So many of us have a REASON behind the model we paint - not just joining in the NaMoPaiMo experience of bettering our painting skills and seeing what others have or are doing, but because the model itself sometimes means something to us in specific - What does your NaMoPaiMo model mean to you? Mine is a reflection of myself - the pretty side that I show the world and the ugly side that I try to hide.
You'll see once she's completed - what about yours?
I will do a special blog about my NaMo Horse once she's done.
I posted that to the NaMoPaiMo group on February 13 and here are some of the 68 responses I received:
- Molly Pengra: Mine is for recovery after an accident. And I didn't just want a simple color I want to do an appaloosa as a challenge...I still cannot fully close my right hand into a fist. So holding a brush not only produces soreness, but is challenging me with the pattern. I just want to heal and be better.
- Sara Bowman: My horse means me trying to paint more horses for myself. I don't consider myself much of a painter, I'm a tackmaker by trade. It feels good to be making my next performance horse. I will be able to put him in the ring knowing I painted him AND made his tack. Plus painting him has been a good outlet for my depression and anxiety.
- Katrina James: My collection originally started with a Oxidol I painted (2008) to look like my favorite mare who passed away in 2004... By 2012 I was hooked (showing, etc) And my collection grew. This year, I purchased a resin (Hot Chic 2.0) to 'replace' the Oxidol I had been using. :) I'm hoping my skills have increased enough over the years to do her justice!
- Sarah Brabbin: It’s part of a journey that’s helping me come to peace
- Basia Krocz: My NaMoPaiMo horse is just a portrait of the gelding that helped me overcome fear of riding, he’s so quiet and gentle
- Jennifer O'Donnell Danza: My yearly NaMo horse is always just for me because I seem to forget to do things for myself, including painting my own blank herd. In the past year however, I have found myself diving nose deep into much needed healing from my divorce (which happened in 2009...it takes a long time to heal.) I lost A LOT of who I was during my marriage and dedicating a room just for my illustration and my model horses has been extremely therapeutic and healing for me. I forgot how much I loved being in a room with my little stable, the horses all lined up and all my pedigree papers strewn about the floor like a little girl pretending to create a new horses in my stables. This year's NaMo is a great great granddaughter of my one main stud I played with endlessly as a child. I feel a connection to the person I lost through this piece. Ive even combined an old body (Halla) with a new head (Voyuer) in a symbolic gesture of bringing the old me together with the new me. So this year's NaMo horse is very special to me personally. She is my healing piece of art.
- Grant Gregory: Mine is to kind of help me through a transition. For all of my working life, I’ve always worked with animals. I worked at vet clinics, I worked at a local park that had Clydesdale horses and a petting zoo, and I worked at a place that is a natural history museum taking care of the animals in that collection for over 20 years. I just left that job for many reasons, not the animals, not my co-workers, but too many restructuring changes that I was tired of coping with over the past few years. That and my feet and knees and other body parts worn out, as well as some of my mental strength for coping with just too much (a bit of compassion fatigue). I’m still struggling with whether or not I’ve chosen correctly, but I’ve made a decision and need to stick to it. I’ve always had an artistic talent that I’ve not really paid that much attention to or that I pushed aside for other responsibilities. I’m hoping to see if I can just do it, and work on developing the little talent I have. I’m not super confident when I see what other artists do, and I often feel like it’s a common gift that almost everyone has in one way or another. I often feel I’m not that special as far as that goes. I’ve been told I do well, but I guess the experts say you’re your own worst critic. Yet I look at others work and I say I can’t do that as well as they can. So I want to try to at least do something artistic. I know a lot of it is just doing it, and learning new skills, and practice, practice, practice. I’ve got free time now to do it, but I’m facing hurdles as getting motivated and accepting my changes at life, from being on the go, physically and mentally exhausted, but yet also having trouble to adjusting to this new way of life. Maybe it will get better when it’s not so dreary and wintery.Oh my, I’ve written a book, haven’t I? Anyhow, I just want to see if I can do it, learn from other artists, and just be. Guess it’s time to go work on my pony now 🙂
- Jordan Leigh Sickrey: I’m bisexual & love the unicorns and decorators, so I decided to make a pride unicorn. It’s also just an A+ color scheme. His name is Ralvez, which is the name of a ship in Criminal Minds that I enjoy even though CBS will never give us any of the main characters in an LGBT+ relationship.
- Jennifer Bray Buxton: Ha! This turned into an entire blog post. My model is a tribute to a horse I admired very much. https://braymere.blogspot.com/2020/02/awesome-tribute.html
- Karen J. Lloyd: For me, my horse (Django in black leopard Appaloosa) will be a tribute of sorts to my black & white spotted bunny girl Solstice. She was always my artistic muse, not only featuring in several of my canvas paintings and (an unfinished) colored pencil drawing, but also my constant companion while I did my art. My bunnies predominately live in our living room, but she would always brave the linoleum, and hop into the kitchen to visit and hang out with me. She had an unusual warrior spirit her entire life that I knew her (over 8 years) and that remained when she had cancer. Even with a huge tumor on her side, she STILL hung out with me during last year’s NaMoPaiMo. I struggle with a lot of health issues and seeing her attitude gave me a lot of encouragement while I painted Kilimanjaro. I’ve often pictured her as a medieval princess (and have joked she was a little Napoleon lol) so although Django is a stallion, and she was a girl, the mold just felt right and I don’t think she would mind. She passed away about a month after NaMoPaiMo last year and I miss her terribly. 💜🐰
There were many more but these touched me and it would take several blogs to post them all.
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