Capturing Resilience: Richard Rodriguez Explores the Beauty of Rescued Horses Through Modern Art

In the picturesque landscape of Colorado, Richard Rodriguez embarks on a heartfelt artistic journey that combines his passion for horses with a commitment to capturing the essence of rescued horses that have suffered traumas.

An accomplished architect, Richard Rodriguez made the bold decision to follow his heart to become a full-time artist after after completing an enriching program at the Art Students League of Denver. His background in architecture gives him a distinctive viewpoint on form, space, and structure, which he now channels into his art. Employing brushes, palette knives, scrapers, and squeegees with oil paints, Richard crafts abstract shapes blended with realism on canvas or hardwood panels.

"In my paintings, I navigate the space between memories and dreams. Lines within the artworks represent the creases found in vintage photographs."

Richard contends, "Horses have often carried symbolic weight representing power, speed, strength, and even freedom. Yet in modern art they’ve appeared less frequently." For him it is essential to revitalize the portrayal of horses, especially within the context of equine fine art. By showcasing their grace and strength, he hopes to remind viewers of these creatures' longstanding significance and the stories they tell.

"IN BALANCE" 36 x 48 OIL BY RICHARD RODRIGUEZ

At the Phippen Museum's 51st Annual Western Art Show and Sale, Richard Rodriguez was honored to be awarded the George Phippen Memorial Foundation Award for his 36 x 48 oil painting titled "In Balance."

A Personal Connection to Rescue

Richard's bond with horses is deeply personal. He adopted two of his three of his horses from the Colorado Horse Rescue (CHR). Possessing a profound admiration and affection for horses, Richard felt compelled to investigate the potential of capturing their essence through the lens of modern art.

While exploring the concept of using the rescued horses at CHR as subjects in his new body of work, Richard found himself wondering — "Does a horse that has been through the traumatic process of rescue lose its symbolic power to inspire?” This question not only reflects on the horses’ past hardships but also emphasizes their potential for transformation and the beauty they can embody in the present.

He also considered, "Can I capture the essence of these horses in their new surroundings and return their natural dignity through modern painting?" 

On a bright afternoon, Richard visited his friend Megan Goheen at Colorado Horse Rescue. The peaceful setting of CHR served as the perfect backdrop for his artistic exploration. This serene environment not only provided him with a picturesque landscape to inspire his creativity but also allowed him to immerse himself in the profound stories of the rescued horses that called this place home.

"Painted" Oil on Canvas 8" x 8"

"Does a horse that has been through the traumatic process of rescue lose its symbolic power to inspire?”

Richard spent time observing, taking photos, and silently bond with the herd. Instead of brokenness, he found resilience. Instead of despair, he saw peace. Horses of various ages, breeds, and backgrounds were finding safety, comfort, and strength in each other.

Observing the horses interact was enlightening. Each group represented unique relationships, showcasing how the horses comforted each other as they adapted to their new lives. Regardless of breed or age, these animals found joy in simple moments of play, eating, and resting together. Creating art becomes an act of recognition, with each piece serving as a tribute to their ability to inspire and uplift.

"Shadows" Oil on Canvas 12 x 24 x .25

"Shadows" Oil on Canvas 12" x 24"

Creating a Visual Legacy

With newfound inspiration from that day, Richard set out to create a vibrant body of work. His goal extends beyond simply painting horses; he strives to convey the emotional journeys he witnessed. His art serves as a reminder that, while the past may shape their experiences, it does not define their worth or potential for joy. Each brushstroke expresses the dignity, spirit, and beauty of these remarkable animals.

His deep engagement with the rescued horses enabled him to infuse each canvas with authenticity and depth, ensuring that each piece resonates with the viewer on multiple levels.

Richard understands that equine fine art has the potential to reshape public perceptions of rescue horses, presenting them as symbols of hope and strength. By sharing their stories, he hopes to foster a culture in which every horse is honored and offered the chance to thrive.

Stories of Rescue on Canvas: Artist Richard Rodriguez Paints Colorado Horse Rescue’s Horses

Honoring the Spirit of Rescue Horses

In this recent collaboration with Colorado Horse Rescue, Richard has created a dramatic series of paintings that acknowledge the vibrant lives of these horses today rather than just their past traumas. This perspective is crucial, as these works shift the narrative from one of suffering to one of resilience and vitality. Ultimately, Richard’s artistic vision is not just about depicting horses; it is about celebrating the vibrant lives they lead today, reminding us all of the beauty that can emerge from adversity.

