Everyone who’s done morning or evening chores (which would include just about every horse owner) knows that sometimes the light coming through an open door or window can be breathtaking. A thin band of brilliant sunlight streaming into the darkness — falling just right — can create a a dramatic living work of art.

Historically artists use the term Chiaroscuro to describe the strong contrast of light and dark to depict volume in a painting. Artists throughout the centuries have featured this dramatic lighting in their work. Probably the most famous, thanks to a contemporary movie by the same name, is Vermeer’s Girl with Pearl Earring. Many of Rembrandt’s most dramatic paintings are lit by a strong source of light – candlelight or sunlight from a small window.

What’s that got to do with me??? I’ve always love chiaroscuro, and happened to be at the right place at the right time to capture one of the horses in my “Beautiful Horses of Michigan” project as the light streamed into a dark indoor riding arena and fell on his beautiful, volumetric, muscular body. Lucky me! And it was of course the pose I chose for his painting.

Here’s how it happened. . . We were driving from one barn to the next on course to visit barn number three on my list of five for the day, when we came upon a detour. This of course threw me off target – with my MapQuest directions no longer viable. Usually it’s not a problem if the detour signs are clear. Of course, they were not clear, and soon we were lost somewhere in Michigan. Plus, did I mention the pouring rain? Pouring so hard that we could not see two feet in front of the windshield? We were very lost. Luckily I had a phone number for Denise, so I called and her husband gave me directions to the barn. And we found it! When we arrived it was still raining so hard I didn’t even want to get out of the car to run five feet to the barn door. But Denise was there motioning me in, so, being on a tight timeline – and not wanting to look like a wimp – I made a quick dash for the door. I was immediately and thoroughly soaked. Oh well . . . when I saw Mr. Skips Geronamo, I knew it was worth it. Here was one beautiful horse!

I count that downpour as a blessing in disguise because it forced Skippy’s photo shoot indoors, and the lighting near the large open barn door fell wonderfully on his beautiful white coat, accentuating his sleek, muscular body. It was a chiaroscuro moment!

Even though the rain let up so his owners, Denise and Nikki, could take Skippy outside for some pictures, his photos I took inside that dark arena are among my favorites from my whole Michigan trip.

[Photos are posted at www.karenbrenner.com/blog.html]

©Copyright 2008 by Karen Brenner. See original post here.
To learn more about this artist, visit Karen Brenner’s website.