Native American Art of the Horse

Native American Art of the Horse:

I have always loved Native American art, brought up on westerns on TV when I was young, and still love them today.

The Native American pony, or horse has always had an interesting allure to me.

Maybe its the natural way many of the Plains Indians rode their steeds and the decorations they used to put on them...

Whatever has drawn me to them, to incorporate them into the different forms of art I have done over the years, and am sure to do in the future.

Whether it be sculpture, painting and also drawing. I want to show you some different pictures of the Native American steed, and lets see if we can't get your imagination going in all the different ways you can also portray this particular Native American art.

I have chosen some different approaches to the Indian pony, and knowing what's going to be more interesting than other pictures in order to base you art work upon will always be an advantage.

Photo Courtesy: Nativestock Pictures
I had to look hard at this photo to really see if it was not a painting of Native American Art,  really..........

Anyway, we are looking at a snow scene here, the phased colures of grey and white blend well together to make a great painting.

 I would either paint this scene in either oil paints or water colures myself.

Have a look at the next picture below, you don't see the full view of the horse here, but that's the beauty of this picture.

 As a piece of art, you can play with the colures that the picture already projects here for you. Use these colures of the Indian braves outfit and attire to really bring out the colures of the horses rump and its movement.

"Art happens - no hovel is safe from it, no prince can depend on it, the vastest intelligence cannot bring it about" - James Abbott MC Nrill Whistler

Photo Courtesy: Nativestock Pictures
If you had looked at this picture for the first time on your own, would you have thought that this picture was just too hard... to messy...

You need to look further in this Native American art and see in your own mind how this picture would transform into a water color or oil painting?

You need to see beyond the picture, and focus on what you can use to make this picture more interesting the the average.

If I was doing this piece, I would bring out the head of the horse more, by lightening up its color, the background is good, I like the way the dark tones bring out the splashes of color from the horse and rider.

See how the horses rump has been painted, this complements the Indians colures and other horses gear. And don't forget that feather in the horses tail, you can really play with this and bring out its colures...

Photo Courtesy: Nativestock Pictures
Here we have a couple of Native American art Indian braves seated on Indian ponies.

There's not allot of action going on here, but that's not why I chose this picture out of many.

What do you see that interests you here?

Its not the sky as a backdrop, honestly... I didn't even notice the sky when I chose this picture.

The whole picture has a sense of height to it. What I mean is that you feel as though you are looking up at these horses and Indian braves.

 The camera has captured this well, and it gives this picture more interest than if the taker of this photo was to take them on the same even ground.

This creates depth in a different way. Many paintings have been painted showing its subjects either looking up, or looking down at them.

So how does that effect the onlooker when they see this sort of picture as a painting?  the onlooker feels as though they are really in the painting, they feel that they really are looking up or down at these subjects. Another twist in art, and a very good one at that. One to remember.

Photo Courtesy: Nativestock Pictures
So we have our last picture here where we are looking square on at our subject.

American native art has a raw feel to it, to oneness with nature.

It really makes you feel the raw beauty of our surroundings.

So we want to exploit this as much as we can. When I look at this picture, I see how easily this brave sits on his horse.

The horse stands well, alert and with pride, the Indian curious and concentrating straight at us.

Do you see how these characteristics in this picture all contribute to what makes a good painting?

Training the eye to not only find out what will make the best subjects in art goes beyond just looking at a picture.

Your choices are going to be many, and I don't want you to go and pick some picture that really in going to make people yawn when they see it.

You want them to stop and take notice, specially if you are say..... exhibiting your paintings with a whole load of other paintings.

You need your painting to stand out from the others, don't be the painting that people are going to glance at as they move on to the next painting in line.

Look for the story behind the picture and what sort of medium you feel with best bring out your chosen subject or subjects.

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