I have always loved community projects that involve painted animal statues, so when our Historic Downtown Association decided to do a 'Parade of Ponies' in honor of our local Horse Heaven Hills and the wild mustangs that reside there, I was so excited to participate as an artist! The pony I was commissioned to design was sponsored by the Historic Downtown Association and the Chamber of Commerce, and they wanted it to include local landmarks, agricultural crops, and community events.
The design concept for the pony was to include all of these different community elements as 'photos' on the pony. The first step was to draw each of these smaller images in detail. The images were then placed on the primed fiberglass figure, measuring about 4 feet long and 3 feet high, and rearranged for best placement before being taped off. The main part of the pony was then painted and shaded for detail- using makeshift studio space since my home studio didn't have room for the sculpture!
The 'photos' on the pony were then built up in layers, with shading and varied edge styles helping give them a level of realism. Layers of color were also built up on the main and tail.
The finished pony was clear coated with an automotive finish that will allow it weather the elements of living in the outdoors for the foreseeable future. It has been installed on a busy street corner of our downtown, and it has 10 companions around the community that locals and visitors have thoroughly enjoyed taking photos with!