"Copper Patina" Oil on Canvas 36" x 24"

Throughout this collection, he captures the essence of their spirit, showcasing their playful nature, their grace in movement, and the bond they share with humans and their environment. Richard aspires for his work to resonate with advocates for horse rescue and collectors of equine fine art alike. By weaving the stories of each horse into his art, he reinforces the notion that every life holds value—regardless of past experiences.

In exhibitions and galleries, Richard’s works invite audiences to reflect on their own perceptions of horses and, by extension, all animals. He hopes to inspire a greater appreciation for the emotional lives of these beings, fostering empathy and encouraging a more humane approach to how society views and treats them.

Future Aspirations

Richard envisions his artistic journey as more than an individual project; it’s a movement aimed at raising awareness about the importance of rescue horses. Many of these horses carry emotional scars, yet those very scars tell powerful stories of resilience and survival.

By sharing these narratives through his art, Richard invites viewers to empathize with the horses' journeys. Each painting serves as a powerful reminder of the collective effort required by advocates to improve the quality of life for these majestic animals.

Final Thoughts on Richard Rodriguez's Mission

In a world often oblivious to the struggles behind closed doors, Richard’s mission provides a fresh perspective filled with hope. By portraying the essence of rescue horses, he preserves their stories and transforms them into symbols of strength and resilience. It is vital that we collectively honor these animals, ensuring that each horse is valued and given a chance to thrive, regardless of its history.

Art Shows & Events

COLORADO GOVERNOR'S ART SHOW

5/3/2025 - 6/14/2025

Loveland Museum

503 N Lincoln AveLoveland, Colorado 80537

https://governorsartshow.org/

PHIPPEN MUSEUM WESTERN ART 51ST ANNUAL SHOW & SALE 

5/24/2025 - 5/26/2025

120 S. Cortez Street

Prescott, Arizona

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/743349294/8/

BROADMOOR ART EXPERIENCE - Live Painting and Sculpting

7/19/2025 - 7/20/2025

Broadmoor

Hotel1 Lake Ave.

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80906

https://broadmoorgalleries.com/richard-rodriguez/

ART ASSOCIATION OF JACKSON ARTS FESTIVAL

7/26/2025 - 7/28/2025

240 S Glenwood St,

Jackson, WY 83001

https://artassociation.org/art-fair/

THE CAWDREY GALLERY

Opening Night Reception: 8/7/2025  

206 Lupfer Avenue Unit 102

Whitefish, MT 59937

https://cawdreygallery.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp

ARTS STUDENTS LEAGUE OF DENVER -SUMMER ART MARKET

8/24/2025 - 8/25/2025

200 Grant St.

Denver, CO 80203

Tickets go on sale August 1. Purchase tickets in advance to save time at entry day-of.

ST LOUIS ART FAIR

9/05/2025 - 9/07/2025

225 S Meramec Ave #105, 

Clayton, MO 63105

https://www.saintlouisartfair.com/

COORS WESTERN ART "YOUNG GUNS ART SHOW"

12/18/2025

Reception: 12/18/2024  6:00 - 9:30 PM

National Western Complex

4655 N. Humbolt St.

Denver, CO 80216

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All images Copyright Richard Rodriguez and rmrstudio.net -all rights reserved. Cannot be reproduced for any purpose without permission from SRichard Rodriguez and rmrstudio.net

#RichardRodriguez #fineart #equinefineart #horseart #ColoradoHorseRescue #rescuehorses #equinewelfare #animalwelfare #equustyle #equustylemagazine

The Intersection of Art and Advocacy: Photographer Scott Wilson's Passion for Wild Horses

"Hazard" shows a mare and foal being chased over a barbed wire fence by a federal helicopter

EquuStyle: How did your encounter with the iconic stallion Picasso inspire you to become a PhotoAdvocate?

PICASSO THE LEGEND

Scott Wilson: Witnessing Picasso in full battle mode in Sand Wash Basin certainly piqued my artistic interest in wild horses, but my efforts on the PhotoAdvocacy front began a number of years prior, using my platform as a landscape and wildlife photographer to build awareness of colon cancer, the benefits of early detection, and the need to reduce the age of funded screening eligibility from 50 to 45. 

