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About Karen Karen Brenner is a professional equine artist who is passionate
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Black Friday Sale Preview On Black Friday all available paintings on my website will be 25% off! Preview the details of the upcoming sale by clicking here. [UPDATE: sale has ended] Have fun shopping! Karen
Three New Paintings These three new paintings were also inspired by my trip to White Mountain near Rock Springs, WY.
Mustangs Running Near White Mountain, 30x40", oil on masonite
Mustangs - Two Appaloosas and a Sorrel, 24x14", oil on masonite
Purlple Mountains, Palomino and Pals, 30x20", oil on masonite To see more Western Horse paintings click here. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Wild Horses Close Up with Mountains in the Desert These stallions roam on White Mountain near Rock Springs, WY. To see more Western Horse paintings click here. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Wild Horses Close Up with Mountains in the Desert This painting features some of the wild horses from the Wyoming BLM Round Up I attended a few years ago.
Here it is on the easel behind my work space. You can see a new painting in progress on the drafting table.
Rooney, our airedale, posed for a photo by the painting. Isn't he cute! I've put this painting in the "Western Horses" section of my website. Want to see more of my Western horses? Click here.
- Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment Final Four The final four Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin are unveiled in the summer issue of the Horse Paintings Newsletter. Click here to read the newesletter. Links to the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2
Chiron is a gray Holstiener gelding. At 18 HH he is so impressive, yet seemed so serene - and attentive to his owner Jennifer. She wrote, "He catches everone's eye when we are competing at dressage shows or if he is just grazing in his pasture." He was a wonderful model! Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2
Mickey Finn Gypsy Vanners are such flashy horses with their dramatic coloring and feathery-ness. Mickey Finn was nominated by Lisa from North Carolina. She wrote, "Mickey Finn is an AMAZING gypsy vanner stallion that has a large fan base in the USA. I'm his largest fan! Feathered Gold Stables in Wisconsin is home to over 30 gorgeous and 'well known' gypsy vanner horses just waiting for your camera lens, canvas & brushes." Denise, Mickey Finn's owner, allowed me to visit! Wow, what a beautiful farm that was home to such a cool herd of colorful horses. She was prepping Mickey Finn when we arrived, and he is an amazing combination of muscle and "fluff" - and I say that as a super compliment! When he was moving - he seemed to be floating in the waves of his mane and tail. What a fun horse! And what a fun place to visit. The Gypsy Vanner babies were soooo cute! This painting was quite challenging for me with the high contrast of Mickey and the contrast of darks and lights in the trees in the background. It took many weeks to complete because I wanted it to really showcase the beauty of Gypsy Varnners. I hope you enjoy it! Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2
Anton is a legacy in the Friesian world. When we visited his home farm on a steamy hot summer day, Anton's long mane was being unbraided. We were amazed as it flowed to the ground, waving as Anton proudly held his head high. We all walked over to his grassy hillside pasture, Anton was released, and took off at a full gallop, his mane streaming behind. Oh, so beautiful! What joy! Within three minutes of continually snapping shots, I knew I had hundreds of photos from which to choose to create a painting of Anton. This pose might seem like a strange one for his painting, but it instantly reminds me of Anton putting on a freestyle show just for us. I wanted to include a quote from Anton's website: What makes ANTON such an appealing sire; could it be the near flawless linear score that he possesses; could it be the wonderful temperament of his offspring; the spectacular movement that is the cornerstone of his reputation or is it the hair? Yes, the hair; Anton’s legendary hair that is every Friesian owner’s fantasy, the hair that has become his trademark. It really doesn’t matter which of these many reasons that people breed to Anton, he possess incredible qualities that, as exemplified by his talented offspring, are qualities he continues to pass on. Visit Anton's website to learn more. Thank you to his owners, Scott & Shelley for letting me include Anton in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin. Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Wow! That has to be what everyone says when they first meet Wouter, a beautiful massive Friesian gelding from Wisconsin. And if they are fortunate enough to get to see him in action they'll say it over and over again! Wow - is he gorgeous! His owner, Kris wrote this description: His name says it all.
Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Rudi is an adorable Norwegian Fjord. His "mom" (Holly) is crazy about him, so I'll let her tell you about how wonderful he is.... "Rudi definitely has his own personality! He loves people and watches everything going on around him. He is playful and spirited yet he loves to be groomed. (I've actually heard him snoring when I was brushing his tail.) He acts like a young independent teen age boy!! And I love him for it." Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Tex, an 18 year old Missouri Fox Trotter, was lovely! Energetic and so gorgeous as he moved through his grassy pasture. I really like what his owner Katy wrote about him: "My husband and I trail ride. My first year riding Tex, he was disrespectful, push and barely rideable...but his gait was as smooth as glass and as fast as the wind. I began ground work and now he is 180 degrees opposite. He is smooth, fast, quiet, gentle, light to the touch and respectful. He is my beautiful sweet Texas." Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
JW Spirit's Max Max is a beautiful black Tennessee Walking Horse with a smooth gait and great temperament. Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Wild Mustangs Return Wild mustangs from Wyoming inspired this painting. If you're a long time reader of my blog, you might remember by entry from a trip to see a Wild Horse Roundup. That trip and the horses I met inspired this painting and many others. You'll find another new painting posted on my Western Paintings page! I'm planning to start more Western paintings next month...and maybe I'll get a chance to photograph some horses in Colorado later this year. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
HVP Destino HVP Destino is a Peruvian Paso stallion who is a son of champions - and his owner Rita adds, "...destined to be a champion himself!" Rita and her husband Gordie, tacked up Destino in authentic gear, and they were dressed so nicely - I wanted to include a photo of the three together.
Gordie rode Destino to demonstrate the Peruvian stallion's unique gait. Destino had mastered that high knee action! Rita also wrote, "Destino is a beautiful work of art both in his looks and in temperament. He has the regal look of royalty and a kind eye that melts your heart. He is wonderful and so trusting; he will always do his best to do what you ask of him." Destino was a perfect model... at liberty and under saddle. A special note to Cameron, the couple's grandson, who was on hand taking photos right beside me: Remember my tip to take 300 photos? I did take 309 photos of Destino. (I wasn't kidding.) Don't you love digital cameras? :-) Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Aragon is a Peruvian Stallion in my Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. When I visited to take photos his owner, Bonnie, let me ride Aragon! Of course I have to include a picture:
Aragon was the first gaited horse I'd ever ridden. He had such a smooth gait. It was a whole different experience that riding a non-gaited horse. (As you can see, I was not dressed to ride - rather to take photos.This was the first time someone let me ride one of the horses while I was visiting to take photos. Thank you Bonnie! It was the highlight of my trip.) But... back to the beginning of the photo shoot. When I first arrived, Bonnie introduced me to Aragon and their full time trainer Segundo. Peruvian horses are native to Peru, and Segundo is a Master Chalan from Peru. He and Aragon put on a riding demonstration for us!
Peruvian horses excel at cattle work. You can see how athletic Aragon is in the photo above with Segundo guiding him in a quick turn. Next Bonnie got on board. Here's a photo of her putting Aragon into his unique gait. Look at his front near leg! Wow!
After that I got to ride... but, since this is my blog, I posted my picture at the beginning of the story. Aragon is truly stunning! Bonnie described her stallion, "Aragon is a beautiful horse, he just glistens in the summer. He is a character, that loves attention. He is also very athletic. He has a beautiful long mane and tail. His offspring are all very bright, colorful, with head and neck in the correct position. And they have his sensible disposition. This boy doesn't know just how handsome he is, and he is a joy to ride." What a joy to ride! Yes! Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Fancy (Mossrose Windfall) and Mossrose Ysabella Here's that second painting of Bella and Fancy mentioned in the post below. Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Fancy (Mossrose Windfall) and Mossrose Ysabella Mossrose Ysabella is a smoky cream Foundation Morgan horse, a very rare color for any breed. Her owners, John and Jane, raise Foundation Morgans and also have Bella's sister Mossrose Windfall (Fancy) who is the most dramatically dappled palomino I've ever laid eyes on! Jane let me photograph Bella and Fancy together. The two sped off in harmony, flying around the the perimeter of Jane's huge sandy arena, as the sun began to set behind a row of pines. Beams of sunlight backlit the horses as they ran amid glowing dust clouds created by their playful pursuit of one another. What beautiful horses! Jane is working to promote the breed. I can't think of any better ambassadors for Foundation Morgans that Bella and Fancy - and Jane too! Jane wrote: "Bella's sire is a well known reiner and Breyer model, Montana Harvest. Here mother is the lovely Whippoorwill Salus, a California daughter. Bella has an in-your-pocket personality. Her stride at the walk and trot is long and reaching. She has a wonderful working canter. Bella is the sweetest horse I have ever met. She has a no muss, no fuss attitude toward most everything, but is by no means dull. Bella is, plain and simple, an all around excellent working mare. She has an abundance of mane and tail. Women that first meet her think she looks like Starbrite and would make a perfect unicorn or some other type of mystical horse. I have had horses my whole life and she is one of the most beautiful (inside and out) that I have had the pleasure of knowing." Learn more about Jane and John's Morgans on their website Mossrose Morgans. This is the first painting of the pair. Another is almost completed.... and who knows, I might have to do more paintings in the future of this lovely pair! Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Huslers Deck of Stars Huslers Deck of Stars in a black and white overo stallion owned by Julie at MJ Painted Ranch in Wisconsin. Julie described her stallion: "He is a gorgeous young stallion with sky blue eyes. He has been shown some and done well and produces super babies. He has the most sweet disposition." Julie requested that this painting be dedicated to her late husband, Michael, who passed away last year. You'll find some wonderful photos of Huslers Deck of Stars on Julie's website along with photos of some of the cutest paint colts and fillies ever! Here's a link: MJ Painted Ranch
Links to more Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings: page 1 | page 2 - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Ebony Clydesdales If you're gearing up for the Super Bowl, like I am, one highlight will be seeing the Budweiser Clydesdales in their annual commercial..... Well, Clydesdales come in more colors than the Bud's bays! Today's painting features four black Clydesdales from Wisconsin.... Ebony Clydes is home for 40 rare Black clydesdale horses! Wow! It was so fun to get photograph these beautiful horses! I chose to do a painting of Delight, a champion mare, and her foal Denali as they cruised around the paddock outside the large barn with another mare and baby. The mares were very protective of their babies! Later Delight put on a grand solo show for us with majestic high stepping action! These horses are amazing! Thank you to Tina, who is a fifth generation Clydesdale breeder, and her son Gabe, for sharing their horses with us. Check out all the gorgeous horses at the Ebony Clydes' website. Here are links to more paintings in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. Click here for page 2, where you'll find the Ebony Clydes, and on page 1 you'll find the first dozen paintings in the series. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Major is awesome! Major is a major chunk of horse! A beautiful chunk! This Belgian is huge. Built for work, Major actually does works on an Amish farm in Wisconsin pulling farm machinery in the fields. And when Major went on vacation to the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado last January he come home with a souvenir in the form of a 1st place in the heavy weight pull. If you got to stand beside Major like we did, you'd know he could probably pull a W-Series John Deere combine without straining. Major was so well behaved and his owner Jeff's son Cody lead the stallion around the barn to pose for me to take photos. Then, when we asked if Major could be turned loose in a pasture for action shots, LOOK OUT! Major's massive muscles bulged as he galloped full force through the pasture. And he was not stopping for anything. Obviously he was having almost as much fun as I was. I may have mentioned this one or two times before, but I love draft horses! And Major is one of the best I've ever seen! Check out the other paintings in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. (There's a neat photograph of Cody with Major on that page too!) - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Hollywood Hotrod I've always admired black appaloosa horses with white blankets. To me the color contrasts are so dramatic! Hollywood Hotrod sports this spectacular color combination. He's a 13 year old stallion who has earned ROMs in Reining, Working Cowhorse and Team Roping. Talent plus beauty are such a great combination! This ApHC Versatility Champion lives with his owner Jorlyce and AQHA buckskin stallion Sportin A Shiner (see below) at the Double J Ranch. Here's a link to their website. Here's a link to other paintings completed so far in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. - Karen
Sportin A Shiner Sportin A Shiner, a 13 year old AQHA Buckskin stallion, was sporting a super shiny coat when I vistied Double J Ranch in Hillsboro, Wisconsin and met his owner Jorlyce. She graciously free lounged Shiner around thier huge arena. Shiner was magnificient! He galloped full speed, kicking up his heels and showing off his athleticism. He is an amazing horse! And soooooo photogentic! He's a dream horse! After the photo shoot Jorlyce took me on a tour of her ranch where I got to meet many of her 40 other colorful horses! She had some adorable foals and fine mares. Would you like to see some of them? Check them out on the Double J Ranch website. Here's a link to other paintings completed so far in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. - Karen
