Trail of the Painted Ponies
by Stormy on June 28, 2005
In 2001 an idea for a public art project in New Mexico started an amazing art movement. It blossomed and spread across the country.
An interesting coincidence happened that alerted me to an art series that originated in New Mexico. Checking into my hotel in Whites City, just outside the front gate of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, I saw a life-sized horse in the lobby. It looked interesting and was well crafted, but being in a hurry I did not give it much thought. What got my attention was visiting the park the same day and seeing another horse from the same series in their lobby. I stood there and looked at the horse and something in me got caught up in the moment and I became a fan!
The horse at the hotel was Wildfire by Gerri Mattson. It was a brilliant red and black horse with highlights of gold and a field of gray, representing a quickly spreading wildfire. This horse represented the enormous power and unpredictability of forest fires.
The horse at Carlsbad Caverns National Park was Spring Filly-ing in the Guadalupe Canyon by Israel Palma. It had on it a landscape of tall mountains and deep canyons of the Guadalupes.
It's no wonder that this art has become so popular over the years!
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