Artist Karen King | Original Equestrian Art | Museum Quality Reproductions | Arabian Horse Paintings

FINE ART GALLERY SANTA FE

karens blog — Wed, 02 May 2012 15:55:24 +0000

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

Mommy! Mommy! can we go in here? Mommy please, it is so beautiful! It is so beautiful!

I could hear this precious little child’s voice just outside the gallery door.

Sure enough the most angelic tiny little girl in a bright pink dress had just managed to pull her whole family into The Santa Fe Pony Express.

Now if that is not the most wonderful testimony to the ambiance, beauty, and positive energy of an art gallery, I don’t know what is.

The little girl was dazzled, positively mesmerized.

I thanked her for coming in and asked her which horse she liked best. Without hesitating she pointed to one of the smaller silvery white ethereal Arabian horses with the big velvety soft dark eyes and flowing white glistening mane nestled in an ornate silver frame. There are many big bright colorful horses in the gallery but this is the one that had drawn her gaze.

Her mom and dad barely looked at anything in the gallery; they were too busy trying to herd the little girl’s siblings out the door in fear that they might touch something.

As the mom extracted her little art aficionado out of the gallery I said “You know, kids speak the truth”, she smiled and agreed.

That angelic little girl made my day. I wondered if the exalted art galleries all lined up like ducks in a row on the famous Canyon Road ever get to experience anything like this.

On a wing, a hoof, and a prayer, Shelley and I have gone out on a limb this year expanding The Santa Fe Pony Express to more than triple it’s original size by joining forces with Amyjane’s Santa Fe Designs.

Through passion, hard work, and relentless faith in our dream, we have created a real and true FINE ART GALLERY in Santa Fe.

Fine Art Gallery Santa Fe

BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME!

PRETTY PLEASE with strawberries, cherries, and an angel’s kiss in spring!

HORSE HAIR JEWELRY

karens blog — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 01:49:32 +0000

Horse Hair Earrings

HORSE HAIR EARRINGS AND NECKLACES!

Horse Hair Jewelry

The Santa Fe Pony Express is now offering the most outstanding handmade, one of a kind, real horse hair earrings and necklaces.

Horse Hair Earrings

Horse Hair Jewelry

Horse Hair Earrings

Horse Hair Earrings and Necklace

Horse Hair Earrings

This horse hair jewelry is made from a variety of semi precious stones like sleeping beauty turquoise, pearls, coral, and of course many beautiful strands and shades of natural horse hair. Also used are bugle beads, Swarovski crystals, metal findings, and sterling silver. All the ear wires are .925 sterling silver for sensitive ears.

Karen King with Horse Hair Necklace and Earrings

I love glamorous, over the top, unique, unusual, artistic, drop dead gorgeous jewelry that I can see without my glasses.

You will NEVER catch me in Tiffanys; BORING BORING BORING! Seriously BORING! AND EXPENSIVE!

It never ceases to amaze me how much a high dollar advertisement in “Vogue” can influence woman into believing the generic looking, dull, RIDICULOUSLY OVERPRICED fashion items she sees in there are worthy of a major mula. It is a case of “The Emperors’ New Clothes”.

An expensive purchase of an exclusive “unremarkable” item for strictly status symbol sake is a bit pathetic if you think about it. I have nothing against investing in something exquisite that one might really love but not just because one thinks someone else values it.

Horse hair jewelry is obviously not for everybody, but having said that, I know for a fact that I have many “kindred spirits” out there.

My ladies are not afraid to be wildly glamorous!

My ladies know how to stop traffic, attract attention, create fun, and be the life of the party with grace and style.

My ladies shine so brightly that other less confident folks may make up rumors and gossip about them; pretty funny!

My ladies smile a lot and are kind to everyone because they have joy in their hearts.

There is nothing sexier than a confident woman with a smile on her face and twinkle in her eye.

Does this sound like you, or someone you know?

Come check out our new Southwest inspired horse hair jewelry at the Santa Fe Pony Express!

Located inside Santa Fe’s beloved “Jackalope” 2820 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507

Or call 505-501-7757

Meet our horses, and ride off into the sunset with style!

WOODEN MEXICAN SPIRIT CROSSES

karens blog — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 16:38:16 +0000

HOLY SPIRIT CROSSES BATMAN, YOU WON’T BELIEVE THESE!

Wooden Mexican Spirit Crosses

Handmade in the Land of Enchantment!.

These iconic crosses are spiritual but are as non-denominational as you want them to be. They have a calming uplifting aura as they reflect what-ever one’s personal beliefs may be.

