New Wild Horse Fine Art Print "Winter Splendor"

May 08, 2021 • Leave a Comment

A couple of weeks ago, I shared that I was working on creating some brand new archival pigment ink wild horse prints. I have been very busy since that time and I am happy to share that I am delighted with this first print - "Winter Splendor".

I printed this first version of the print on my Epson P800 using Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper and it is really stunning in person. The detail in the colts mane and color gamut immediately captures your attention. The detail is really extraordinary and I love the overall feeling of the image. The archival and aesthetic qualities of the Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta Paper is truly very special. I trust Hahnemühle with my most prized images.

If you are interested in buying one of these prints of "Winter Splendor", contact me for a Free Art Consultation and we can work together.

Prints available in sizes from 6"x9" all the way up to 40"x60"

I offer Free Art Consultations to help you figure out the best size and details for any piece of artwork that I create.

You can contact me and share a couple of dates, times, and your best phone number and then I will confirm a date and time for our meeting. I can do Facetime video or Zoom meetings, if you would like to share your space with me as we work through designing your new artwork together.

THE STORY BEHIND THE ARTWORK

It was a cold winter morning in January of this year. I had cabin fever and so I wanted to get out of the house and check on the horses.

There was a light dusting of snow and the cold winter air at daybreak was very brisk. I first went to one of my usual locations for the Shawnee Creek herd, but after walking for over an hour through the woods, down along the Jack's Fork river, and the fields where they frequent, not a single horse in sight.

I was literally freezing, so I packed up and headed back to the truck and decided to try an alternate location.

After getting warmed up and drinking some hot chocolate that I brought along, I made my way to the second location. I got out and started hiking and exploring the area and I still didn't see the horses anywhere. I thought this was probably going to be one of those days when I just couldn't find them.

I continued to hike through the woods and down by a new stretch of the river and still no luck. Then, just about when I gave up and was going to head home, I heard the horses, but I still could not see them.

I squatted down and remained very still in hopes that I would get another clue. After just a few minutes of patiently and quietly waiting, I was greeted by this beautiful young colt. He was walking along the tree line all by himself which I thought was very odd.

What I didn't realize at the time is the rest of the herd was inside the forest where I could not see them. I waited patiently until he got within range of me. I was about 150 to 200 yards away and when I got my big 600mm F4 lens in position to photograph him, he knew I was there and started surveying his surroundings. As he was panning around, I took a lot of shots and the one that you see I felt best expressed his natural beauty and state of curiosity.

If you love horses, join my Free Wild Horse Journal where I bring you behind the scenes in my darkroom and studio and provide my latest updates and special offers. Current members are automatically entered for a chance to win one of my wild horse fine art gallery prints every month.

Join me and other horse lovers from around the world in my Wild Horses of North America Facebook Group. I share behind the scenes photos and videos in the group that you won't see anywhere else.

I am starting to do Live Video Broadcasts from my new studio and darkroom while I am working and making prints and even doing live art shows too. I will be making my big 30x40 and 40x50 silver gelatin wild horse prints and also platinum and palladium too. You can connect with me live on my new YouTube Channel, and in the Darkroom Underground Facebook Group, and the Wild Horses of North America Facebook Group.

HISTORY OF THE WILD HORSES OF SHANNON COUNTY MISSOURI

Shannon County is home to an extraordinary herd of wild horses that very few people know about. Hidden away in Southeast Missouri in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways on public land about 130 miles from Springfield and 150 miles from St. Louis, 4 herds of wild horses roam the beautiful and rugged landscape.

Ozark National Scenic Riverways is the first national park area to protect a river system and the only place in the state where wild horses still roam free.

It hasn't been an easy path for the wild horses over the last 100 years and it would be foolish to think current conditions couldn't change and put the horses back in danger again.

During the 1980s the National Park Service announced a plan to remove the wild horses, and people were outraged.

In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court denied a final appeal to protect the horses and gave the National Park Service the right to remove the horses from federal land at their discretion.

The national park service started the process of removing the wild horses in a way that was profoundly upsetting to local residents and horse lovers around the country. The people of Shannon County and horse lovers around the country rallied together and the Wild Horse League of Missouri was formed.

Luckily, by 1996 the Wild Horse League of Missouri, which formed in 1992 to save the wild horses, received help from the people of Shannon County, Congressman Bill Emerson, and Senators Kit Bond and John Ashcroft.

Their tireless efforts paid off, and President Clinton signed a bill into law on October 3, 1996, to make the wild horses of Shannon County a permanent part of the Ozark National Scenic Riverways.

Now, people from around the world visit Shannon County Missouri in hopes of seeing these majestic wild horses.

The Missouri Wild Horse League works with the National Park Service to capture some of the horses when the herd exceeds the maximum agreed upon limit of 50 horses. The captured horses are taken into care and evaluated before being adopted by loving families for permanent homes.

It is important to remember that these horses are wild. When looking for them, be sure not to approach them or attempt to feed them. It is essential to keep these animals wild and free, and for you to be safe. The horses are big, strong, and unpredictable and for your own safety as well as theirs, keep a safe distance of 100 yards or more between you and the horses.

Keywords: Art, Collector Edition, Missouri, Shanon County, Wild Horses

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