Encountering Picasso cemented my desire to train my wildlife lens on wild horses. It was a few years later, with the impending helicopter roundup in September 2021, that I really found a voice as an advocate and cause-related photographer for wild horses.

EquuStyle:  In what ways do you believe photography and photojournalism support animal welfare causes?

Scott Wilson: There is a virtuous circle created by photographic art and photojournalism where the art plays a key role in helping to make us more aware and appreciative of the wild lives with whom we share the planet, while photojournalism brings home the conflicts, threats and human menace impacting their livelihoods and habitat.

EquuStyle:  Please give some examples of ways your images not only informed, but drove action or specific changes to benefit wild horses.

Scott Wilson: Real change, at the legislation level, often requires a tipping point when legislative efforts meet public momentum. It’s rarely one moment or a single act that will create the change, but a plethora of actions and noise. That’s where advocacy, and within that PhotoAdvocacy, have key roles to play in building the head of steam that will eventually blow the lid off the pressure cooker.  

The helicopter roundup at Sand Wash Basin in September 2021 stopped two days early, due to the weight of advocate pressure and outspoken political leadership from Governor Polis while images of incidents such as a wild mare and her foals being driven into barbed wire at Piceance Basin, in 2022, while being chased by a federal helicopter achieved front-page coverage adding to the weight of public opinion in favor of a different approach.

"West Douglas" is an image of the ongoing helicopter roundups of America's wild horses and burros. Learn more today at https://www.photoadvocacy.org/about

Real change, at the legislation level, often requires a tipping point when legislative efforts meet public momentum. It’s rarely one moment or a single act that will create the change, but a plethora of actions and noise.

In 2023, Colorado passed the first state-funded Wild Horse Working Group into law which has seen $1.5m state dollars invested into a more collaborative approach to wild horse management. My hope is this becomes a model for federal-state collaboration which other states will follow. 

The world’s largest photojournalism agency, We Animals, has built a collection of wild horse roundup images, supported by extensive editorial captions, which is made available to media outlets covering wild horse issues. I also provide roundup images to American Wild Horse Conservation and these are used to highlight extensive flaws in an inhumane federal management program which is stockpiling wild horses in costly off-range holding ($105m in 2024) while more affordable in-the-wild conservation measures remain dramatically underfunded.

There are myths perpetuated by livestock special interests and the roundup industry that wild horses neither have a sense of family, nor feel suffering when they are separated through roundups. PhotoAdvocacy helps to challenge some of those myths. 

Perhaps one of my most evocative roundup images, Wild Unfree, captured moments after a family band of mares and foals were confined in holding, while their band stallion ran free, evokes all of same fear and emotion in their newly-captive faces that a human separated from his or her family would feel and affirms wild horses as sentient being deserving of our respect and their place on the landscape. 

EquuStyle:  You contribute images to support We Animals, the world’s leading Animal Photojournalism Agency. How does We Animals help organizations tell their stories?

Scott Wilson: We Animals’ global investigations and stories expose our complex relationships with animals. They work with NGOs, media and advocates to initiate ethical and cultural shifts in society, and empower human capacity for compassion and change.  The We Animals stock platform is a free global resource for anyone helping animals. They empower campaigners, writers, researchers, students, and activists with the visual tools they need to increase and engage their audiences.

“Wild Unfree” is a disturbing image of two panicked and exhausted Colorado mustang horses moments after being rounded up a helicopter. Authorities shepherded them into holding pens to await shipment. PhotoAdvocacy / We Animals

Alongside images, We Animals includes interviews, research, data, and stories to educate us about animal sentience and behaviors, so all the information needed to spark conversation, awe, and change accompanies the image.

In 2024, We Animals carried out 22 assignments in 11 countries, shedding light on critical animal welfare issues. Over 38,000 visuals were downloaded from the We Animals stock site, contributing to advocacy campaigns worldwide and more than 350 media publications featured work by their Animal Photo Journalists, including The Guardian, Vox, and The Dodo. 

EquuStyle:  How did you capture the photo Anger Management that won the Top Natural World and Wildlife prize in the 2022 World Photography Awards?

Scott Wilson: At the natural history level, Anger Management depicts the drama and tension of a wild Colorado stallion pounding the dirt in his home in Sand Wash Basin, in the northwest corner of the state.  It’s the middle of summer and he has just emerged from a mud pool which is beginning to cake on his body as he kicks up the dust demanding his place at the water hole.

