Evolution of Spirit Horse: Cry of Freedom

From draft drawing to final plate, to print

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, on August 2012 I participated in a workshop given by artist and printmaker Robert Hinchley. 

I have been drawing horses since I was a little girl. And, I was “one of those girls” who longed to have a horse of her own. Indeed, I wanted a horse ever since I saw The Lone Ranger riding Silver, Roy Rogers riding Trigger, and after reading such books as Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty, Maureen O’Hara’s My Friend Flicka, and Walter Farley’s Black Stallion series.

I commenced my Spirit Horse series of works in 2012. I thought it would be interesting to see how this print evolved...

Here is the evolution of Cry of Freedom, my series of 8 prints which are based on my personal interpretation of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica.

First, I sketched my horse freehand on a hardboard panel. My image came “from my own inspiration”: I was not copying it, in other words.

Second, I carved the hardboard plate, where I carved my horse and developed the background in two phases (the second carve shown here defined more of the sky, grass, and sun).

Third, I printed the image (shown above). Note the image is reversed when printed.