You may be ultra religious, an atheist, a benevolent alien with good taste, or somewhere in between, above, below, to the right, the left, it does not matter; YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THESE!

Artist Shelley Hale has created a collection of the most majestic, elegant, Southwest, Mexican, Santa Fe inspired chunky wooden crosses that are so substantial they can stand alone, or as a wall cross.

Wooden Mexican Spirit Crosses

They are magnificent in a vaulted niche.

Each cross is hand cut and meticulously painted with Shelley’s own secret technique of layering paint and glazes to create a rich patina of depth lending an old world rustic look. She is a master at this technique and has perfected it to an art-form.

These crosses look like treasured artifacts that could be as old as the hills with their timeless magical haunting beauty.

Each cross has its own unique center medallion of aged vintage tin, cut, often hammered, and made out of what-ever inspires her.

Wooden Mexican Spirit Crosses

Each Spirit Cross is named and hand signed by Shelley on the bottom as she takes great pride in each one.

The large chunky wooden crosses come in various colors, sizes and heights so they can fit a variety of niches or be displayed together as multiples. They look good from any angle, front, back, sides, so they can be fabulous focal point on a mantel or a centerpiece on a dining room table.

Wooden Mexican Spirit Crosses

Wooden Mexican Spirit Cross

They are so strong and heavy that you could defend yourself from a grizzly bear, a mountain lion, a crazed Jackalope, an annoying person, or an alligator, if it burst into your house at dinner time and you had to grab something fast.

I am so excited about these I can hardly see straight!

I WANT ONE! Or maybe three!

My home is very contemporary all done in whites, silvers, aquas, and periwinkles and there is no shortage of fine art because it is my passion. My style is not traditional Southwest, rustic, or Santa Fe style by any means.

HOWEVER! These majestic gorgeous uplifting iconic crosses are a “MUST HAVE” and I am not even a cross person.

I don’t mean for this blog posting to sound like an advertisement, it is just that it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to fine art, luxury interior design, and aesthetics.

Shelley’s handmade Spirit Crosses are the most exciting, coolest, hottest, meaningful, enchanting works of art I have seen in a while.

You can see Shelley’s Spirit Crosses in Santa Fe at our very own “Santa Fe Pony Express” inside of Jackalope.

The road construction is GONE, the mountains are NOT on on fire, the prairie dogs are GOOD LOOKING, and the living is EASY.

HAPPY TRAILS from the Finest little Art Gallery in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Pony Express!

Karen King & Shelley Hale Owners of Santa Fe Pony Express

If you live in Santa Fe or will be visiting Santa Fe this Spring Summer or Fall, be sure and COME VISIT US! We are easy and so are the horses we rode in on!

FINE ART COLLECTORS APPRECIATE FINE HORSES, BUT DO FINE HORSE COLLECTORS APPRECIATE FINE ART?

karens blog — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:46:29 +0000

It has been my experience that for the most part, Arabian horse owners and breeders are not the audience for my giant contemporary futuristic Arabian horse paintings.

It is not that the Arabian horse crowd does not appreciate beauty and aesthetics, because they do.

It is just that they prefer their aesthetics to be in a more realistic, illustrative, standard style of art depicting the Arabian horse, ideally, their own personal horse or horses. They are quite willing to spend enormous sums of money on a traditional well rendered portrait or bronze of their beloved horse. This is understandable.

Horses are their passion, not necessarily contemporary fine art, and one does not have anything to do with the other.

Inspiration for Painting "Vitorio" Midwest Arabian Horse Farm

Original Arabian Horse Painting 48" X 36"

Arabian Horse Painting by Karen King

So why do I paint so many Arabian horses when I am constantly saying my art is not about horses and why do I abstract them when I am quite capable painting them with precise super-realism if I choose too.

“You better shop around, good-looking horse paintings come a dime a dozen” and any artist with technical skills and a dose of talent can paint a realistic looking horse.

This video link is a bit off point for this blog posting but it is so gloriously “kitsch” because “It’s a joke son”; I could not resist.

Inspiration for Painting "Amir Jamaal" Hawks Flight Arabian Horse Farm

Original Arabian Horse Painting 36" X 48"

My art is NOT about horses. It is about “Strength of Spirit”. My goal is not to paint a horse. It is to create a work of art that communicates a message.

The beauty and symbolism of the Arabian horse combined with a fearless kinetic technique, creates a work of art with so much energy and life force that it is palpable.

