For Love of a Gray Horse

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Photo Shoot!

Just at daybreak on Tuesday morning, I was on the road and headed to a barn in a nearby town where a new foal resides. She's a full blooded Arabian filly, about a month old and gorgeous. I'd taken some photos of her a little over a week before but I was delayed, late and lost my light. Tuesday morning however the light was perfect! I hadn't picked my camera up since Danny's birthday on May 1st and I'd forgotten the joy that being out there in the morning dew and surrounded by horses brings to me especially when one of the horses happens to be a baby. My entire day was brighter and happier because of it. And here are a few of the images that I was lucky enough to capture.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

New Photography Book Available

All profit from the sell of this book will go toward offsetting the expense of writing and publishing The Tennessee Equestrian which offers free listing and advertising to all equine businesses, services and products that are of interest or use to the Tenn. horse owner. So alert all of your horse loving friends today!:)

The Illuminated Horse by The Photography of Sande Jones~Elkins |
This book was created as an entry in the 2011 PBN, Photography Now, Competition sponsored by Blurb.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Top Ten Finish in the Atmosphere Challenge on RedBubble.com

Where You Lead, I will Follow by GrayHorseDesign

Where You Lead, I Will Follow placed in the top 10 of the "Stir it up-Lots of Atmosphere" challenge on Redbubble.com which was also a challenge subject that I was allowed to suggest as the winner of another challenge, "Ghostly Horses" and yes, that is a photo of Danny illustrating the challenge. I wish I could have entered this image because it certainly has more atmosphere!

Shake It, Baby Shake It by GrayHorseDesign

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

All of the music on this video was written and performed by my very talented friend, Nori Bucci, and is used with her permission. Besides being an award winning musician and composer, Nori is also an amazing artist who works in graphite to create incredibly delicate and beautiful art.

All of the photographs and art work on the video are my own.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Danny Boy~One Year Ago

Traveler's Sensational Flyby or as we will always call him, Danny, was born May 1, 2010. A year later and he's taller than his mother but this video was filmed and the still shots taken on the day he arrived. He's just a few hours old here and I don't think Mousie can believe that he's truly hers. She looks at him with so much adoration and love that it still breaks my heart a little to watch this but it also makes that same heart sore with joy. It attests to how much I love these two horses that I'm willing to allow the world to hear my silly giggles but they were sincere and heartfelt giggles brought on by our fascination with this beautiful gift that Mouse had just given us. I said on that day, "Five years ago, when I first met her, I gave her my heart and today, she's returned the favor."

Monday, April 25, 2011

ON SALE!!

I'm currently running weekly sales in my Etsy shop with two new photos offered at a discounted price every week. This week your choices are Seeing Spots and Rowdy Riley. Both will be available for $5 off of list with free shipping until next Monday, May 2nd, when I'll choose two more photos to place on sale.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Randy's Birthday

I designed an image for my nephew's birthday party invitations. I was so pleased with the results that I had a 12x16 inch image printed and framed for this horse crazy six year old's room. He was very pleased.

Beautiful new Etsy.com treasury featuring Devotion.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

New Book & Calendar

You can click on either preview to go to lulu.com and purchase your copy. Both are perfect gifts for the horse lovers on your holiday gift list!
Preview of the calendar:

Preview of the book:

Friday, November 5, 2010

Another Print Giveaway!!

FaceBook FAN page for grayhorsedesigns.com

Ok, I need to get 25 fans on my new Gray Horse Designs page in order to create a unique url.....soooo, please click on the link and like my page. I've decided that to promote the new page, I will be giving away another print of your choice (one 16x12 or two 8x10.5s) on December 20th to one lucky GHD fan! And for every person who "likes" the page on your recommendation, you get another chance to win! So click on the link above and get on board:))

New FaceBook Fan Page

I have no idea why I didn't think of doing this before. Afterall, grayhorsedesigns.com and this blog are the hub for all of my other sites, blogs, and facebook pages. So, why hadn't I thought to have a separate FaceBook fan page for Gray Horse Designs? Well I remedied that yesterday and I've created a new GHD fan page on FaceBook. Check it out and please, "like" me.:)

Also there have been several new posts over on Danny's blog and in case you don't already know, I'm giving away a free print (12x16 or Two 8x10.5 of your choice) to one of Danny's fans. All you have to do to be entered is to "like" Danny's facebook page or "follow" his blog. A winner's name will be drawn on December 15th!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Won a Challenge

