Posted on Sat, May. 03, 2008

Kentuckians have an affinity for equine art

Kentuckians' have affinity for equine art in all forms

By Susan Smith-Durisek

Contributing Garden Writer

Antiques dealer Jim ­Tanner of Harrodsburg quips that there seems to be an unwritten rule ­requiring Kentuckians to put ”the obligatory horse picture“ on their walls. On his own walls, he displays a sense of humor and appreciation of fine antiques in his amusing collection of hand-colored etchings by Henry William Bunbury featuring lively cartoonlike caricatures of horses and their frustrated riders, published in London, England in 1791 in ­Annals of Horsemanship.

Whether you ­appreciate caricatures or fine art, ­beautiful art of horses can add to your home decor.

For the many folks ­involved in the care, training, maintenance and well-being of horses and the cultural landscape of the Bluegrass, celebrating the horse has been the cornerstone of their lifestyles for generations. So, it seems to follow ­naturally that portraits of beloved horses and sporting scenes are found in the homes of Kentucky horse lovers.

Leslie Trapp, whose grandfather Leslie Combs II founded Spendthrift Farm in 1936, grew up surrounded by horses and equine art. He continued the tradition with his wife, Cindy, an artist whose large-scale canvas works, like finish-line profile Spendthrift Filly and Racing Silks, portray the energy and vibrant color of Thoroughbred racing.

Trapp remembers first ­seeing the family's oil portrait of a favorite horse, Caro, hanging above the fireplace at his parents' Linden Lane Farm, ­adjacent to ­Spendthrift. Caro, a gray Thoroughbred whose ­descendants include this year's Derby entries Monba and Eight Belles, was sire to ­Winning Colors, one of only three fillies to win the ­Kentucky Derby. He was painted by French artist ­Bernard de Clavière, also known for his portraits of Queen Elizabeth II of ­England's charger Burmese and corgi Smokey.

The Caro portrait now graces a wall in the home that Trapp's father, David, and wife, Sandy, ­maintain at The Woodlands. They also have a bronze ­sculpture of ­another famous ­foundation stallion, Nashua, ­accompanied by his lifelong companion, groom Clem Brooks. The bronze was created by Elizabeth Taylor's daughter Liza Todd Tivey as a model for a memorial at Nashua's grave at Spendthrift Farm.

An autographed Bluegrass Pegasus print personalized by Peter Max is one of the collection's contemporary pieces.

What's your budget?

Obviously you don't have to own a horse or a horse farm to own equine art. There are plenty of original ­paintings and ­sculptures, prints, posters and ­photographs to suit any taste and budget.

Seeing original art in person can bring the sense of light, color and size of a piece to a more vivid and direct realization, said Greg Ladd, owner of Cross Gate Gallery. Ladd began selling art out of his parents' garage about 30 years ago. Today, his gallery at 509 East Main Street is filled with original works by leading artists from around the world.

Ladd's daughter ­Catherine, who has ­experience in interior design and at Christie's auction house in New York, helps with the business.

The Ladds help ­buyers find and select suitable pieces and work to foster ­relationships with promising artists. When asked how he selects artists to represent, Greg Ladd stressed that the quality of an artist's work comes first, followed by the direction of the subject ­material. At the gallery you can find ­originals by ­renowned ­portrait artists such as ­Richard Stone Reeves, ­including his ­painting of 1971 Derby winner Canonero II with companion goat Nanny. The price is $15,000.

Crossgate also has works by Polish-born Lexington resident Andre Pater, known for his pastels of Keeneland jockeys, and Racing, a 6- by 8-foot oil painting by Peter Howell in which you stare into the faces of a fast-­moving field heading for the finish line. The price: $85,000.

Many artists bring their work to an affordable level by issuing prints and ­posters, so once you ­identify an artist or style you're ­interested in, look for the best ­representation you can get, Greg Ladd suggested.

Everyday art

Nancy Nardiello — who with husband Drew established Chesapeake Farm, where last year's Derby winner, Street Sense, was raised — has spent a lifetime as an artist and teacher. She enjoys the work of Thomas Coates, ­Sandra ­Oppegard, Steve Hockensmith and Peter ­Williams, who paints at Keeneland and has prints available at the Keeneland gift shop.

Her suggestions, ­however, focus mainly on finding ­possibilities for art in daily life. They are a reminder that sometimes the beauty you seek is in your own eye and hands. Some ideas: Mat a ­series of classy yet ­inexpensive Keeneland ­Magazine ­covers drawn by various equine artists, or frame the box cover from Ruth Hunt Derby candy, which this year was created by Louisville ­artist Joyce Garner.

Nardiello loves ­collecting Derby glasses or any ­glassware with horses on it, for a display with some sparkle. One such ­collection, arranged in an antique, ­glass-front advertising cabinet at Linda Bruckheimer's Olde Bloomfield Meeting Hall, right across from Nettie Jarvis Antiques in Bloomfield, is a perfect example of ­elevating simple elements with ­extraordinary and personal style.

In Paris, which has ­storefront displays honoring local farms this month, ­antique shop owner Lyn Layton has a collection of The Spirit of the Times ­newspapers from the early 1900s with engraved horse ­illustrations that could be framed, plus vintage ­winner's circle ­photographs and ­lithographs from ­printmakers like ­Currier and Ives. Her ­husband Gordon, a ­veterinarian in Paris for about 50 years, will be lending his collection of veterinary ­collectibles to the National Horse Museum and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., this summer as part of an exhibit on equine medicine.

Winning combination

Creating a spot for equine art in your home — and ­exploring the ­possibilities to determine a winning ­combination of style, skill and artistry that suits your personality and decor — is a prize that will reflect and reward your life every day.

And, like a good horse race, that's not just luck, it's skill.