The Art of Courage
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I came to horses early on, with the love and fervor of many a horse-crazy little girl. From make-believing I was Black Beauty or a cowgirl on my Johnny West ranch, to cheering on the racehorse Secretariat, my love of horses knew no bounds. I was constantly drawing and painting horses and while my parents tempted me with riding lessons, it was their spirit that called to me, not the need to control them.
When I wasn’t able to see my hero Secretariat run his final race at Woodbine Racetrack, a mere fifteen minutes from our home, I was devastated. Pouring my heart out in a letter to Big Red, I sent it to Claiborne Farms in Kentucky … and something amazing happened. I received a special invitation to have a private audience with the big horse himself, a meeting that happened later that same year and was the stuff little girl’s dreams are made of.
Fast forward forty plus years, I have fulfilled a new dream of having my own studio and gallery, I am still drawing horses and another Triple Crown winner has captured my heart. Two hours before American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes in 2014, I completed a small drawing of a horse head. I called it Grace, to honour all great horses that are surely touched by Spirit. However, a few days later, in tragic counterpoint to that, my fourteen-month old grand-nephew was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and “grace” started taking on a whole new level of meaning.
There is a proverb that says, “horses know our secrets, we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes in their ears”. As I began working on a larger painting of Grace, my tears flowed for our baby boy’s courageous battle. I wiped them onto the canvas and into the very paint on Grace’s mane and as the image came to life, it became my life-line, carrying both the hopes and dreams of the little girl whose hero was a champion racehorse and the woman whose hero was a child-warrior.
Grace was followed by more drawings and paintings – Noble, Bold, Immutable and Humble – all illustrating qualities exhibited by my horse and human heroes. Later that same year a potential victory over the cancer heralded Hope’s arrival. But it was not to be … the following summer, now two years into the fray, weary and almost broken, Faith would usher in the greatest of them all, my war horse Courage.
Today, anyone who enters my studio is greeted by the five-foot high painting of Courage, who commands the room with a presence worthy of Secretariat and American Pharaoh. While Grace and the other paintings have gone to new homes and surrendering them has been an integral part of my own healing process, Courage steadfastly remains with me, by choice. As he greets visitors, his story reveals both my personal one and a greater universal one – the story of a hero on a quest.
Fast forward forty plus years, I have fulfilled a new dream of having my own studio and gallery, I am still drawing horses and another Triple Crown winner has captured my heart. Two hours before American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes in 2014, I completed a small drawing of a horse head. I called it Grace, to honour all great horses that are surely touched by Spirit. However, a few days later, in tragic counterpoint to that, my fourteen-month old grand-nephew was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and “grace” started taking on a whole new level of meaning.
There is a proverb that says, “horses know our secrets, we braid our tears into their manes and whisper our hopes in their ears”. As I began working on a larger painting of Grace, my tears flowed for our baby boy’s courageous battle. I wiped them onto the canvas and into the very paint on Grace’s mane and as the image came to life, it became my life-line, carrying both the hopes and dreams of the little girl whose hero was a champion racehorse and the woman whose hero was a child-warrior.
Grace was followed by more drawings and paintings – Noble, Bold, Immutable and Humble – all illustrating qualities exhibited by my horse and human heroes. Later that same year a potential victory over the cancer heralded Hope’s arrival. But it was not to be … the following summer, now two years into the fray, weary and almost broken, Faith would usher in the greatest of them all, my war horse Courage.
Today, anyone who enters my studio is greeted by the five-foot high painting of Courage, who commands the room with a presence worthy of Secretariat and American Pharaoh. While Grace and the other paintings have gone to new homes and surrendering them has been an integral part of my own healing process, Courage steadfastly remains with me, by choice. As he greets visitors, his story reveals both my personal one and a greater universal one – the story of a hero on a quest.
Courage is a mirror to all who see him: the war horse returning home after his knight has fallen; the angry, raging horse standing up against injustice; the horse facing uncertainty head on, one step at a time; and the gentle heavy horse returning to the barn after a long day’s work. I have watched in awe as people have shed tears, released their fears, recognized themselves or come to a realization in front of Courage, moved beyond words by something present in this painting that defies explanation, except to say it embodies that which is universally recognized.
Courage - like grace, faith and hope - are what is felt, experienced and embodied by all heroes who must embark on a quest, willingly or not, to face whatever life throws at them. A horse’s spirit is the very essence of these qualities and revealed every day in their demeanor, their feats of skill and bravery, their relationships with each other and their relationships with us. They are our mirror, whether real or painted.
This past summer a new horse took its place beside Courage in my studio … Surrender. Born out of my champion’s blow and steam, he marks the next chapter of the journey with my spirit horses as he turns to bow his head to a Higher Power.
Our quest will continue as new horses come forward to be of service, to both me and others, and although he has not yet arrived, I have seen the death horse, Transformation, ever beckoning. Grace, Hope, Faith, Courage, Surrender and the others stand quietly to either side, watching and waiting. I know this new horse, but I do not fear it, for I have all of those who have gone before to guide me, to mirror back my own healing and with the grace of Spirit, help others with theirs.
Courage - like grace, faith and hope - are what is felt, experienced and embodied by all heroes who must embark on a quest, willingly or not, to face whatever life throws at them. A horse’s spirit is the very essence of these qualities and revealed every day in their demeanor, their feats of skill and bravery, their relationships with each other and their relationships with us. They are our mirror, whether real or painted.
This past summer a new horse took its place beside Courage in my studio … Surrender. Born out of my champion’s blow and steam, he marks the next chapter of the journey with my spirit horses as he turns to bow his head to a Higher Power.
Our quest will continue as new horses come forward to be of service, to both me and others, and although he has not yet arrived, I have seen the death horse, Transformation, ever beckoning. Grace, Hope, Faith, Courage, Surrender and the others stand quietly to either side, watching and waiting. I know this new horse, but I do not fear it, for I have all of those who have gone before to guide me, to mirror back my own healing and with the grace of Spirit, help others with theirs.
“Horses meet us where we are but do not leave us as we were”. CJ Shelton
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CJ Shelton Bio The art of CJ Shelton blends elements of Nature, ancient symbolism and beliefs central to humankind’s cultural, psychological and spiritual development. She explores these ideas through the lens of circular patterns called “mandalas” as well as in her newest series of work called The Grace Collection featuring ethereal and luminous images of “spirit” horses that evoke her life-long relationship with the healing power of these creatures. CJ is an Illustration graduate from Sheridan College with over 35 years’ experience as a portrait artist, illustrator and a graphic designer. She became fascinated with more intuitive art following a personal healing crisis that led to supplementary training in Social Service Work, therapeutic art facilitation, spiritual psychotherapy and shamanic practices. She now uses her unique combination of skills to facilitate others through healing and creative processes that blend ancient wisdom, art, nature and psychology into one seamless and integrative approach. In 2010, CJ achieved a life-long dream of having her own studio and public gallery that now showcases her mandala art and her ever-growing “herd” of horse paintings. CJ’s work can be viewed at www.dancingmoondesigns.ca or in her gallery, Studio 206 on the upper level of the historic Alton Mill Arts Centre in Caledon, Ontario, Canada. |