too big and…
Ascension – On Exhibiting
Ascension, Work in Progress, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 150cm I miss people and I miss exhibiting. The social aspect of art is a big part of the creative process and I miss it. In April I was due to have a one woman exhibition but like so many other things a Covid fall-out. I…
Allowing Hands
This drawing is an attempt explain something about the anatomy of the hand in relationship to riding. For those of us who ride English style we have been taught to hold the reins between our fingers where the digits poke out from the webbing of the hand. But there is no joint at this point…
A Local Ghost Story
The Grey Lady of Sheildhill Castle by Kirsten Harris
Bum to the Wind!
Weathering the Storm by Kirsten Harris I’ve been thinking about how important it is to to keep a steady course in the midst of a storm, and that maintaining a steady course is a balancing act that requires courage, patience and trust. I notice people sail mentally into the eye of the storm and then…
Perspectives on Drawing
How the Cat Got Nine Lives, Ink on Paper I have been doing a lot of illustrative drawing recently and to my amazement have just discovered I CAN draw buildings which has inspired me to want to blog about drawing… Ideas arrive in the process of doing. They appear when we show up. White paper…
The Fate of Paintings
Me and the Chinese Ambassador Artists want their artwork to find homes and be loved, For the art to become backdrops to lives and talking points. To be looked at and dreamt into. For owners to see what the artist saw and find inspiration and joy. This is the ideal, but after paintings leave the…
Horizontal and Vertical Directions
‘Crucifixion’ by Kirsten Harris, Oil on Canvas, 100 x 150 cm A jockey friend asked me if I had ever painted a crucifixion? Answer no. But I had been thinking about the symbolism of the vertical and horizontal planes and so decided to attempt this classical and religious subject. Gulp! ‘Crucifixion’ is inspired by Salvador Dali’s…
Meeting of the Sky Gods
Last week clumsy me damaged a painting. It upset me but in the big scheme of things seemed trivial. Last night I spent half the night dreaming that I should repair it and to repair it by adding horses in the clouds. As I painted the three horses and restored the painting it seemed a…
How to mess up your back and create pain whilst thoroughly enjoying yourself painting!
1 – Decide whilst an arctic storm is blowing that it’s a really good idea to go into your unheated studio and work on some large oil paintings that you thought were finished and had framed but have now decided to change. 2 – Repeat this behaviour pretty much daily for three weeks whilst three…
The Journey
A horse stands on a telegraph pole, other horses bravely move forward, balancing on a wire. The drawing is called The Journey. Sometimes we get stuck. It feels as though life is moving on without us. Our emotions, fear, circumstances or past experiences leave us in a place of hesitation or doubt. It may seem as…
Extinction Rebellious Art!
What if all we need to do to create change and stop destruction is to learn how to stop. Sounds simple enough. Just stop, or pause and take a bit of time out to think about what we are doing. Stop to create space to allow something new to happen. Stop the stuff that doesn’t…
Only Do the Good Ones!
My dear departed dad once asked me ‘Why don’t you only paint the good ones?’ He was trying to be helpful, and it made me laugh. If only!’ I said! ‘If I could I would!’ Sometimes I know when I have done a good painting, but sometimes it seems not. When I had finished drawing…
Contemplating the Earth Walk
I am thinking about feet! I tore a plantar plate in my toe about 5 months, a toe is now floating. It doesn’t sound like a big deal but it has made walking very difficult. It is funny how injury clarifies what is important! Tree planting for me! A foot is a powerful symbol for…
Feel
I am going to start writing a few blogs about the meaning behind my drawings. Hopefully, if you like the drawings, you will be able to find your own meaning too. My drawings more and more reflect my interest in horses, symbolism, teaching the Alexander Technique, positive thinking, tree planting and the environment and more….
Four Winds Medicine Wheel
‘Four Winds Medicine Wheel’ by Kirsten Harris I thought I would write a little about my drawings. ‘Four Wind’s Medicine Wheel’ is about emergence into light from darkness. It is about the mysterious deep space energy from which we all come. The element represented is air, the mind. The intuition of the moon calls us…
The Happiness of Grass
The Happiness of Grass by Kirsten Harris I have been thinking a lot about grass! As you do! Under a powerful microscope grass looks like it is smiling. Grass is amazing stuff. Grass is happy and it sure has tenacity. No matter how trampled and muddy, parched and burnt or just plain sad and worn…
Heart in Hand – Destination Freedom
Riding horses is a destination not a position Art is a destination not a position Love is a destination not a position The open hand is a destination not a position Forward and up, the way of poise, is a destination not a position … The open hand is an attitude of the heart and…
Prayer to my Horse
PRAYER TO MY HORSE by Kirsten Harris My horse, I am honoured by your presence and stand in awe before your divine beauty May I be worthy of your trust May I have sensitive wisdom to understand your language, so I may dance the dance of life with you May I have hands that do…
Messages from Trees
‘In Nature We Find Ourselves’ Drawing by Kirsten Harris Messages from Trees – Breathe deeply of me I am the lungs of the world, my health and yours are one Let your spine flow upwards and your limbs flow outwards in the sky Life will shape you and sculpt you as you grow, it’s…
The Wishing Horse
Increasingly my painting and drawing is looking at ways to express ideas about mind-body-soul connection, horses and riding, drawing on my experience as a horse owner and Alexander Technique teacher, as well as hopefully connecting with some of the spiriitual magic and timeless inspirational power that is horses and the lessons we learn from…
What my horse drawings are about…
‘Connections’ – A drawing of two horses about elasticity, flow, direction, spatial awareness and connection. In February I set myself a drawing project, the weather was wild (snowed in home alone for 6 days) a drawing a day seemed like a doable project. I decided to concentrate my artwork on horses. For years…
How to Make a Dream Come True
How to Make a Dream Come True by Kirsten Harris I have been asked by someone to say what this image means to me, so here goes … The girl on the ground is daring to dream, she leans on the magic dandelion clock, the wish machine, that will give her dreams wings….
