Last fall, I was riding in Steep Rock Land Preserve and I came across a lovely hiker on one of the trails. She asked me if I would mind if she took a photo of Mark and me, and I said, “Mind? We’d love it!” We’re not shy, Mark and I, and never tire of photos taken of us together. I asked her if she’d email me the photos and we exchanged information and learned that we both live in the same town, both have horses and both have kids who attended the same college. Later she emailed me the photo and I believe I posted it here, but will have to go back and look. But why bother, because today, Carol Johnson sent me a photo of an oil painting that she made from the photo.
And here it is:
Painting by Carol Johnson
This such a great painting, it entirely captures Mark’s expression. We were riding on a part of the road where there is a short drop to our right and the river rushes along quite fast there, so Mark believes it is wise to keep an eye on the river. ”Safety first” is his motto. Well, it’s one of his mottos. Another is “every man for himself,” which is what I know he will be thinking should we ever come across a bear, just before he launches me into the bear’s giant outstretched claws and hightails it for the trailer.
Carol tells me it’s hanging at the local bank where she is exhibiting some of her work. I’ll be there when they open in the morning to check it out and I’m hoping she’ll sell it to me.
Carol’s a very talented artist, if you want to check out her work, visit her website, which is here.
Thank you Carol, I will cherish this.
And now, I want to post a poem. You poetry haters can look away, I don’t want to hear any griping. I chose the poem because it’s called October
and Carol has called the painting October Ride.
It also really touched me, today, because it reminds me of somebody I just met:
October (section I)
by Louise Glück
Is it winter again, is it cold again,
didn’t Frank just slip on the ice,
didn’t he heal, weren’t the spring seeds planted
didn’t the night end,
didn’t the melting ice
flood the narrow gutters
wasn’t my body
rescued, wasn’t it safe
didn’t the scar form, invisible
above the injury
terror and cold,
didn’t they just end, wasn’t the back garden
harrowed and planted–
I remember how the earth felt, red and dense,
in stiff rows, weren’t the seeds planted,
didn’t vines climb the south wall
I can’t hear your voice
for the wind’s cries, whistling over the bare ground
I no longer care
what sound it makes
when was I silenced, when did it first seem
pointless to describe that sound
what it sounds like can’t change what it is–
didn’t the night end, wasn’t the earth
safe when it was planted
didn’t we plant the seeds,
weren’t we necessary to the earth,
the vines, were they harvested?
Beautiful painting, lovely poem!
I LOVE this!
Yes, that deserved capital letters.
It’s beautiful! And it does capture you and Mark perfectly. Someone did a life size oil painting of me a few years ago, and I think it looks creepy. Your painting is much better. Much. Yes, that deserved repeating.
Carol is really gifted. Bravo!
Wow. Yes hurry and buy it. It really captures the whole feeling you give us when you write about your rides with Mark. Liked the poem too. It was a quirky choice.
What a fabulous painting, Ann! Carol Johnson really has captured you and Mark beautifully. How exciting to have someone paint a picture of you, and for it to be on exhibit. Love the poem, too.
Ann, would you ask Carol if she would do a print from this painting and how much it might cost? I would love to have a copy, and would love having it hang in my home. I am enchanted by the painting.
Aw! I’ll ask her.
I, too, would be very interested in owning a copy of this painting of a sweet, senstive, intelligent horse and the lovely woman who has trained him, rides him, and is his best friend!! Let us know if your friend is open to this slight money-making venture!!!!
Love the painting and the poem.
The picture is lovely, and I would be there first thing in the morning myself if I were you. That would look so lovely in your new upstairs writing room, don’t ya think? And today is the first time I can ever remember you cracking the whip on the blog with that “no griping” clause in todays’ post. SMACK, I felt that all the way in Chicago.
Beautiful – Love how Mark looks like he is taking care of Mom! That would be wonderful if Carol can have Giclee’s done, I know a few of us would go for those!
Wishing it was Fall again
Hi Ann! I’m sure there are alot of us read and enjoy your poems! And from my cell phone your painting is absolutely beautiful! (Could it be hanging if you didn’t purchase it already at Union Savings Bank)? I know she does hang paintings there. oh darn and I’ll prbably miss is because I am not scheduled to work there for a couple of weeks!
Yes, that’s where it is, Meta, but she’s leaving it up for another week or so.
Totally Totally Fabulous!
It is just beautiful !! I can only imagine how touched you must be that she painted the picture from the photo. I would feel so honored. I love how she captured Mark’s muscular legs and the gentle movement of his mane. So lovely.
t’s true, I am honored, Barbara
The painting is gorgeous, Mark looks like he’s going to step right out of my laptop. If it looks that good onscreen, I can only imagine how amazing it looks in person. I’d be at the bank way before opening time to buy it if it were me.
Very exciting Ann, enjoy your painting.
The painting is amazing.
Mark’s head is picture perfect. Lovely painting! Beautiful work Carole.