Sophisticated art collectors get this. They don’t particularly care that the subject of the painting is an Arabian horse; however, they appreciate the symbolism which adds another layer of meaning to the work. If they have a special affinity for horses, so much the better.

THEY are my audience.

So are little kids.

The tiniest of toddlers are CONSTANTLY trying to drag their robotic parents over to look at my giant futuristic horse paintings. I take this as the highest and purest of compliments.

Teenagers seem to be drawn to these paintings as well. This has been my consistent firsthand observation.

Neither has the means to purchase art at this point in their lives but never the less it communicates to them and they revel in it because they feel the uplifting energy which lends power and hope.

Young people need to know that there is more good, and more love in this world, than ignorance and evil.

It is the unsung heroes that carry the fate and salvation of humanity and one person can indeed start a snowball effect of good because, love and kindness trumps all.

Even if I won the mega lottery tomorrow, I would still paint these horses because this is what I have to offer.

Arabian horses are so ethereal in their beauty they don’t even look real. They look like exaggerated fairy tale horses with those big expressive eyes, delicate dished faces, and dragon like necks. They are also smart, playful, and family oriented, like big puppy dogs. I find them irresistible and like any artist, I am prejudiced toward my muse.

Exquisite Arabian Horse From Midwest Farms

Original Arabian Horse Painting 36" X 24"

I guess I have always falsely assumed that my appreciation for Arabian horses and the use of them in my art will automatically communicate to the Arabian horse crowd, but this is not necessarily the case.

I have been “beating a dead horse with a stick” by directing my marketing to them, when they are not my audience.

I love the expression, ”beating a dead horse with a stick”, especially since I paint horses with sticks that I find on the ground.

So what now?

Art Basel, are you still out there?

UH OH, I DON’T THINK SO!

BECAUSE,

“IT’S STILL A JOKE SON!”

"Art Basil" Fine Art Print

I don’t paint chickens and Looney Tunes characters on horses to be cute. There is a method to my madness (calculated irreverence and truth) and if you are curious to know why then please read my previous blog posting ART BASEL MIAMI “IT’S A JOKE SON!”

http://artistkarenking.com/art-basel-miami-%E2%80%9Cit%E2%80%99s-a-joke-son%E2%80%9D

WARNER BROTHERS please note that this is not about your chicken but by all means sue me anyway

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect

and

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/28/chick-fil-a-eat-more-kale_n_1116695.html

Am I from an alternate Universe?

Oh well, if I am, I am not alone. Everywhere I look I see funny wonderful people and animals amidst awe-inspiring beauty.

What do you see when you look around?

If you won the lottery tomorrow and you did not have to work for a living, what would you do?

What would give your life meaning and purpose?

Feel Free to post your thoughts below.

I THINK I COULD TURN AND LIVE WITH ANIMALS

karens blog — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:22:11 +0000

We can learn so much from animals.

Animals (unlike people) don’t recognize handicaps.

Animals comfort us, play with us, love, listen to, and adore us, and sometimes literally keep us going, when the going gets tough.

When I was in Junior high I used to skip lunch in school so I could go to the library and read poetry. This gave me somewhere to go and something to do since I did not have any friends to sit with in the lunchroom.

I was one of those invisible kids, pretty much a loner through my miserable teenage years.

I did however have special animal friends, and they were my salvation.

I would like to qualify my childhood and say that I had, and still have the most fabulous parents. In fact, my “young” childhood was quite idyllic. My parents allowed me a childhood of trust, freedom, inspiring art, music, and of course all the pets, wild and otherwise, that I brought home. Animals were my friends and comfort.

I just did NOT understand at the time, what my purpose in life was, and why I had to go through the ridiculous stage of being an awkward confused teenager.

I remember thinking here I am, trapped in this weird teenage body going to this stupid school with shallow idiots that only care about being popular. WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!

I had no idea at the time that we are all in this together.

I think I was simply ahead of myself.

Now I understand.

When I was young I said that when I grew up I was not going to get married. I wanted to live alone in the wilderness in the mountains with no one except the animals ( yes, sounds kind of uni-bomberish ).

The funny thing is that now I live in the wilderness in the mountains with not only lots of animals, but a wonderful husband and my 13 year old daughter.

BUT OK, “My Kingdom for the Ritz Carlton” (proof that I am not a Uni-bomber)!

The Ritz in Sarasota was a great place to go dancing. I now go dancing at the neighborhood how-downs in my “Harper Valley PTA” Lady GaGa outfits. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOZPBUu7Fro.

I love to affectionately “Sock it too my little tiny town” every chance I get; it makes them smile; we are all this it together.

