Pretty Boy

Print available for this painting

Pretty Boy Acrylic Horse Painting * 40” x 60” *

Two very different artists came together to create this painting called “Pretty Boy.” Strokes by Red, the abstract artist, and Michele the Artist, a watercolor portrait artist collaborated to conceive this colorful, large painting.

We learned to marry very different styles to express a cohesive painting all the while having a fun time being free to let our brushes, paints and strokes tell the story.

Red named the painting in memory of her childhood family horse called “Pretty Boy”. He was indeed a pretty horse. Hence his name.

Oh, the sweet memories of such a wonderful horse. Not a big horse; but as a young girl, he seemed just perfect. This Shetland Pony provided such endless adventures and fun for all my siblings. Even though, he might have been short; he was definitely a character and mischievous. For, his personality was one of being large and in charge.

In fact, he was notorious for escaping from his stall, paddock or fenced in area. But he was a true friend to the other animals as well. Indeed, he would let them out too! Our pigs and cows would be wondering around the yard just as free as can be. And of course, we knew how they got out.

Moreover, this horse would even come to the back door looking for his dinner. Like hey, here I am; you don’t even need to bring the food to me. He especially loved spaghetti and watermelon.

So, if a house door was left open, he would just walk inside and look around. There were many a times that my Dad would yell out to my sister, come get the horse out of the foyer.

Often when Pretty Boy escaped his enclosed area, he would head down the two-lane road we lived on. We were at the dead end; so, he would go wandering up the road to see what he could get into. Believe it or not he even got arrested.

As the story goes, there was this particular house that had the best garbage. And being a smart horse, he would often escape on garbage days and go to this house. Well, garbage would end up being spread all over the man’s yard. Sometimes there is just too much garbage about, resulting in the homeowner calling the cops on him. Oh, what a sight to see, a policeman with his window rolled down holding the reins to a horse as he slowly drove his cop car and walked the horse to his fenced in town jail.

So, this Pretty Boy acrylic horse painting is my small tribute to a spectacular horse that was adored, cherished and immensely loved and who gave a family a lifetime of adventures and fond memories. And if you are wondering, yes, we did ride him quite often.

Thank you, Michelle, for creating this special horse with me.

Special Note: Thanks Cle for refreshing my memories of what a great and full of life horse Pretty Boy was.

Dare to Feel,

Red (Linda Harrison)

See more of Red’s Creations in her gallery. 

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