Caballo de los Muertos

I've always been interested in the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

The bright colors, traditions, sugar skulls, altars, marigolds, honoring and remembering deceased family members makes this a very neat holiday.  I got to thinking, what would a Day of the Dead horse look like and I created the painting you see at the top. Then I wondered what it would be like to create a Painted Pony based on my painting.

So here you have Caballo de los Muertos or Horse of the Dead...

Pumpkin Patch

"Pumpkin Patch"

Pumpkins, a wee mouse and an owl flying in front of a full moon for autumn.

 Jack o' lanterns, black cat and a witch flying in front of the moon for Halloween!
The original is available through the Trail's website.
Winner of the 2010 Harvest/Halloween design contest.

Sleepy Hollow

Based on my favorite Halloween tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, this pony features the Headless Horseman galloping on his black steed through the countryside. On the back I've painted Ichabod's mount, Gunpowder, grazing in the cemetery. Poor Ichabod hasn't been seen since his encounter with the Horseman on the bridge. On the base I have hand painted the Horseman's head, a menacing jack o' lantern.

Now on EBAY!

"The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite spectre of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard." ~W. Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

 

"The Horseman comes. And tonight he comes for you."

~Lady Van Tassel (Sleepy Hollow movie) 

Apparition

My newest Halloween Pony for 2010 is a bewitched Appaloosa named appropriately, Apparition!

This beautiful black app's spots have turned into ghosts and a witch flying on her broom. She's got a little jack o' lantern (removable) sitting on her base to keep her company. The best part about this original Painted Pony is that it is a companion to my design Appy Holidays which was the Trail's last Holiday Design Contest winner and will be available as a mass produced figurine next year!

Apparition: An unexpected, wonderful, or preternatural appearance;

 a ghost; a specter; a phantom.

The original Appy Holidays - should be available next year as a figurine!

Sunny

Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape

Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

To see the Summer Sky

Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie -

True Poems flee.

~Emily Dickinson

Now On Ebay!

Still available - "Night Cats"

Email me to make an offer - jmacneill@hotmail.com

The dog may be wonderful prose, but only the cat is poetry.

 ~French Proverb

Here Be Dragons

"Here be dragons" is a phrase dating back to medieval times that denotes

territory on a map that is uncharted or dangerous.

On the front of my pony is a beautiful green dragon flying over his pile of treasure which includes some ruby red bead pieces and Swarovski crystals. I used metallic paints on the sculpted coins.

On the back are several dragonflies.

I've always been attracted to dragons. When I was a kid, I thought that they were real, just dinosaurs that survived extinction. :0)

"Never laugh at live dragons."

- J.R.R. Tolkien - The Hobbit

"It's hard to stop Muggles from noticing us if we're keeping dragons in the back garden - anyway, you can't tame dragons, it's dangerous."

- Ron Weasley

Arabian Magic

The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears.

-Arabian proverb

Anyone who has ever been around an Arabian horse knows that they are in the presence of something quite magical. One of the oldest and purest breeds of horse, the Arabian possesses intelligence, gracefulness and an inner fire that is breath taking to behold. 
Now on EBAY.