Lasting Impressions
My first art school teacher was the performance and instillation artist Kerry Trengrove, 1946 – 1991, infamous for his 1977 performance An Eight Day Passage, where he was buried in a small cell under the Acme Gallery in London and had to dig his way out. The performance is still legendary as an epic endurance…
Reflections on Plagiarism, Stress, Tattoos & the Kindness of Strangers!
If wishes were horses, beggars would ride If turnips were watches, I’d wear one by my side If ‘if’s and ‘and’s’ were pots and pans, There would be no work for tinkers hands! If wishes were horses, beggars would ride Watch! Some ‘turnips’ have no integrity or pride They’ll plagiarise your concept, pass it…
Wishing on Dandelion Clocks
Wishing with a Horse by Kirsten Harris ‘If Wishes Were Horses beggars would ride!’ I was the little girl who begged to ride. I mucked out all weekend at the local stables for a chance to sit on a horse and that might just be bringing the horses up from the field. I…
Dandelion Oracle
If Wishes Were Horses Dandelion oracle I blow on your clock Sending wishes into the wind Tell me when Love returns A year and half ago I was in the field next to my house early in the morning photographing dandelion clocks when my mum phoned from Portugal to say that my dad…
How to Paint my Camouflage Style, for 5 Year Olds
I received a request this weekend from a primary school teacher wanting – ‘to focus on a particular artists art and produce a similar sytle with a school art gallery and parental showcase to promote education through art. I love the camouflage style look with animals and cars and was wondering if you can…
Wonderful World
Imagine an art gallery in an industrial unit? The sort of place you might go to have your car MOT’d! This is Resonate Arts House in Alloa and I love the space! An artists dream in fact – big wall spaces, well lit, run by art historian Clark, whose passion and knowledge of the visual…
Looking Through Your Eyes
The process of painting is fundamentally abstract – colour brushed onto surface. So why are artists driven to abstraction? What is the motivation? And does a painting gather energy – become real, gain a life force, by being seen by you? Does a painting actually exist if no-one looks at it? I have a…
Energy Shifts
Diary of an Exhibition – Midsummer’s New Moon
It is the summer solstice and a new moon … A strange energetic time shift …. A turning point … Am I the only one who is feeling a bit strange, a bit tired, a bit well … moody? I have been working on old paintings these past few weeks, attempting to resolve the…
Spring Greens
‘Galloping Free’ Oil on Canvas Spring! This past 2 weeks in Scotland for me has been all about green – suddenly the trees have burst into life, fabulous shades of green – bright, fresh, acid, shining, shimmering, vibrant, new green. Amazing, wonderful, startling, inspiring … I was commissioned to paint green and blue elephants…
How to Create Movement in Paintings
I often get asked – How do I create the feel of movement in my paintings? So I thought I would attempt to write a ‘HOW TO’ blog! How to create movement in a painting – Keep your body and your eyes moving at all times. A key is not tightening your own…
Diary of an Exhibition – Abandoned
‘Art is never finished only ever abandoned’ Leonardo da Vinci Last week I revisited abandoned paintings … Paintings that hadn’t been resolved but had something going for them that was worth a relook. A week of attempting to reconnect and find resolution with abandoned ideas. Sometimes we all need time to…
Any Body Can Paint – Even A Horse!
Last year Angus learned to paint – with a little gentle encouragement from me. A roll of pre-primed canvas and some black poster paint brushed on his hooves… He loved it – anything for a carrot, and I love the result! Angus’s paintings have been hanging on my kitchen wall ever since. There was a…
Stop and Smell the Roses
S Inspired by my miniature Shetland pony, Staplow Lettie, I have started a series of pony cartoons. They all come framed in white frame and mount. As she is currently unexpectedly pregnant, look out for foals in the cartoons soon!
Bottoms Up
Communication
Breath
Oil on Canvas 140 x 80 cm
The Conversation
Roly Poly
Oil on Canvas
Approaching Thunder
Oil on Canvas 80 x 100 cm
Best Foot
Waves
Oil on Canvas 80 x 100 cms
Winner
Oil on Canvas 120 x 100
Racing Bottoms
Ponies on the Hill
Oil on Canvas 23 x 40
Icelandic and Shetland
Oil on Canvas 30 x 50 cm
Mare and Foal
23 x 30 cm
Green Transport
Oil on Canvas 100 x 120 cms
Through the Night
80 x 10
Rolling, Rolling, Rolling
Oil on Canvas 23 x 30 cm
What’s That
Coming Through
Oil on Canvas 80 x 100 cm