Chasing Her Dream won the Dreams challenge in the 4 Winners Only group on redbubble.com.
Thanks to everyone who voted for this image! :)

About Me & Gray Horse Designs

I've always had artistic leanings. I was drawing stick figures before I could talk. Friends recall that I was constantly drawing or painting as a child. I grew up and I did major in art in college but I never could find direction. I kept switching majors and trying so many different things trying to find the one that fit, the one that fulfilled me. I seemed destined for a while to be a lifetime student. Then one day, I found myself out of work, burned out on school, and very depressed because I'd also just suffered a miscarriage. I was alone at home and totally at loose ends when I picked up a piece of wood and began to see a horse in it. The irony of that will become more evident later in this story but the truth was, that as soon as I touched a knife to that block of wood, it was magic. I felt as if I'd come home. From that one piece of scrap wood and a small cheap craft knife, a business grew and took on a life of its own. I started creating whimsical, wood sculptures and I sold my work all over the world. Then one day, at a crafts exhibition in Chicago, I met the head of Enesco's new gift wares section and my career took off in yet another direction. I designed several very successful lines for them over the next five years but after fifteen years in this business, I started slowing down and losing my enthusiasm. I decided that I'd try another medium but like trying to find my direction in life those many years before, this wasn't an easy task.

I knew that I still wanted to be creative but I didn't know what medium I wanted to try next. So, I tried many but no magic, no flashes of inspiration. Then one day, my husband and I were sitting on a Mexican beach relaxing and enjoying the salty breezes and beautiful views. It was his 50th birthday. He told me how much he was enjoying himself and he asked me what I was going to want for my 50th birthday which would be coming around in two years. I didn't even hesitate before I answered him. "A horse!" I said simply and to the point. I'd wanted a horse for as long as I could remember and I knew that if I didn't get one soon, I'd never get one. So, from the moment we touched down on US soil, I began my quest. There were two things that I didn't realize at the time, that my horse would actually arrive soon after my 49th birthday and that she would totally change my life. Everyone told me that at my "advancing" age, I surely needed a gaited horse because their smooth gait was much easier on aging joints. I began my search knowing nothing about horses or even what I really wanted and certainly nothing about what I needed in a horse.

I was lucky because I met two great horse ladies who pointed me in the right direction. The first told me that the horse I wanted was a Missouri Fox Trotter and the second lady, Fran Forester, offered to help me find the perfect MFT for me. She told me about a man she knew who knew more about horses and specifically more about MFTs than anyone she'd ever met. The only problem was, he very seldom agreed to sell one of his horses. Then one day, she contacts me and she is very excited. The man, Huston Jenkins, was selling some of his horses and one of them was the dapple gray that I'd been dreaming of. I'd told everyone that I wanted a dapple gray horse and when I found her, I would call her Mouse. Huston's niece had promised to take some photos of the gray horse and email them to me. They arrived in the middle of the night but I had been waiting for them. I printed them and thumbtacked them to the bathroom wall beside the mirror so that they'd be the first thing my husband, Steve, saw when he got up the next morning. I wrote across the photos, "This is the ONE!!" I'd decided that as soon as I saw her but I was even more convinced that it was fate when I saw her papered name, Mouse's Funny Face. My fate was sealed.

That was over five years ago and that beautiful, dapple gray mare has since become my muse, my inspiration, my teacher and my life. I started doing equine photography and art because of her. I've met so many wonderful people and horses because of her. My herd has grown from one horse to five now. The latest was a gift from Mouse two years ago, our sweet, lovable and beautiful Danny (Traveler's Sensational Flyby.) I have a blog dedicated to Danny called Fly By Danny Boy that tells his story.

For several years, I tried to start a new business doing strictly equine photography but I soon discovered that this is the wrong economic climate for starting a new business of any type but especially one that's primary product is a luxury. I've been doing art my entire life so I'm not ready to give it up. In fact, my solution is to diversify. I plan on cleaning out my workshop and studio and starting to do wood sculpture again as well as painting and drawing and hopefully handcrafted jewelry. My old enthusiasm and creative drive have returned in force. All of the mediums that I'm delving into will be diverse in subject as well but I'd be willing to bet the farm on the fact that the majority of art work will be equine in theme.