"Anger Management" received the Natural World & Wildlife Award at the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards, organized by the World Photography Organization.

At a higher level, Anger Managements is intended as a statement piece about the challenges wild horses face in the American West, where they basically are under permanent threat of roundup while their land is cleared for the livestock industry. 

Thankfully, the judging panel agreed and the awards coverage helped raise awareness of wild horse issues in 140 countries worldwide. 

EquuStyle:   At the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards, you won Open Photographer of the Year. How did this award influence your photography going forward?

Scott Wilson: I was asked a similar question a couple of years ago, while giving a talk to photography students at a High School in Colorado and it really helped me process the role the award played in helping me to break out of a purely artistic pursuit, to focus more heavily on the advocacy merits of my work and heightened my interest in the photojournalistic side of the wild horse question.

EquuStyle:  Through the Window is a dramatic visual journey. What is the story behind this project?

Scott Wilson: When I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2016, part of my treatment regime involved an immunotherapy drug called panitumumab. The side-effect of the drug is an extreme photosensitivity meaning I had to avoid sunlight entirely, which threatened to put a stop to the landscape photography pursuits which I knew would be essential therapy through my treatment. It was then that I recognised the abundance of wonderful wildlife in state parks on our doorstep which I could view and photograph from the protective shade of my car. I began shooting ‘through the window’ between chemotherapy treatments and compiled a book of  wildlife images, accompanied by tales of my cancer journey.  I published the book as a fundraiser for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance in the Fall of 2017, just after I was confirmed to be NED (No Evidence of Disease).

EquuStyle:  As a resident artist at Gallery 6 in Denver, you create Art & Advocacy Events. What was the response to the recent event to support ZUMA'S Rescue Ranch's equine-assisted therapy program for people affected by cancer?

Scott Wilson: It has been a dream to combine my advocacy passions – horse protection and cancer prevention – to support the development of a mental health program that tackles the many challenges that come with a cancer diagnosis for patients, survivors and families.

My own children, Andrew and Alba, were 14 and 10 when I was diagnosed with a ten per cent chance of living another five years. I wanted to see more resources that might have helped them process that life-changing news at such a young age.

My familiarity with sanctuaries has taught me the extraordinary connection between horse and human, and the proven therapeutic benefit that veterans suffering PTSD – which has well-documented parallels with the trauma of cancer - have found in equine-assisted mental health programs, such as the Zeal series at Zuma’s. 

Licensed mental health therapist, Misty Sherbondy LCSW, used her experience with veterans at Zuma’s to develop a dedicated cancer-focused program covering topics such as shared experience, coping skills, working with feelings of loss, reducing anxiety and continued healing for patients, survivors and families.

My own children, Andrew and Alba, were 14 and 10 when I was diagnosed with a ten per cent chance of living another five years. I wanted to see more resources that might have helped them process that life-changing news at such a young age.

We held an Art & Advocacy event in Denver in March, 2025, designed to raise awareness and funds to launch a pilot for the Healing Herd Program. The support from attendees was fantastic and we exceeded our target for the pilot which launched at the end of April. 

I am so grateful to Jodi Messenich and the team at Zuma’s for their commitment to bringing the program together. 

EquuStyle:  In what way has surviving cancer motivated you to share your story with others?

Scott Wilson: It’s all about prevention. If you are diagnosed with colon cancer at stage 1, you have a 90% chance of survival. If you are diagnosed at stage 4, you have a 10% chance of living another 5 years. Being in that incredibly lucky 10% gives you a very heightened awareness of how close you were to a different outcome. A colonoscopy will make all the difference, so I simply do not understand folks who are eligible for free screening yet delay or turn it down. 

EquuStyle:  The Sand Wash Basin BLM horse management area (HMA) seems to be a favorite spot for your work. What makes this place special?

Scott Wilson: It has become my human sanctuary. The remoteness, the wildness, the rugged beauty of the landscape and the incredible survival instincts of the wild ones. I often say “their freedom is our freedom” and it is truly liberating to spend time in their company.  

WILD PALOMINO PINTO STALLION METEOR © PhotoAdvocacy

DIAPHANOUS GOLD © PhotoAdvocacy

EquuStyle:  Tell us about your role as the Director of Strategy and Awareness at American Wild Horse Conservation.

