Hello ~
This weeks inspiration is a new Soul Essence painting.  This is one of my favorite pieces and I believe it speaks to the magic that horses offer us.  I would love to hear some of your own experiences of horses and nature…

 
“The Blessing”

Come, drink from river of Universal Knowledge.
With eyes unclouded ~ you will see
that spirits are not merely of the air,
they are woven into the fibers of the world.
With a heart unburdened ~ you will know
that Angels come in many forms…

~ Kim McElroy

"The Blessing" is available at www.spiritofhorse.com as a custom signed giclee ~ available in 4 sizes

“The Blessing” Insights

This painting is a Soul Essence portrait created of a filly named Shana.
Shana’s name is short for Justanemoshan – so named by her breeder, Barb.
I asked to receive knowledge of Shana’s soul essence and what she came to express of herself for Nicole and John and any other’s whose lives she touches, in a way that I could paint for her portrait.

I entered a beautiful glen with a river surrounded by trees of Fall colors.  The river spoke to me and told me that Shana receives Universal knowledge.
Shana conveyed to me that all of Nature was full of energy – horse energy and others, and that everything is connected.  That the spirits of all who have ever been and gone, are still here in the fibers of the world.  That we can learn to understand that spirits are not as intangible as we believe – our limited perception of them almost as like “air” , but rather they are in every rock and tree and river and leaf, the cells and the molecules and the fiber of nature. 

I asked Shana if we could know more about her own essence, and she lifted her head high up, and a human-like form of light emerged from her throat and neck and chest, as if she had metamorphosed for a moment into an angel.  She told me she is an earthly counterpart of the Archangel Raphael.

 
Nicole later shared with me that all this was so significant because many people are drawn to touch or be near Shana’s neck and chest – and that Shana will maneuver herself to intentionally put people there.  That her hair is so soft there it is almost unreal…

Later Shana’s breeder, Barb, told me the name Shana  means “God is gracious”…. 

Nicole Birkholzer is an Equine Inspired Personal Coach visit her website at www.birchwoodfarm.us

Nicole Birkholzer and I are offering a play shop September 10th – 13th at Birchwood Farm Westhampton, MA entitled “The Art of Attunement” Aligning with Horses and Nature through Art, Movement, and Meditation
for more information visit www.birchwoodfarm.us

Hello ~

This week’s inspiration flowed out of me late one night as I pondered our connection to our beloved horses who have passed on, and to the horse spirits who call to our souls.  The mystery of  our connection with horses is elusive as it is tangible. Much like the process of writing or art.  Creativity is unformed until we express it, and then the expression just takes us deeper into the mystery.

Someone asked me recently how I came up with my inspirational writings each week, and I told them that when I look at a collection of my paintings one will catch my eye and then I know there is something in me that wants to emerge.  I sit and wait for it and then words start to come.  This is how I’ve always written, even as a child. 

I remember sitting down to write my first poem at the age of 9 or so, and feeling the need to express some unspoken feelings that weren’t in the form of a conversation, or a story – but rather in as few words as possible to convey the meaning. 

I hope you will share your own insights into connecting with horses spirits…
 

“The Legend”
In the dark of night
a magic awakens
the veil is lifted
and for a short time
horse spirits walk the earth…

They call to our hearts
in the language of dreams

If you listen closely
you will hear them

If you wait patiently
you will feel them

Then, in wonderment and joy
you will remember

And until you meet again
the stars will shine
with new meaning…

"The Legend" by Kim McElroy available at www.spiritofhorse.com as a signed giclee print ~ available in 4 sizes

Insights into “The Legend”

“The Legend” was originally created as an illustration for a toy series and children’s book called “The Legend of the Night Mares” www.wildheartranch.com.  When I read author Dawn Van Zant’s story of 3 mares escaping capture by climbing a mystical path to the stars, her evocative story inspired me to visualize this painting in its entirety.  I then knew it was an inspiration who’s time had come.

 Leanin’ Tree Greeting cards originally published this image as a sweet card celebrating pursuing one’s dreams.  Then later they released it as a horse sympathy card with the phrase… heaven has welcomed a new angel.