WOW!!!!!!! Beautiful painting! (Carol is very talented!). It looks great on my screen, I can only imagine what it looks like “in person!” Enjoy it, Ann!
hey ann….what a gift…its so beautiful…oh and my daughter keeps banging out some poetry….she’s 15…who knew?
Beth,
I *love* hearing that your 15 year old is writing poetry. Thanks for making my day!
Good for her!
As everyone else has said, the painting is beautiful and the light color of both of you just stands out so nicely against the earthy colors. Carole is quite talented. What a karmic moment. I like the poem too although quite a novice about interpretation of anything poetic – I just planted rows and rows of vegetables and started some of seedlings in the winter – it’s what gets me through those late winter nights. Crazy, but my husband and I enjoy reading seed catalogs all cozy under a blanket.
LOVE the painting! you both look fabulous & put me down for a print if the artist decides to have some printed.
The blue & white & gold work together so well in this painting, each doing its part to make the other colors shine and to look more of their best. Much the way certain flowers in a garden (or an arrangement) make the others look all the more fabulous because they’re in the mix.
Like reading poetry, we all bring something of ourselves to visual art. What I see is how Mark is focused on what’s around him and Ann is looking straight ahead at the path before her. Because I go through life w/a service dog, I can’t help relating – interpreting through my own personal lens. Luke is the one who keeps an eye out on the road at my feet and the crowd around us and any obstacles; he keeps his ears cocked for anything that might be important; he leads and steadies me in a way that is much like a horse carrying a rider. It’s because of Luke’s vigilance that I’m able to look ahead. Before him, I was always walking with my head bent, looking down at the ground to be careful of where I was stepping. Now my head and eyes are raised. It’s a whole new world. (“Wasn’t my body rescued?” it was.)
So in this painting I see the connection between horse and rider. Before I even read what Ann wrote about Mark having his eye on the river I felt his watchfulness in regard to her. In Ann’s facial expression and posture I see the complete confidence in her partner’s strength and capabilities; I see her trust in their bond.
It takes a genuine artist to convey not just a likeness, but the spirit – the energy underneath the surface of color and light.
Denise, I was very moved by what you wrote. I really “got” the connection, freedom, and trust that you have with Luke. Thank you for writing that, it moved me. Andrea
Denise, beautifully written.
Wow! Fantastic painting!!! Carol is really talented.
Ann, could you tell me if Carol does this as a line of work or just for fun? I have a picture of my children when they were babies that I always wished I could have in painted form.
Wow. Thank you all for the kind words. It’s nice to know that you received what I attempted to convey. I will investigate the cost of giclee prints. After painting portraits for years I now paint a variety of things. It is my full time job even though subjects seem to choose me and I paint my honest reaction. Mark and Ann are one of the first paintings in my new Steep Rock series.
You have such a wonderful talent Carol, such a gift. I can’t even draw stick figures well. lol I’ve always been in awe of those with artistic talent, be it painting, writing, singing, etc. That’s a gene that I did not receive. I’m so glad you and Ann ran into each other that day and we got to see the beautiful result.
Carol has captured Mark’s expression and your’s beautifully. Her Steep Rock series will be wonderful.
October is my favorite month, so the poem hit home as well. Thanks for sharing the art and the poetry. I’m feeling very cultured today.
Ann, just want to say what a beautiful painting that is. What a surprise it must have been. Carol does beautiful work, thank you for sharing this! Somehow, I still miss the essence of many poems….must be lacking some part of the brain…..this is not a gripe, just an observation of me.
Ann, what a truly lovely painting! You must have been so surprised. Do you have a place picked out yet where you would hang the painting-in your home or the lake house?
It is a beautiful painting. I went on to Carol’s website to see her other work, and it’s all beautiful. So much talent. Perhaps one day one of her paintings will hang on my wall. They’re all so lovely.
Since the entire point of painting is to express a feeling about something instead of making a “snapshot,” I took liberties with the light (which was actually very chilly,) and enhanced the gold, white, blue harmony….Thanks for commenting on that, Denise! I also had to invent some stuff since Ann and Mark were quite far away. If they had been closer to me, the candid, “real” body language would have evaporated. Apart from that, the biggest challenge was to resist squeezing Mark’s neck. That’s just not done on the first encounter! What a horse. What a pair.
What a very special and endearing piece of work. What a treasure for you to have Ann, of you and such a special friend in your life. He is so lovely to look at in pictures, and the painting captures all of that and more. I’m sure you will enjoy it for years to come.
Love the painting, and the poem.
How lovely
Ann my son in law wants to draw you he does animation
He really wants to draw you with your dogs, I told him I would ask as they are so adorable and would love to see what he comes up with
you can see what he did with my mom and her kindle here
http://mandatorybloghere9.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-family-pics.html
Wow, what a great painting. There is no question it is you in the painting, and Mark, and Steep Rock. You have the most amazingly serendipitous encounters, Ann! You meet princes and painters and Moby and ghost girls.. I can’t even keep track of all your great stories any more. Just keep documenting them on this here blog so we can keep reading them.