Norman - Invested in Red Dee Norman is an easy-going Quarter Horse who has many fans! His calm nature and popularity encouraged his owner Wendy to nominate him for the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin project. She wrote: "Norman's true beauty comes from within, although he is a very handsome small horse with a super personality. Everyone that hangs around him falls in love with him --from Sharon in North Dakota who gave us a note that said, 'he is something special,' to a hunter jumper barn in Nebraska, at a college where my daughter in Oklahoma, navigating the trails in Custer State Park, barrel racing with a 7 year old in Minnesota, or at his forever home on top of a hill in Lodi overlooking the Wisconsin River. He is a horse that instills courage in others - from 60 year old women, AFS students or youth - by his easy going manner and patience. "He has given many children the opportunity to improve their self esteem and behavior by riding him through fields or in a show ring, using him in 4H and FFA activities or being a motivator to change their behavior, improve their school work and become more responsible and respectful As my dressage instructor said, 'He is the whole package: Looks, Personality and Try.'" Here's a link to other paintings completed so far in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Blue Joe Glo Blue is Jill's personal trail horse. Of course he is a Blue Roan and very colorful! From blue green to blue violet and turquoise, you'll find lots of shades of blue in this painting. Karen
Cowboys Blk Ty Affair Cowboys Blk Ty Affair is an APHA black Homozygous tobiano stallion with stunning color! He was a beautiful model! You can find out more about him (and see some of his babies) at his farm's website:J & J Paints and Quarter Horses. Here's a link to other paintings completed so far in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Cody is a stock Paint gelding who seemed extremely laid back. It must be because he's enjoying life with his owner Stefanie, who is a writer.... Here's what she wrote about Cody. "Cody or 'old blue eyes' is a 'manly' horse, formerly owned by a guy as an active trail horse for 12 years and kept alone....There had been a time when he was a 'horsse in transition', a 'bucker' and an 'undesirable.' His spirit, though was never boroken.Hhe overcame obstacles with grace and went on to make me and a woman, who leased him for a while, very happy. He is now 20 and spends his well earned retirement as 'King of the Hill' in a bachelor herd. As fierce - but just - as this king can be, he is also extremely respectful and gentle with people, especially little children. He is friend, the one I hug when things get tough, the one who always looks out for his herd mates and for me. His pride and unbroken spirit show in his eyes. I love Cody and think he is the most beautiful horse, from the inside out." In this painting, Cody is indeed King of the Hill. Here's a link to other paintings completed so far in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
San Peppy Scotch San Peppy Scotch it a cremello Quarter Horse stallion from Wisconsin. He is so quite that Jill, his owner, takes him trail riding with her family. She reports he's a beautiful mover and his babies share his quiet disposition. This is the fifth painting in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. You'll be seeing some more wonderful horses soon! - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
MJK Vanzi King Glo Would you believe that this horse is black? Well, he would be black except for the fact that he has the champagne dilution gene. His owner, Ashley, explains: "MJK Vanzi King Glo ("Classi") is an absolutely stunning young stallion with the rarest color in the quarter horse world. Classic champagne is a black horse with a champagne dilution. Currently there are less than 1en AQHA horses with this unforgettable color." Plus the champagne dilution gene makes Classi coat glow with iridescence! He's an amazing horse! Find out more about Classi on MJK Quarter Horse's website. This is the fourth painting in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. You'll be seeing some more wonderful horses soon! - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Callie and Her Mom When I visited DuWayne's farm I was a delightful assortment of colorful palominos, duns and buckskin Quarter horses! DuWayne had horses of all ages, but my favorite was this little buckskin filly named Callie. She was adorable! She loved following us around and was curious and as rambunctious as her mom was laid back. This is the third painting in the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin series. You'll be seeing some more wonderful horses soon! - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
Kira is a spirited Arabian mare who was so joyful running in her pasture. I chose this pose, though, because it depicts Kira's inquisitive personality. - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
And now, the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings .... It's seems like a long time since I posted (or completed) a painting. It's not that I haven't been painting. It just takes me a while to complete an oil painting using the translucent layer technique that I favor..... But yesterday I finished five (yes FIVE) of the Beautiful Horses of Wisconsin paintings!!! And I have eight more underway. I'll just post one of the finished paintings today....It's the first horse we visited in Wisconsin, Palomino Quarter Horse stallion, Jules Fourteen Karat. Wow is he a beautiful horse! As his owner Rose wrote, he is GOLD! "...a Dark Golden Palomino Stallion with a White white mane and tail, tiny head and huge eyes." Here's his painting....
Jules Fourteen Karat - Karen 0 Comments -- Click here to add your comment
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