I may be a fearless Mountain Madonna but I still love my stilettos as much as my snow boots.

I will always love poetry.

I also adore wonderful quotes, and I LIVE for a good pun.

“My Kingdom for a Horse” (I don’t think so; I have plenty of them); I just love that quote. That one was Shakespeare and I actually do say it quite often.

Original Horse Paintings

Now back to the point of this blog posting.

I remember reading a poem one day as a child many years ago, that particularly resonated with me. I think I was actually in elementary school at the time because I was really young.

The poem enchanted and intrigued me, haunting my thoughts through out my entire life. I could not remember the name of the poem or who is was written by and I wondered about it for years.

Recently I found this poem and low and behold it turns out it is part of a most famous poem called “Song of Myself” http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/logr/log_026.html by Walt Whitman.

Here is the excerpt from Section 32 of “Song of Myself” that I was so drawn to as a child:

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contained,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth

So there it is. That’s it.

I was just a little kid when I first read this but obviously the poetry of Walt Whitman transcends time and speaks directly to ones soul which is ageless.

Now let me tell you a story about “Galena”, my daughters little cattress as it relates to this poem.

It all started when my 21 year old daughter thought that she would like to have a cat but she was not going to actively seek one. She said that if one just sort of fell into her life, and it happened to be a little black and white female, well, she would consider it. For the record, she did not specify a preference for the number of arms or legs the cat possessed.

The Universe being the Universe, and a postulate being a postulate, her wish was soon granted.

We happened to be visiting Sarasota Florida Summer before last when suddenly my husband who is a veterinarian, received a distressed call from one of his clients.

A kitten had just been violently thrown from a car in front of her, at full speed onto the hard hot asphalt of the highway.

EVIL exists.

But so does awareness, kindness, compassion, love, and heroism.

She saw the kitten hit hard, spinning and rolling in the road.

Horrified, she pulled over and swept the damaged little creature up.

As it turns out, along with cuts, scrapes, and bruises, the kittens arm hung limply and useless from its little body.

The Angel of mercy who rescued the kitten already had several cats, so she wanted to find it a loving home, not an easy thing to do, especially for a damaged kitten possibly needing costly medical care.

My husband (the veterinarian) took our daughter to meet the kitten. When our daughter picked up the quiet little sad looking creature, it just melted into her; it was love.

For several weeks the kittens arm hung limply but we held out hope it might heal. Over time however there was no improvement. When my husband determined for certain, that the forelimb had too much nerve damage to ever recover use, he decided to amputate it.

He did surgery and removed her arm all the way up to the shoulder. He spade her at the same time. An hour or so later he brought her in the house where upon, she hopped, romped, and ran around on three legs, playing like nothing had ever happened.

She is now a happy, trusting, fearless, loving, precious little thing and the love of my daughters life.

Having three legs does not slow her down at all or keep her from doing anything she wishes. She can even wash both sides of her face by using the front as well as the back of her one front paw. I curiously observed this.

She does NOT recognize her handicap.

Therefore, it is NOT a handicap.

I love this about animals. I love animals.

And I love Walt Whitman’s timeless poetry.

Do you have an animal or a poem that has touched your life and inspired you?

Please do tell! Write your comments below.

THE HORSE IN THE CLOUDS

karens blog — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:13:50 +0000

Do you believe in divine signs from the Universe?

I love seeing things for myself and indulging in the luxurious (not always scientific) proof of my knowingness.

I recently received an email with a picture of what are supposedly the hands of God opening the sky.

It looked like a mediocre photo shop job to me but never-the–less I enjoyed looking at it and it got me thinking about how cool it would actually be to get some kind of sign from above, be it God, Jesus, Buddha, a deceased relative, pet, kindred spirit in another dimension, the Universe, someone, something, anyone, anything.

I did Google that picture of the hands in the clouds and immediately ran into lots of different people claiming to have taken it, and many claiming to have photo-shopped it. See http://www.hoax-slayer.com/hands-of-god.html.

I remember reading an article in Time Magazine some years ago, about Mother Teresa entitled, “Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith” by David Van Biema Thursday, Aug. 23, 2007.

What struck me about this article was that it talked about how Mother Teresa felt alone and empty, having no sign from a silent God.
Read the article at : http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1655720,00.html#ixzz1bumDi498

I know you can’t believe everything you read, but even the idea of Mother Teresa feeling as though she was getting no acknowledgement or feedback from her God, was quite shocking and sad.

I am always pondering the meaning of life, as well as my own purpose and place in the Universe.

