Horses in Art Magazine - Art for the Horse Lover

In the Company of Horses - Sandy Wisecup

by Sarah Crampton

"Silver Dollar Flakes" Watercolor by Sandy Wisecup is this Winter 2004's cover.
For watercolorist and sculptor Sandy Wisecup, horses are a staple in her life. Their value to her is many fold. She is inspired by their graceful beauty, their companionship and loyalty. Being greeted by a soft quiet nicker, burying her face in a powerful neck and deeply breathing in the scent yields therapeutic benefits.

Wisecup explains, "When life is stressful with too much to do and too little time, I find complete relaxation, renewed strength and inspiration in being in the company of horses. Even just a stolen moment to pet or brush can work wonders for me when there isn't an opportunity to take a long relaxed ride."

Her love of horses might be partially inherited from her great grandfather, the horse trainer for his Shawnee tribe in Tennessee. His passion and expertise were demonstrated to delight children whom he would whisk up off the ground as he rode by at a gallop.

This issue's cover, a painting in watercolor, was inspired by a barn in Colorado, where Wisecup grew up. The white of the snow is the paper showing through, with some shadows, and yellow reflective light.

Wisecup enjoys the medium of watercolor for its characteristics of transparency, lightness, and freshness.

She remarks, "It seems to fit my way of expression as well as satisfying my passion for adventure. It is a challenging medium that keeps my mind awake and reckoning with the painting at hand. There are no easy fixes with watercolor like with many other media. Planning ahead is necessary to avoid the fatal mistakes that cannot be redone in watercolor."

Wisecup has created her first sculpture in bronze that sold quickly after being sent to Buffalo Trails Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is titled, "A Woman's Place"... and depicts a cowgirl astride a galloping horse the motion of horse and rider are as one.

Sandy comments, "Riding bareback for years has taught me more than any equine anatomy class ever could have. The ultimate in close contact has helped me feel each muscle's movement and, therefore, puts understanding of its placement and function in my mind. I sculpt horses by first building the bone structure and then placing muscle upon muscle to form the finished beautiful package."

Sandy Wisecup is a signature member of Women Artists of the West, an associate member of the American Academy of Equine Art, and was chosen to exhibit last year at the Society of Equestrian Artists annual exhibition at the royal family's Mall Galleries near Buckingham Palace in London.

She traveled to England to be present during the exhibit and took the time to explore London, the English countryside, Scotland and Wales. But the highlight of the trip was a hug she received from one of the Queen's horses on guard duty at Admiralty Arch.

Her own horses are only a few steps away from Sandy Wisecup's studio, which sets at the upper end of a small out-of-the-way valley in south central Utah. Horses, cows, pasturelands, desert canyons, cliffs, mesas and a mountain range are the vista that unfolds out before her studio door. She strives to express with her realistic portrayals the appreciation of the expertise and careful detail God used to create the horse as well as all His creation.

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