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 this wonderful email. I am grateful for the mysterious beings that are horses and my three characterful ‘cuddies’, Angus, Lettie and Walter. I am also grateful for the absolutely amazing people who buy my artwork and the conversations that emerge.
Being with horses requires deep listening which is very different to simply listening with one’s ears, which is hard enough! Deep listening, that is listening with one’s whole body and soul, takes one into the field of intuition, the magical, mysterious and inexplicable. That stuff that somehow gets erased or lost in the material world. Everything is energy vibrating with a life force. If we listen to the space between the animated we can ‘see’ that everything is held together with an essence akin to love, beauty and truth. That deep cosmic space is both within and without and we are balanced between.
‘Beauty is truth, truth is beauty, – that is all ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know!’ John Keats
My mini Shetland, Lettie, a skinny wee soul found standing in a dealer’s yard, spoke to me within days of bringing her home. She told me she was pregnant. Everyone thought I was being completely random! Lettie’s horse whispers were not something romantic or lovely, but a weird almost electrical feeling, an urgency to communicate. The ‘voice’ kind of buzzed my brain and body. It was a feeling I couldn’t ignore. It wasn’t particularly pleasant being communicated to in this way, but it was real.
When I paint, I try to listen to how the paint is talking to me, to let a painting emerge, to be guided. It is a slow and sometimes frustrating process as I don’t know where I am going to arrive. The first job is to get the ego out of the way, as you must with horses! The ego is a slippery little tyke that will trip you up given half a chance. With the ego away we can listen and something ‘other’ can channel through us. It would be very much easier and quicker for me to paint with a plan, but planning resides is the rational world of intellect, when I want my paintings to land in a space that ‘speaks’ to people…
Hi Kirsten
I had a really interesting thing happen over the weekend. To put it in context I do some energy healing work with horses, part reiki and part something else that just comes through me helping horses to rebalance their energy fields. Sometimes if horses need help they call to me through whatever channels they can.
I also work on a private yard part time, with 11 beautiful Arab horses of all ages. I’ve worked there 8 yrs and have really good bonds with the horses.
When I hung your painting on the wall every time I looked at it the blue horse took on the energy of one of the Arab horses, Jester. It was so strong. I kept thinking what’s going on with Jester? Due to an accident 8 yrs ago he was backed late in life so has spent a lot of time waiting for his time. But the energy I was getting was a ghost like ethereal feeling but definitely him. Every time I went up and down stairs I felt it and was fascinated and intrigued.
That was Fri and Sat when I wasn’t at work.
I was taken aback when I got to work on Sun to learn Jester is ok but on Fri morning he’d got his foreleg caught in wire fence, fallen and cut through the artery. Luckily for him he was found minutes after it happened but he still lost alot of blood
The vet was there within 30 mins and literally saved his life stopping the blood loss. He’s been at vets all weekend and came home today.😊
Now when I look at the painting the blue horse is neutral, Jester’s energy has returned to him.
I tell you this because your paintings are so ethereal moving between worlds of energy that I feel you’ll understand on some level. I shall watch the blue horse closely and listen carefully to what he says in the future.
Thank you for your beautiful work, you certainly capture the essence of the horse in more ways than one!
Best wishes
Kirstie xx
It gave me goosebumps reading Kirstie’s email!
Do you believe paintings and horses speak?
I do!
Kirsten x
