Lesley Humphrey: Saved by a Horse
Rebecca Cole Gallery
February 1 – May 16, 2020

"Expressive Charcoal" 
Adult Art Workshops with Lesley Humphrey:
Saturday, March 28, 2020 - Canceled
Will be rescheduled, date TBD

What if a single image could represent one’s emotional landscape, including such feelings as happiness, freedom, trust, grief, strength and resilience? What if a person could soothe their spirit, calm down, and find the strength and purpose to overcome the often-dreadful aspects of life? Artist Lesley Humphrey found the answer to these questions in painting the horse.
 
In her upcoming exhibition, Saved By a Horse, Humphrey provides viewers with an intimate lens through which to see how horse imagery became embossed upon – and healed – a psyche.

Lesley Humphrey:
 
When I was 4, I would ride a great old rocking horse, and the outside world would disappear, replaced by an imaginative gladness I cannot describe. In later years, I realized how this horse, this image, reconnected me to that free, powerful and vibrant state, and all I had to do was draw or paint the horse, and the ordinary world would simply “go away.” Relief at last!

"Melting", 2016, oil on panel, 24" x 24"

Whilst painting or drawing the horse for over 58 years, Humphrey believes she has reconnected to her spirit that was lost in early childhood. She states that her artistic process has healed her, taught her, and in fact, led her toward maturity and apparent worldwide success along the way.
 
Through all the horse imagery in Saved By A Horse, Lesley hopes people will remember and feel their own spirit as they join hers in the exhibition.  She hopes viewers will understand how the artistic process can help one overcome some of life’s difficult challenges common to us all: illness, loss, addiction, injustice – everyday roadblocksto happiness.  For her, all these challenges were overcome via the artistic process, reconnection to one’s spirit, and the horse. 
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Above:
The Derby Beat, 2010, oil on panel, 24" x 24"