I believe I have a pretty good idea of my purpose or purposes.

One of my purposes is to be supportive, encouraging, and uplifting to my family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, animals, and really all creatures great and small.

Most people are good, however I have no false illusions, or tolerance for downright evil or for those that cowardly bully and attempt to suppress others because of their own ignorance, fears, and insecurities. I am no Mother Teresa.

My other purpose is to create positive, uplifting art depicting strength of spirit, symbolized by the horse, to bring joy, strength, beauty, light, and inspiration into the lives of people.

Is this what I am supposed to be doing?

I recently opened a small fine art gallery in Santa Fe called the Santa Fe Pony Express and I was wondering if it is the right thing to do.

Running the gallery in Santa Fe takes me away from my home for weeks at a time. I keep painting horses, taking care of horses, hauling them around with me, talking to them, trying to help them find their families, trying to help their families find them, etc. etc.

It is not without sacrifice and effort but I refuse to give up. It seems like I have been working on this forever, constantly counting on the fact that my ship is coming in from the stormy seas, ideally in my current lifetime. It is such a drag for an artist to have to die to become a recognized sought after success; what fun is that?

The other night while in Santa Fe, I could not sleep and I was bored so I decided to play a game I call “looking at pictures”. I simply close my eyes and watch the slide show of images that pass before me in my own mind.

The most important rule of the game is that I am willing to look at what ever presents itself. Sometimes it is beautiful scenery, sometimes it is alien creatures, strangers, weird things, etc. There is no rhyme or reason to what floats by as far as I can tell which is what makes looking at the images so fascinating.

Anyway, on this particular night I kept seeing the head of a horse, particularly the beautiful expressive eye, even though is was more of the essence of an image than a clear cut picture. But I definitely kept sensing the head and face of a horse hovering a few inches in front of me.

The next day it was finally time for me to leave Santa Fe and drive back to my home and family in Colorado. It takes a little more than three hours and is a gorgeous drive through the mountains and valleys of the Great Southwest. I drive right through the middle of “The Faraway” as George O’Keefe called it.

So I am driving and thinking about signs from above like the picture of the hands opening the clouds and I thought to myself how cool it would be to actually see and experience a sign from above.

It was a beautiful day, lots of billowy clouds, and so on I drove. I put my favorite CD on. I call it the Santa “Fe Pony Express Road Trip”. It is an eclectic mix of songs I bought individually off the music sights online and compiled them in a flavorful order.

About 2 hours into the trip I was just driving, listening to music, and not really thinking about anything in particular that I can remember.

Suddenly up in the sky before me in the distance was the most beautiful horse jumping up through the clouds. It was a silvery blue gray and it had a beautiful white flowing tail. I couldn’t believe it. I thought about pulling over and rummaging for my camera but within seconds it had changed as clouds will do.

I thought to myself, “Did I really just see this”? Is this a sign? No, it couldn’t be, could it? It is probably just a coincidence. As I was thinking these thoughts, the sky suddenly displayed the most beautiful rainbow of iridescent colors in the clouds, like the colors of a rainbow but it was not a rainbow. This lasted only a half a minute or so.

I thought to myself again about how I had asked for a sign, and yet here I was doubting it.

One thing I know for certain is that if I was to receive the sign of my dreams, it could not have been more beautiful or poignant then the horse in the clouds.

I can still clearly see it in my minds eye as I type this blog. Maybe some day I will paint it.

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I guess I will keep painting horses.

Do you believe in divine signs from the Universe, or perhaps maybe from yourself?

I would love to hear any stories you may have so please do tell.

THE PEOPLE WHISPERER

karens blog — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:33:19 +0000

THE PEOPLE WHISPERER

I don’t know what it is about this horse but for some reason people are CRAZY for this horse.

Original horse painting

The Santa Fe Pony Express is full of fanciful, flamboyant, flirtatious, Arabian horses prancing around showing off in all their glittering glamorous glory.

BUT for some reason people are drawn to this simple, quiet, stoic, brown horse.

It’s name is “Sarasota Bay” and honestly I don’t know if it is male or female but I kind of like not knowing.

What I do know for certain is that this horse is a PEOPLE WHISPERER!

The Santa Fe Pony Express is now offering this captivating horse as a museum quality 19″ X 20″ giclee reproduction print on fine art paper with a hand torn deckle edge and archival ink.

We also offer this horse and several others in an artist hand embellished version which makes each print a one of a kind original.

A COLLECTORS DREAM HORSE!

