Blinkered I

"Blinkered I," 6" x 12", portrait of a Thoroughbred bay racehorse at the clubhouse turn on Saratoga, acrylic on canvasboard, $359 to the first taker. Inquiries may come to me.

The weekend at Saratoga Race Track was incredible. I have so many new ideas swimming in my head, jockeying for position. I posted a few of the 1000 photos+ I shot to my Facebook page, so you can get a sense of what the weekend entailed. You can see additional shots that my friends Linda Shantz and Juliet Harrison took on Facebook as well. Lotsa purdy horses, dramatic light, some equally dramatic weather, and the company of great friends.

So this is the first from my new series titled simply "Saratoga 2009." This horse was training on the main track Saturday morning. Such a joy to watch him interact with the other horses - there really is nothing like a running horse, reaching, stretching, fluid strides, blowing comfortably, all the while asking for a little more rein, wanting to hook up and give another a serious run.

Along with the equine behavior, I found myself fascinated by hoods and blinkers and other various trappings/gear. There was a parade of different bits of leather and sorts that I got to see up close and personal, both through the camera lens and with the naked eye, all of it oozing promise in painted form.

The next Saratoga piece is already on the easel, "Blinkered II," and I hope to work on her more later this evening. Meanwhile, I am delighted to share this piece with you.

Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my paintings with your friends and family.

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com