 “The Legend” has become a powerful symbol that represents two themes.  To some, it represents our mysterious connection to the spirits of horses. 
As horseman Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling so aptly describes in the documentary “The Path of the Horse” – throughout history and culture – horses have always represented the line between the mystical world and the tangible one. 

To others who have lost a beloved horse, it is a poignant vision of the veil between worlds, and a faith that horse spirits return to that mystical place.  And perhaps come back again…

Hello ~
”Sweet Dreams” is a portrait I just completed for my client Jen from a childhood photograph depicting her with her childhood pony.  The photograph was so filled with love and innocence and peace, that I could feel it rippling through time to touch my heart even 50 years later.  I knew her painting would be beautiful, but the adventure of receiving the insights that led to her portrait, was a journey in and of itself.

The circle of our love
Ripples outward through time and space
This is where we intersect…
Where we can always touch.

In the reflections at the water’s edge
The light of the moon can illuminate our dreams
And remind us of the magic that is there waiting
Behind our closed eyes…

"Sweet Dreams" NEW RELEASE by Kim McElroy

Sweet Dreams Insights

In thinking of the word insight I looked up the definition.  It means a penetrating understanding and the ability to perceive clearly or deeply the inner nature of things.  My inner world that is expressed through my artwork and writing has always been the way in which I receive insights.  In this case the insight of “Sweet Dreams” is something that came to me in a meditation with the pony’s spirit which you can read more about on my website here>>

A few years ago I ran across a quote I thought was so fantastic in explaining the drive to create or write about what we want to understand.”

“First, I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it. We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.”
~ Robert Cecil Day-Lewis ~

In my experiences as an artist I have come to understand that when we seek and receive insight, we have the potential of connecting on a deep level with all of life, in that place where there is no separation.  It is in the place where there is only, connection.

In parting this week I’d like to share another favorite quote from the book “Enduring Traditions ~ The Art of the Navajo”
“It is the medicine men who are true artists.  They must question and interpret.  They must journey back within themselves.  Artists are just doing what medicine men do.”
~  Jo Ben Jr.

Hello ~
I wrote this poem with no forethought, and no knowing of where it was coming from. Often I wonder if my writings might be too esoteric for the reader, but in this case I have decided to follow my intuition and publish this poem, trusting that it is speaking to someone who will read it. If that someone does read it, please let me know what it means to you…

Across the stones of time I speak to you
An ancient agreement
A silent pact

Power and vision and wisdom
Stirs within your soul as you remember the inner voice
Resounding as an echo
Across the still pool of time.

There is much to be done
To heal the wounds of the survivors
To seal the tombs of the warriors
And move on.

"Ancestral Wisdom" also available as a custom signed print at

www.spiritofhorse.com

Ancestral Wisdom Insights

This is a Soul Essence painting of a horse named Buck. Buck was in spirit when I was commissioned to paint him. When I meditated with Buck I asked him what his perception of his spirit is like. He showed me two colored ribbons or ropes – one royal blue and one red. They curved and flowed, sinuous and effortless. The blue seemed to represent emotional feeling and perception through a form of touch or sensing, and the red seemed to represent action, fire, and energy. The red could move, pull, or carry. The blue could caress, weave, and connect. I had the impression I could draw his essence this way – with these two colors both held side by side in one hand drawing the same strokes.

I asked if there was an animal totem that Buck could show me – and I saw a tiger’s paw – not the whole tiger but just the paw. This puzzled me for some time. My awareness was drawn to the mix of the extremely beautiful and soft hairs, surrounding the strong claws, the mix of tender and powerful, soft and sharp. At the end of the meditation – the word came to me what the definition was… it was the word Discernment.

The stones came to represent qualities of Buck’s human family. The circle Callanish was the feminine representation of Nicole, and the single stone – represented the masculine representation of John.

As I worked on the single stone’s designs – I realized that the lines of Buck’s portrait were very Celtic in design – with overlapping swirls just like the designs on this stone! I had created this not even thinking consciously of a Celtic theme.

