Winter Gathering - Horse Herd

Horses have shared the history of humankind since earliest times. My mother was born into a world where horses were virtually the only form of land transportation other than our own legs. Those days are now past in almost the entire world. However, horses still have a place as a satisfying form of outdoor recreation. In many parts of rural North America horses are bred and used with great enthusiasm

I saw this scene while driving through British Columbia ranchland one atmospheric winter day. The farmer had unloaded hay in a line from his tractor. This concentrated the feeding horses in a longitudinal clump. Since my abstract painting days I have been attracted to black and white interlocking shapes reminiscent of the work of Franz Kline. That, to me, created the power of that central cluster of horses which I see as almost one form.