Scott Wilson: Everything we do is built around a clear purpose to keep America’s promise to wild horses and to drive towards a vision of lifelong freedom where protected wild horses are able to live and die in the wild. 

Our policy and conservation programs are built around improving the standards and scale of in-the-wild conservation, such as humane fertility control, and rewilding of wild horse habitat which has been systematically diminished from 54m acres in 1971 to less than 27m acres today. 

That starts with leveling the playing field versus special interest livestock groups which dominate public lands lobbying and giving a voice to wild horse conservation.

"Midnight Blue" a wild Blue Roan stallion

America now holds more displaced wild horses in captivity (62,000) than there are running free in the wild (53,000), at an extraordinary cost to the taxpayer who funded $105m in off-range holding costs in 2024 alone. It is thirty times cheaper to treat one mare with fertility control, and keep her eating free in the wild, than it is to remove and confine one horse for life in holding ($48,000).

Most Americans are pleasantly surprised to learn that we still have wild horses roaming ten western states and have little or no knowledge of the permanent threat of roundup by helicopter. 

Our awareness role is opening the public’s eyes to the natural beauty, management failure and fiscal waste on their doorstep and motivating a movement that demands a better outcome for the nation’s protected wild horses and burros. 

Ultimately, we see a sustainable future built on in-the-wild conservation, habitat restoration, ecotourism and legislative recognition of the integral role wild horses play in a modern American ecosystem. 

Everything American Wild Horse Conservation does is built around a clear purpose to keep America’s promise to wild horses and to drive towards a vision of lifelong freedom where protected wild horses are able to live and die in the wild. 

EquuStyle:  You had an extensive career in the corporate world, particularly with Molson Coors Brewing Company. How has this experience influenced your current role at AWHC?

Scott Wilson: You might be surprised by some of the parallels I’ve observed between the worlds of alcohol and wild horses. Both are both high profile issues characterized by opposing views on how they should be handled. In the early 2010s,  I was asked by the UK Department of Health to lead the industry representation on a national effort to tackle alcohol harm in the UK and reduce levels of irresponsible drinking. 

It was one of the most potentially divisive projects, yet the shared mission and collaborative approach to problem solving turned out to be one of the most constructive and creatively rewarding processes that I have worked on. 

The coming together of radically opposing views, recognition that we all have a valid stake in the solution and that no one party will eliminate another, is a real enabler of common ground. 

I believe that’s the mindset driving progress with the Colorado Wild Horse Working Group and really underpins my belief that a sustainable long term solution can be built with the right people around the table. 

Freedom

EquuStyle:  Protecting wild horses and burros is a challenge you have embraced. How can people support their protection and preservation in today's environment?

Scott Wilson: When I talk about PhotoAdvocacy, I am always clear that there isn’t an expectation that everyone gives up their careers and throws themselves at their chosen advocacy issue. The key is identifying the cause that you believe in, where you believe you can make a positive difference,  and intersecting that with the skills and time that you have at your disposal. For some, that might be volunteering a few hours on a Saturday at their local wild horse sanctuary. For others it might be registering as a Volunteer Ambassador for American Wild Horse Conservation and engaging local policy makers on the issue and legislative solutions.  

I happen to have found a movement that allowed me to bring my experience in photography, advocacy, corporate responsibility and communications together in a hybrid career supporting a cause I believe in full-time. 

And the work is far from done.  

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All images Copyright Scott Wilson and © PhotoAdvocacy-all rights reserved. Cannot be reproduced for any purpose without permission from Scott Wilson and © PhotoAdvocacy

#PhotoAdvocacy #rescuehorses #equinewelfare #animalwelfare #AmericanWildHorseConservation #protectwildhorses #equustyle #equustylemagazine

In Conversation with Internationally Acclaimed Wildlife Artist Carla Grace

Painting "Envision" Oil on Linen 110cm x 130cm

EquuStyle: As an internationally-acclaimed, award-winning, realistic wildlife artist, can you share the story of your artistic journey?

Carla Grace: I have been on an artistic journey my whole life without realising it. I never wanted to become an artist, but once I started studying at university, I quickly realised that I didn’t want to do anything else.

