Hold Your Horses!
The annual invitational and sale at Phippen Museum celebrates the beauty of horses and the artists who paint them.
Every year, the Phippen Museum in Prescott, Arizona, holds an invitational exhibition and sale honoring the loyal, hardworking nature of the horse. Throughout history, these equine beasts have provided unwavering and undeniable support to mankind, from the workhorses of the West to race horses shooting for the Triple Crown, to warhorses assisting militaries through countless battles. This year, Phippen Museum’s fifth annual Hold Your Horses!, which Western Art Collector is a proud sponsor, will take place on August 4 through September 23 in the museum’s massive Marley Gallery. The event showcases equine artwork from the nation’s leading Western artists.
Specifically chosen for their outstanding “horse sense,” more than 30 artists are participating this year, including Sherry Blanchard Stuart, Barbara Meikle Fine Art, Suzanne Baker, Rox Corbett, Tim Harmon, Alvin Marshall, Wei Tai, Don Weller, K.W. Whitley, Steve Devenyns, Mary Ann Cherry, Joe Netherwood and many others.
Stuart, a Kansas native, paints primarily in the traditional style, with rich colors that illuminate her subjects, most often including horses or other Western themes.
“It’s always exciting to see what the artists come up with, and there’s no better subject matter than the elegant, beautiful and dynamic horse,” says Meikle, owner of Barbara Meikle Fine Art, who is attending the show for her fourth year. “A combination of traditional styles and contemporary work is what makes this event worth seeing.” Meikle’s oil paintings are jubilant, with their bright multitude of complementary and contrasting colors.
The 2018 event also features Western watercolor artist Sheila Cottrell, who won last year’s People’s Choice Award for her oil painting Packing Into the White Mountains.