16x20” Oil with 24k and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood, 2021

This handsome gelding was a former bronco horse used for rodeos until he injured his leg and ended up at an auction where All Seated in a Barn found him and attempted to buy his rescue. However, in order to protect the anonymity of his former owner and prevent their reputation from taking a plunge, this gelding was under contract where he had to be slaughtered with no opportunity of rescue. In September of 2020, Jacque from WIT Equestrian Clothing Co. reached out to me and shared his story with a heartbreaking photo. She has since dedicated a Project Brave Bronco collection featuring the image of this gelding on various apparel and stationary with all of the proceeds going to All Seated in a Barn.

Jacque proposed an idea of a collab between our businesses and All Seated in a Barn: Could I create a painting of this gelding, who we collectively call Brave Bronco, to not only tell his story but to share his image that represents all of the equine lives lost due to contracts that prevented their opportunity of rescue. Contracts that protected the anonymity of the entities that surrendered them in horrendous conditions. Contracts that prevented any possible future of love and care, even if it’s just 5 minutes of love and kindness before humanely ending their pain. Brave Bronco, now adorned with real gold in a custom oil painting, lives on by bringing awareness to the lives that have passed due to careless owners while providing financial support to future generations of rescued horses and donkeys.

The original design is inspired by Japanese folding screens called Byōbu which were used to divide up spaces and decorate rooms in a home. Gold leaf were applied to the screens as both a status symbol and to reflect light into a room. So the idea for this painting is for it to literally brighten up a room when light is cast on it. It changes the way the painting looks when you view it at different angles while also providing a warm glow to a room. Evergreen pine trees depicted at various growth stages are scattered throughout the painting. In various cultures, evergreen pine trees symbolize longevity, wisdom, and renewal of life. Each individual tree in the painting represents the young and old (as saplings and a fully grown tree) that have lost their lives due to careless people who threw them away or signed contracts preventing any chance of rescue.

A portion of all sales from Brave Bronco and its prints will be donated to All Seated in a Barn to help with expenses of feed, rehab, and medical care for their rescues. All Seated in a Barn is a horse and donkey rescue out of Bakersfield, CA who have bought hundreds of animals from kill pens and provided whatever rehabbing, medical attention, and rehoming needed.