In hindsight, I began my career at 14 when I sold my first painting and won a major school art prize. I spent many years throughout my childhood in different parts of Africa, which is where my passion for wildlife came from. We were living in Zambia when I started to earnestly pursue my skillset in pencil portraits, doing commissions for pocket money from the age of 17. I even had a waiting list at that age, and so figured I would end up doing something with my skills eventually.

I trained myself hard in those early years, often staying home when others were out being social. Even during university, where I studied fine art for two years before dropping out, I was doing art on the side for extra cash. When I dropped out of uni and moved to Australia at age 23, I dedicated myself to setting up my art business and pursing it as a full time career. It then took me 4 years to make that a reality as I slowly transitioned away from a supplementary full-time job, to doing more and more art, until finally it was my full-time career.

EquuStyle: Which piece are you most proud of, and what’s the story behind it?

Carla Grace: I am most proud of a very large scale painting of flamingos I did in 2023, and a large scale white on white painting of a horse entangled in fabric completed at the start of this year. Both of these pieces are significant in that they were made up from many different images which otherwise could not be captured in nature. I took my concepts for both pieces past reality, instead making a slightly fantasy, and slightly surreal composition. This is stronger in the horse painting than it is in the flamingo piece. I am proud to say my flamingos are now being displayed in a Museum in Wisconsin, USA.

Troupe Flamboyance Carla Grace

Carla Grace wildlife artist

EquuStyle: Can you describe your painting process, from the initial idea to the finished piece?

Carla Grace: My painting process begins with an idea. I always see the painting I want to create in my mind before I source imagery to support it. This is why my paintings often require many different images stitched together to make up the whole composition.

Once I have found images, or created images to make up all the different parts of the painting, I will put them together in procreate, on my Ipad. This digital representation of the painting needs to happen in order for me to see the ideas come together fully. Some elements I don’t need to see, but the overall structure needs to be realistic before I start committing it to the painting. Once I am happy with the composition on the iPad, I will begin my sketch on the canvas and let the process go from there. I have begun limiting myself to two passes of paint only. This means that I cram as much detail in each application of paint, but then force myself to walk away after the second one is complete. This means that my paintings are becoming more and more unrefined, and painterly.

I have a tendency to paint to perfection, but don’t want to continue in this way because I want to do what a camera cannot do - and that is create texture and expressive marks with my paint.

Cheetah painting Carla Grace

Carla Grace wildlife artist

Skin to Skin by Carla Grace

Horse Acrylic Mini Tutorial

Carla Grace wildlife artist

EquuStyle: You work with both oil and acrylic, sometimes on the same painting. What effect are you seeking to achieve when using the two mediums together?

Carla Grace: Acrylic is my speed medium, and so I tend to use acrylic for paintings that are required under a deadline, or that are smaller in scale. I will use acrylic for the base tones of the painting which is usually a very quick and basic application of paint to tone and block in sections of the painting. I am then able to begin working with oil paint on top of the acrylic base tones straight away, rather than waiting a full day for the base layers to become touch dry - which is what needs to happen if I used oil paint from the start. Acrylic also tends to be a lot more sharp in finish, where as oil paint has a higher blend ability and therefore I am able to create soft focus details a lot easier than if I did it with acrylic paint. Oil paint is much easier to work with (in my opinion) than acrylic paint for the larger scale paintings, which is why I will favour oil paint for those rather than acrylic.

EquuStyle: How do you approach the use of color in your work?

Carla Grace: I am self taught in all areas, so my colour theory is a little lacking. This makes me feel like I approach my use of colour with a lot of guesswork rather than accurate theory and understanding. Because of this, I have made colour theory my focus to understand and use as an asset to my process. Despite this, my colours always tend to be a little more neutral rather than saturated, leaning closer to what is accurate in nature.

EquuStyle: How do you approach the use of light and shadow in your paintings?

Light and shadow is everything in my work. Contrast and steep representation of value is key to my work. Just in the change between the values I am able to alter the colours to the point where they become vibrant - despite being over all very neutral. Contrast is one of my favourite ways to convey intensity and drama. Even the lack of contrast, when used correctly such as in my white on white painting of a horse, can convey something very powerful. So I approach it with care, and ensure that I get that part of each painting absolutely perfect.

Full Horse Portrait in oil paint tutorial

EquuStyle: You offer several hyper-detailed tutorials in oil, acrylic, or both paints on your website. Why are you motivated to share your creative process with artists around the world?