Embellished fine art print

I actually use a REAL paintbrush and acrylic paints to add tons of extra flowing mane and tail which cascades outside the borders of the image. I also paint subtle, shimmering, strands of highlights which catch the light, enhancing the life and energy of the image.

That's me embellishing the fine art print

The funny thing is that I actually hand paint the prints {the old fashioned way} as opposed to the original paintings which I don’t even touch because they are created by spraying, dripping, and splashing paint from above; their are NO brushstrokes on the original paintings.

BY THE WAY: Congratulations to the proud new owners of “The Yearling”.

This endearing, adorable young horse has been following me around like a puppy dog all of it’s life.

"The Yearling" original horse painting

As much as Shelley and I were getting tired of letting this “heavy” horse in and out of the gallery all day for fresh air, we will miss this precious joyful yearling.

BUT he is so EXCITED and happy to be with his new family. They are avid art collectors and are absolutely thrilled with their new addition.

The Yearling is now where he truly belongs, in a loving home of his own.

WHEN I WAS A BOY

karens blog — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:59:30 +0000

When I was little I wanted to be a boy because I thought they had more fun, freedom, and choices.

I liked hunting for turtles and snakes barefoot in the swampy East Texas lakes. I would chase water moccasins and flip them out of the water with a stick, just for fun.

I liked climbing to the tops of the tallest trees (the death zone) in 10 seconds flat with my pet raccoon.

I liked running faster than the wind and riding wild horses bareback at full speed through the woods with nothing but a tangle of mane to hold on too.

I WAS FEARLESS!

When I was little I thought these were boy things. Now I realize these things have nothing to do with gender.

I HATED BEING A TEENAGER!

Navigating the teen years can be really difficult for girls. It can be a bizarre and confusing shifting of gears.

Girls often struggle with maintaining their identity, confidence, hopes, dreams, and sense of power, in a world that seems to value stereotypical appearance over talent and personal integrity. Peer pressure can be brutal.

It is vitally important that girls feel empowered from the very beginning. A sense of inner strength and self confidence will serve anyone well for life.

Santa Fe has a phenomenal non-profit program for girls 5 to 18. It is called “Girls Inc. of Santa Fe”. http://www.girlsincofsantafe.org Their mission is:

“INSPIRING ALL GIRLS TO BE STRONG, SMART, AND BOLD.

GIRLS INC. HAS A BILL OF RIGHTS.

Girls have the right to:

Be themselves & to resist gender stereotypes

Express themselves with originality & enthusiasm

Take risks, strive freely, take pride in success

Accept & appreciate their bodies

Have confidence in themselves & be safe in the world

Prepare for interesting work & economic independence

Here is a link to “ways adults can help girls achieve their rights”

http://www.girlsincofsantafe.org/uploads/PDF/Ways_Adult_Can_Help_Girls_Achieve_Their_Rights.pdf

To find out more about Girls Inc. of Santa Fe and see how you can contribute, go to

http://www.girlsincofsantafe.org

The SANTA FE PONY EXPRESS is honored to be participating in the 39^th annual Girls Inc. of Santa Fe Art Show and fundraiser on the Historic Santa Fe Plaza. It is the 3^rd largest juried art show in Santa Fe. It features the works of over 250 national and local artists.

I will personally be “Pony expressing” a number of my giant original equestrian paintings to booth #85 for this event.

I am so excited about the concept of “Girls Inc.” because my work is really not about horses. It is about “STRENGHT OF SPIRIT” and all girls should be inspired to be STRONG, SMART, AND BOLD.

When I was little, I wish I had known it was not only OK, but SUPER COOL to be a girl.

If I had known this then, I would not have been a boy.

Here is a YouTube link to a song by Dar Williams. When I first heard this song I felt she had written it for me, but I know I am not alone.

WHEN I WAS A BOY

http://www.youtube.com/embed/BE5YzRr9yPo?rel=0

What’s New In Santa Fe

karens blog — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:39:52 +0000

The Santa Fe Pony Express is New It is an artist owned fine art gallery outlet located in the heart of Santa Fe’s own beloved “Jackalope”* which everyone knows is more fun than a barrel of prairie dogs and a “must do” when visiting Santa Fe.

The Pony Express features the legendary horses of the Kinghale Gallery by world renowned artist Karen King, at special express pricing. You will also find “one of a kind” handmade jewelry by artist Karen King.

Santa Fe Pony Express also offers the “Tender Heart Ranch” Collection, an eclectic collection of Southwest inspired treasures from design artist, co-owner, and longtime Santa Fe resident Shelley Hale.