This week’s painting, “Awareness”, has always been an evocative piece for me. There is a phrase that refers to the expression horses have called “The Look of Eagles” – and is often referred to as when a horse gazes into the distance with an air of knowingness. All their senses are tuned on some distant cause, perhaps a sound, since sight isn’t their strongest sense. Yet it is through the horse’s expressions that we try to guess how they are feeling, and the amazing thing about this painting is, it allows us to see an expression which would have passed in mere seconds, and now becomes a glimpse of eternity. ~ Kim McElroy

Listen…
Do you hear the echo of angels?
In my eyes you see spheres of ancient messages
Pools of infinity
Reflect trickles of thought.

If you but open the reservoir
The water of life would flow between us.
Carrying eddies of emotion.
Quenching the thirst for connectedness.
You float on the surface
Of the depths of the soul
If you have the courage to dive
You will find the riches you seek.
~ Kim McElroy

available at www.spiritofhorse.com

Awareness Insights

To me this horse’s eye captures so many things. There is a flicker of hope and a shadow of sadness. There is a distant past and a vivid present. There is insight and awareness, and most of all, the irrevocable feeling that horses like this one have an Awareness that extends beyond mere reaction to the present moment, and into realms of memories and echoes of experiences that we cannot fathom, and which he can only convey through his expressions and his movements. We are ever drawn into the mystery, and allure of the horse.

Hi, I am sharing this with you today because “Avenger” is one of my favorite paintings and a horse that is very close to my heart. I never tire of looking at him and it still amazes me that I created this beautiful painting of him.  When I look at it I remember the moment I first met him in 1989.  That was the beginning of a long 20 year long distance love affair with him which I share a little more about below in the “Insights” section.  Avenger is a universal truth and he is a spark that I hope will ignite you all.  I look forward to reading your comments and hearing how he touches your heart!
~ Kim

“Avenger”

"Avenger" by Kim McElroy

Avenger Insights

Hello – and welcome to the first entry to my blog.  I am so excited to share my art in this manner that allows me to hear from people who view and read my e-Inspirations!

My art has always been about connecting and communicating with others who feel as I do about horses and life.  In this painting, the spirits of horses combine with the waves as a tangible reminder of the energetic power and wisdom in Nature. I hope you feel as I do about the mysteries of horses and the sea…
~ Kim

“Night Run” Nine horses running in the crest, two appearing in the mist”

Custom signed prints of “Night Run” available at www.spiritofhorse.com

From the distant corners of the earth… we have come

Across the oceans of time… we have come

Horses…

Horses…

Horses…

We are ancient myth

Formed of salt and water

Earth and air

Feel us as the stillness in the air after a storm

Hear us as the roaring waves of a thousand hoofbeats

We have come to fulfill our destiny

Join us…

Night Run Insights

All my life I have been fascinated with the unseen, with spirits, and with hidden images in aspects of nature.

I grew up in the city of Long Beach – where the only touch of nature was a calm breakwater beach bereft of shells, or digging clams in the mud by concrete piers. The weather a mild sunny constant and the rain only smelling of wet pavement.

Then my parents bought vacation property on the Hood Canal in Washington State. In contrast, Washington was a lush wilderness that filled me with fascination. I loved the dense mysterious woods, miles of oyster beaches and the tide pools, rivers, and waterfalls. The gentle rain had the smell of green, and the sky was as complex a world as the woods, with its dark cloud formations in layers of light and shadow. The sunsets lit up the clouds over snow-capped mountains, and reflected on the brilliant water. There I reveled in Nature’s mysteries of the salmon spawning, and eagles and deer were a common encounter.

I would often find driftwood on the beach and see in it the shapes of dragons and sea creatures. My skill at carving the driftwood wasn’t satisfying enough, so I turned to drawing the creatures in the wood. Always my desire to draw was a desire to reveal to myself and to others, what I could perceive.

This love of Nature and what I could see and feel in her presence was the true beginning of the “Horses in the Elements” series. When I saw the horses in the waves that inspired “Night Run” I hearkened back to the magic of my childhood, when I could see dragons in driftwood, and almost hear the voice of the sea.

Kim McElroy