Merri Cyr, editor at Westport Now Magazine photographs and interviews artist Nancy Whitin about her unique collaboration with her horse Domino
Could you give us a little background on your history as as an artist living in Westport?
My family has very deep roots in Westport going back 10 generations. When I moved my full-time residence here, I started taking art classes with the intent to paint horses. Charmed by a pair of local donkeys, I painted a few donkey paintings and then I painted more and and still more!
Westport has indeed played a large part in my choice of subject matter and mood. Like most of us who live here, I am drawn to the natural beauty of Westport, and I am constantly trying to artistically capture the atmospheric feeling of the marshes and beaches.. It’s always a challenge to portray such vibrant surroundings on mere paper. I was fortunate to have discover wonderful art teachers and mentors in RI and MA, including Amy Wynne who encouraged me to continue my creation of this hoof print series. Our area’s South Coast Artists’ group has been invaluable in its promotion of local artists.
It seems like you have a very strong bond with your horse, Domino. How did you find each other?
Domino arrived in RI with a “cowboy” from Texas. I bought him from the Texan when he was three or four years old. He has a mind of his own, which is not unusual for the Appaloosa breed. Fortunately I was able to work with several talented horses trainers, who really were coaching me (the human ) on how to work together with my horse. I am always striving to achieve a balance of leadership, trust and patience.
What gave you the idea to start collaborating on artworks with Domino? Can you describe the work you do together?
The horse is a force of dynamic energy, full of beauty, mass and speed, and though it is my artistic goal to convey the physicality and soul of the horse, I decided not to be an intermediary. I am not an interpreter. I say, let the horse tell his own story. I will bring the horse to the paintings.
I experimented for years with materials and techniques to find a result that represents the horse’s world I seek to depict. Next I built on my natural horsemanship skills to encourage the horse to walk over a suspiciously strange canvas. We worked together as partners.
I listened to my horse to build trust — essential with such a powerful animal, and crucial for walking over that unfamiliar canvas. It is not his nature to stand still. My paintings describe vast landscapes, across which horses have travelled for millenniums, but the horse cares nothing for studio art, only movement, leaving hoof prints on the canvas that speak of his size, mass and desires for freedom. When you look at these paintings you know the actual horse was here leaving the prints that tell his story.
Please tell us about your upcoming exhibition at Gallery at 4
Gallery at Four will host an opening reception of Hoof Beats… impressions in paint for the public on June 5, from 4 – 7pm. The paintings will be on exhibit from June 5 – July 4. The exhibition will also include a selection from my Civil War Horse series. These are large, charcoal drawings of famous Civil War Horses and each is accompanied by their unique biography.
Gallery at Four is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11-4pm and Sunday 12- 4pm, or by appointment.