THE BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

Want the biggest bang for your buck on some of the most exciting cutting edge original fine art on the planet? “Look out” Canyon Road, the Pony Express is about to give you a run for your money. Our fearless, fiery, futuristic ponies have stunning style, stamina and star quality. They have big brave hearts and will not be beat.

All the original selected equestrian paintings you see featured in our charming little “Jack-shack” at Jackalope are 50% off regular gallery pricing.

HOW AND WHY CAN WE OFFER THESE MAJESTIC HORSES AT SUCH SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS?

You are purchasing directly from the artist so there is no middleman.
Our overhead is a fraction of what most galleries are saddled with; we pass the savings directly to you
In the spirit of quality and value in this economy, everyone deserves the best deal.
It is time to cull the herd and do some horse-tradin.

This reduced pricing is no reflection on the quality, integrity, or personality of the individual horses offered so don’t tell your new horse you bought him or her on sale. Each horse is chomping at the bit to find a home and a family to love, honor, and cherish.

These horses grace the walls of some of the finest homes, businesses, penthouses, and palaces around the world, including Dubai and the UAE. They are valued for their cutting edge futuristic style, hurricane force energy, and uplifting message.

From Karen; I now live and paint in Colorado so I literally “Pony Express” or drive a herd of ponies from Pagosa Springs to Santa Fe through the “Faraway” as Georgia O’Keefe called it. It is some of the most breathtaking landscape of the Great Southwest and truly an inspiring and spiritual experience.

THE PONY EXPRESS RIDES AGAIN!

http://santafeponyexpress.com

info@santafeponyexpress.com

*Jackalope is located at 2820 Cerrillos Road Santa Fe, NM 87507-2303

I HAD A FARM IN AFRICA

karens blog — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:39:49 +0000

I Had A Farm In Africa

I Had An Art Gallery In Sarasota

Sarasota Florida, home of the famous “Ringling school of art and design” is known as a cultural gem by the ocean. It boasts the Ringling Museum, fine art galleries, its own Theater, Ballet Company, Opera, and offers something for everyone when it comes to the arts.

In the year 2000, I jumped off a cliff like they do on cartoons, and opened “The Kinghale Gallery” on Main Street in Sarasota. I knew nothing about the art “business”. It was a complete leap of faith. Fortunately I had a number of other things going for me. First of all, an inventory of exceptional art that I truly believed in. Second, a supportive husband willing to haul horse. I also have a keen interest in design and I had a very clear vision for the gallery. Last but not least I adore engaging people and although I am a very private person {I know you can’t tell from my blog posts}, I am not the least bit shy when it comes to the arts and discovering someone’s area of interest and passion and helping them create a beautiful meaningful environment.

On the down side, the rent and overhead was astronomical and the location was just a bit off. Yes I was on Main Street but Main Street was just a little off the beaten path about a block or so from the famous Palm Avenue where all the prestigious galleries were lined up like ducks in a row, in more ways than one.

I was also next door to a disgusting smelly bar. It was not the cool kind. Unfortunately it was the kind with degraded derelicts and drunkards. There were also transients and pan-handlers constantly harassing everyone in the downtown area. Boy do I have some stories!

Another challenge was that I opened the gallery with absolutely no capital, money for marketing or advertising, or any cushion to allow time to build a business.

So, on a wing, a hoof, and a prayer, we were off and running, the horses and I. We were ready to take on the art world in all our passion and innocence. To make a long story short, we actually survived remarkably well, thanks to the strength of the horses, because they had a heavy load to bear.

I never seem to take the traditional route in any thing I do and I had not approached the art business with a background in business or a résumé a mile long, nor did I have tons of awards and prestigious shows or critics accolades to back up my work. However, this was no hobby for me; I was serious. I have been an artist from a family of artists my entire life, not to mention past lives. My paintings were huge, extremely unique; with fabulous over-the- top framing, so there was an immediate perceived value. They were also stunningly displayed in an exquisitely elegant gallery so there we were; the horses and I.

We were in business.

After a couple years of hands on experience in the business of art, my lease was up and I decided to relocate the gallery. Main Street was under going major construction and to be honest, I was ready to get away from the weirdoes that wander the streets, especially since I ran the gallery all by myself. Boy do I have some stories. I never knew Sarasota had so many self proclaimed Ninjas etc.

My next gallery was even more beautiful than the first. I had what I thought was the brilliant idea of opening a gallery directly adjacent and literally attached to a French restaurant owned by a friend of mine on the far end of town.