Carla Grace: When I began my career in earnest, I chose wildlife not only because of my connection to the animals I grew up with in Africa, but because I noticed a severe lack of wildlife artists represented in the timeline of art history.

There seems to be a huge gap between the artists who paint wildlife, and artists who paint everything else, and that could be due to many different factors such as vision, conceptual power and overall artist value, but I saw a lot of good artists making good wildlife paintings - not masterful ones. A lot of this is because no one really teaches wildlife artists how to become better. There isn’t very little in the way of intermediate and advanced courses that teach artists how to paint with more skill and run a better practice. So I decided that when I got to the stage in my career that other artists were asking me to teach them, I would do just that. Since I have a lot of content on my platform, I have chosen to create a subscription based access offer, rather than sell tutorial individually - this makes it much more accessible to more artists.

Ultimately, It is my hope that wildlife art as a whole will get better, and start to make an impact in the timeline of art history. Hopefully I can start that process by showing other artists how to level up their game and become masters in their craft.

EquuStyle: What inspired you to create the tutorials “Full Horse Portrait in Oil Paint” and a “Horse Portrait Acrylic Mini Painting”?

Carla Grace: All of my tutorials on my platform are requested by the students who learn through me. Somewhere along the way artists have requested a horse tutorial and so I have created that for them. There is a lot more available in my exclusive content sections for those who are subscribed to my platform on a monthly basis, in addition to the individual tutorials. Horses can also be really hard to paint, especially if you have no idea where to start and how to achieve the simple effects of short hair and the long mane. Seeing how someone else dose it step by step is incredibly helpful.

EquuStyle: How do you balance your artistic creativity with the business side of being an artist?

This is a really challenging aspect of the practice. The business side is a full time job, and the artist side is also a full time job. Being in control of both aspects is almost impossible. It gets to a point where you need to delegate some jobs because otherwise you suddenly realise its been days since you last painted.

I am currently building my dream studio, and the balance between building it all myself, painting and running my business is full on. I am lucky that I love the business side of being an artist, and that I have a husband who now works with me. He helps me with alot of the admin and running of my online tutorial platform.

EquuStyle: Can you discuss a time when creating art helped you through a difficult period in your life?

Carla Grace: There have been times through out my life where being an artist has been the core of what has made things difficult. The insecurity of income and lack of guarantee in sales can cause significant stress. However, even though the industry can be hard to navigate sometimes, I find myself overwhelmingly grateful that I am able to do this full time.

Knowing that I can do what I love every day, and that collectors all over the world love my work get me through every rough patch. Since it is my daily job, I don’t usually make art for the fun of it anymore, so often I have to take a break from the studio when life gets too stressful, such as when my father in law passed away. I didn’t turn to art to work through the grief, even though many artists naturally would do that. This is something that has become a consistent theme, the more art I do for work, the less I do of it for fun. I have become ok with this over the years, and instead will focus on painting with my kids for the fun of it, teaching them and seeing the joy it gives them. I have found this to be more therapeutic and fulfilling during the difficult periods.

Carla Grace Award-winning Wildlife Artist

EquuStyle: Given many of the environmental and wildlife crises around the world, what role do you think your art has in society?

Carla Grace: I want people to feel the animal through my work and experience creatures like they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. I want each painting to create a closeness between the viewer and the animal, and to feel like it could draw breath at any moment.

There is a process of immortalisation when something is committed to paint. I feel like it is incredibly respectful to recreate anything with care and true to life details.

As the artist, I am looking at the animals with much more intensity that I ever could in passing. Im taking in every detail and every imperfection that makes them the way they are. It’s more than what can be achieved in a photo. A painting takes a 2 dimensional surface and turns it into something that requires the very best of both the creator and her subject to succeed.

EquuStyle: How do you hope your art will impact viewers on a deeper level?

Carla Grace: I hope that my work inspires awe, that it takes the viewers breath away. From my classic range of wildlife portraiture, I hope that the viewer feels a kinship with the animal. This connection comes from the pure beauty of the animal itself and my technical ability to create it on the canvas.

My signature range is focused on creating a narrative, and I add elements that are intended to provoke a response based on the viewers individual understanding, for example, “Skin to Skin” has been known to provoke both admiration and disgust. Both responses to the painting are a success because it is the reasons behind the response that I am most interested in. If a painting can provoke an emotional response, while still being stunning in its own right then I have succeeded as an artist.

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