Spreading the word about the pasos even if indirectly via an article released today in a local newspaper about me, my art and our critters. The photo used on the front page was my favorite painting A Little Bit of Sangria Anyone? which is a photo taken by Mary Berg of Carol Nelsons gorgeous buckskin pinto PF mare Canela de Sangria. The article is as follows: Horse paintings help artist cope by Ben Luschen Jonelle McCoy’s small, rural house in Prague is filled to capacity. Filled with art, filled with animals and filled with love. “I’ll tell you, small house, no storage,” McCoy said. McCoy is a scenic artist by trade. She’s designed backdrops and props for Six Flags, Oklahoma City University, and Oklahoma City Ballet. She also worked on the movie “Twister.” McCoy’s world changed after her husband, Robert, suffered a serious injury that left him disabled. Money became an issue and the stress of caring for her husband took its toll. “Everything really just completely changed,” she said. “It was a work injury and workman’s comp in this state is not the best. The stress closed me down inside.” McCoy knew she might have to leave her job and find something that would allow her to be closer to her husband. She got her chance when her employer was redesigning the office and asked her to paint some art for it. People loved what they saw, and it began to open McCoy’s eyes to a world of art away from the commercial world. “Something broke loose and my fear of working on canvases went away,” she said. McCoy began to privately work on her painting at home. Animals were the subject matter of most of her work, especially horses. At one time the McCoys had more than 20 paso fino breed horses on their land, though now they have only eight. Over time, McCoy developed a unique technique to capture the grace of the paso finos that also helps support the couple financially. She remembered an exercise she did in grade school in which the chilren used different crayons to cover a sheet of paper in color. Then a black piece of paper was put over that and kids used their fingernails to scratch in an image. McCoy took inspiration from this, and decided to try the process in reverse. Her horse paintings are known for their lines and geometric shapes. To accomplish this she drizzles masking fluid onto a canvas freehand without any guiding sketches. Then she simply paints over it. The result is a style that is both abstract and contemporary. There’s freedom, looseness, and motion. It’s a style well suited for the paso finos that McCoy said ride smooth and keep a rapid pace. “To me, when they’re moving, it is somewhat like being in a dance,” she said. “It’s so thrilling and so exacting and so exciting that it feels like you’re dancing with a partner. You’re one.” McCoy has always loved horses, but didn’t grow up around them. Originally, she is from suburban upstate New York, but that never lessened her love for the creatures. “I grew up suburbia but I’ve always had the country inside. I knew someday I’d live out in the country.” In addition to the horses, the McCoy property is also home to several dogs, chickens, ducks, a cat, and a parrot. Animal subjects occupy most of McCoy’s canvases, but they serve as more than just inspiration. They’re also a source of strength and comfort. “Their hearts are so pure and they loved you no matter what and people have not always been that way,” she said. McCoy was first lured to Oklahoma in her youth to meet a boy she had met and talked to extensively over the phone. It was a new frontier for her. “I knew nothing (about the state),” she said. “My assessment of Oklahoma was cowboys, Indians, and endless nothing. Just grasses.” McCoy’s relationship eventually faded, but she liked the state and remained a resident. Later she would meet her current husband Robert, who worked as a maintenance man at her work. They immediately became good friends, she said. After Robert’s relationship at the time fell through, the two began to take their own relationship to the next level. In 2001, they married. Five months later, Robert blew out his back while working. More injuries began to pile on one another to the point where Robert can now hardly walk and is in “constant, unrelenting pain,” his wife said. While caring for her husband, McCoy has found new purpose in life. Like the animals that never let her down, McCoy now makes it her mission to be her husband’s faithful companion. “I learned a lot about myself: How not to be selfish, how to have empathy and how to really care and be supportive,” she said. “Money is great, but it’s not everything.” McCoy’s work will be exhibited 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 inside Shawnee’s Sweet Earth Studio.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 16:06:11 +0000