Alisha cleaning her horses hoof
The horse is a symbol of power and passion with an appetite for freedom. Each culture and era has it’s unique interpretation of the horse spirit, all of them powerful and magical. It has been many years since I have added any horse designs to my collection, but I have been “horsing around” this spring. Two of my new horse themed designs are pictured in green wax below.
Horseshoe Ear Cuff, original wax carving
Horse Ear Wrap, original wax carving
I had such fun designing my new outrageous Horse Ear Wrap; getting lost in carving the fluid swirls of it’s mane. A week into working the design of my Horse Ear Wrap, I woke up with insomnia and the idea of a horseshoe ear cuff floating in my subconscious. I could not get back to sleep and by 6:30 the following morning, I was hunkered over my design table, carving the wax for this simple but accurately detailed horseshoe ear cuff. It “cuffs” the ear perfectly and it will make a great good luck horse shoe charm as well. After the Horse Ear Wrap is cast, I will create a Horse Pendant to match.
Marty riding Dusty, Santa Barbara Fiesta Parade, 1967
Years ago, in my teens, I owned a spirited quarter horse and Dusty and I would spend lazy afternoons riding the trails through the canyons below our home in Santa Barbara. In the spring, the meadows along the creek were enchanted fairy glens blanketed in lush grass and bursting with spring flowers. When I was not riding bareback in the canyon, I saddled western and competed in barrel racing and western dressage events at the Earl Warren Show grounds. Late July each summer, Santa Barbara celebrated Fiesta Days with parades and events all week. On several occasions, I decorated my horse Dusty with garlands of flowers and rode in the parade.
Costume Event, Alisha and Seabreeze, 1992
When my daughter Alisha was eight years old, she began riding lessons at an Arabian horse ranch in Bonny Doon. Her connection with the horses was both intutive and magical. She tended, trained and rode horses until she was “bucked off” into adulthood. College, motherhood and the necessity of supporting herself has brought her into my fold and today, Alisha and I work happily together, building our business and creating new jewelry designs. I have no doubt that if she mounted a horse today, (10 years later) Alisha and her steed would gallop harmoniously into the sunset together.
Alisha riding a Pony, Age 3
Alisha with her Pony, Age 9?