The gallery was drop-dead gorgeous, positively magical. I painted all the walls and ceiling black. The giant front window wall of glass was covered in theatrical purple satin curtains to control the light. The gallery was divided into two sections by a wall with a double sided fireplace.

The front half of the gallery was ultra contemporary with contemporary neon blue lighting, light hardwood flooring, black leather furniture, lots of stainless steel and glass and of course, a shinning black baby grand. This is where we displayed the paintings with the very contemporary framing. The back half of the gallery was very elegant and ornate with the most magnificent gold and crystal chandelier and old world ornate desk, table and accent pieces.

The aura and energy of this gallery was electric and palpable. People would walk in and just be floored at the beauty, ambiance and the feeling of calm.

See gallery video:.

So what happened to this gallery? Well, remember the part about the gallery being adjoined to the French restaurant? I learned a costly lesson about how to choose friends/business associates wisely.

In the end, as much as I enjoyed owning and running an art gallery, I had little time to paint so it was a catch-22 from the very beginning. It was my giant equestrian paintings that carried the weight of the gallery, paid the overhead and brought in business, and there I was running a business and not painting.

The art business, like any other business is a business. It is a numbers game and the best product in the world is not going to sell unless people know about it. Not many artists know how to market themselves. Selling art is also about establishing relationships and earning the trust and confidence of the clients. It is about consistency, reputation, and truly caring about and helping people create their own best environments that they can love and take pride in.

I have found a really enlightening resource that offers help and advice backed by knowledge and years of experience, to both artists and art buyers. It is www.artbusiness.com

Having been on both sides of the fence (gallery owner and artist), I have the utmost respect for art galleries, allowing me a perspective that most artists will never have. We artists can be touchy about our art but one has to admire the artists whose work actually sells for what-ever reason and one has to admire galleries that do justice to their artists, their clients, and themselves. The art business is not for the faint of heart.

Knowing what I know now, I would not recommend opening a brick and mortar art gallery unless you really know what you are doing; have tons of stamina, capital, a passion for business and hard work, a solid background knowledge of art, marketing, a willingness to socialize and network, a competent accountant, good connections, and a sensational location. Oh yes, and really GREAT ART!

Having said that; I learned a lot by jumping off the cliff and taking that leap of faith. It’s just like on cartoons. You have to grab a lot of little branches to break your fall, but sometimes magic happens and you find you can fly.

NOW I AM BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!

I can’t believe it; here I go again. I just opened a small gallery in Santa Fe New Mexico, yes “SANTA FE”!

It is called, “The Santa Fe Pony Express” because I literally express ponies from Colorado to Santa Fe through the mountains and plains of the Great Southwest.

But this time it is different.

How is it different? Well, I learned a lot over the years. First of all, I am not investing a ton of time and money to get it off the ground. My overhead is microscopic compared to the galleries I owned in the past. I have a partner and co-owner so I don’t have to do everything myself.

My partner is also my sister in law who I love and trust. We share duties of running our business. She lives in Santa Fe so I am able to stay with her for several days at a time as my commute is too long to come and go each day. This gives me time to paint back home in Colorado as well as spend time at our gallery in Santa Fe.

Our location is fabulous. We are right in the middle of Santa Fe’s own beloved “Jackalope”.

Jackalope has been a favorite of locals and tourists for years. It is like a little village with many different shops, venders, and artisans. You can find pretty much anything you would find around the Plaza in old downtown Santa Fe but for a fraction of the price.

Kids love Jackalope because it is kid and dog friendly. It has its own little prairie dog village with the cutest fat little prairie dogs that love to eat and play in front of their audience. There are also lovely donkeys on the premises, peacocks, and funny looking chickens with big hair.

Our little Santa Fe Pony Express Jack-shack fits right in to the ambiance. It definitely has charm and the flavor of Santa Fe and the old West. People love the experience. We offer many fabulous Southwest inspired treasures for sale other than giant horse paintings so there is something for everyone. Little sales add up and people love to purchase special affordable things from someone they like.

The nice thing about having such low overhead and selling the horses myself is that I am able to pass the savings on to my customers. It is win win all the way.

People are amazed when they walk into our little gallery outlet because they are not expecting to see original fine art of this magnitude. They also love meeting the artist and learning all about what they are seeing. It’s the real deal all the way around. Everybody loves a good deal and we have the right mix of outstanding quality and value which is especially important in this economy.

The horses have no problem speaking for themselves; they never have. When people meet them it is often love at first sight.

THE PONY EXPRESS RIDES AGAIN! And so do I!