My Journey with the Spirit of Horse
Kim at the easel
I’m Kim McElroy,
Visionary Artist, Writer, and Messenger for the Spirit of Horse
For most of my life, horses have been more than subjects I paint — they are my teachers, companions, and guides. Through each painting and story, I discovered that my art is one way to open a doorway to the Spirit of Horse — the eternal presence that calls us to rise into our true nature, and in doing so, to heal ourselves and the world around us.
When I create, I am not simply depicting an image; I am entering into a conversation with the spirit of the horse. I never say I “capture” that spirit — for it can never be captured. It consents to show itself, and I am entrusted to translate it into form.
The Beginning
I have always loved horses. As a child, horses were among my very first scribbles I drew as soon as I could hold a crayon. I didn’t have much exposure to horses, but the Spirit of Horse was in me, all the same. I pretended I was a horse, galloping on my hands and knees, and when I couldn’t be a horse, I was drawing them, which was the next best thing.
Whenever we went out to a restaurant, I occupied myself drawing on the paper napkins. One day a waitress admired my drawing, so I gave it to her. She was so delighted that she went behind the cash register, took a huge snoopy cookie out of the case, and gave it to me. I learned that my art could make people happy, and I was rewarded for it!
Riding Lessons
Childhood beginnings
At the age of eight, my parents finally succumbed to my desire to be with horses. They signed me up for riding lessons at the only stable within an afternoon drive. “I was excited, but soon discovered that this was a place where horses weren’t all that happy. Row upon row of horses stood alone in cramped corrals, enduring harsh voices and cracking whips. Where was the joy? Where was the freedom?
The riding lessons offered no relief — I was told to kick at a horse who didn’t want to go forward. But after lessons, when I was allowed to clean the corrals, something shifted. Alone with the horses, I could just be with them in quiet moments. I discovered my love of horses was less about where they could take me physically, than the way I felt when I was with them.
I began to draw unicorns and horses in fantastical realms, longing to believe that the real horses of this world were capable of the magical power I sensed but had not yet seen.
Becoming an Equine Artist
Fast forward to age twenty. It was spring break at art school, and I was staying with a family friend named Geska who owned Arabian horses. She was an artist too, and she invited me to sketch her herd. I tried to draw them napping in their stalls, but I didn't know where to begin. She suggested that she could let them out to run in the arena.
I had never seen horses at liberty before. They transformed. Their stillness turned into motion. They cantered and tossed their heads with their tails up in the air, twirling and dancing. It took my breath away. I realized that they enjoyed showing off for me as much as for themselves.
As I tried to sketch them, my lines became loose, wild, and fluid, trying to keep pace with their motion. Frustration gave way to surrender, and I found that when I simply breathed and admired their spirit, my fingers began to follow their energy. What emerged on the page was something new.
When the horses became calm I was able to see what I had just drawn, and I knew these drawings were different from anything I had ever done before. I had never been with horses in this way, and I realized it was in their freedom that they were most beautiful to me.
One drawing so captured a horse’s spirit that Geska immediately recognized him. “That feels like Hala,” she said, knowingly. I couldn't imagine how she had recognized him from a few simple lines. In that moment I realized a drawing could convey more than an abstract impression. It was an imprint of their essence.
Spirit Sketches
Those first drawings became what I came to call Spirit Sketches — the moment I felt my art was truly my own. I was compelled to follow the horse’s lead and to seek out a way to express what I felt in color. That search quickly led me to pastel, the medium that opened the doorway to my life’s work.
Alongside the art, an inner nudge stirred me toward deeper listening. I began to explore the truth about horses — and in that truth, I recognized the glimmer of what I had always known as a child: that horses were the magical, sentient beings.
I began exploring my path as a professional artist. My mother offered to be my business partner. She had always held a steady faith in my talent, and we made a great team. Around that time, an acquaintance told me I was born in a rare year in Chinese astrology — the Year of the Fire Horse, which occurs only once every 60 years. People born under this sign are said to be gifted and destined to make their mark at a young age. The name resonated so strongly that we made it the first name of our art business: The Fire Horse. It was more than a name — it was an emblem of the passion, independence, and spirited energy that has shaped my art ever since
Me with my mother and business partner, Kay
In my studio, 1987
From my early “Spirit Sketches” in the 1980s to the visionary pastels I create today as Spirit of Horse Gallery, my work has always been about more than beauty. Horses are messengers — carrying wisdom from the divine to awaken our own inner knowing. My fine art and writings are invitations into that awakening.
Creating is, for me, a shamanic journey. With each pastel stroke, I become the horse, the wind in its mane, the light in its eye. The medium of pastel allows me to move between worlds — from spontaneous sketches of motion, to dreamlike visions, to lifelike realism that seems to breathe. Whether the image comes from meditation, a vision, or the living presence of a horse, the process is always guided by my intuition.
The blessing of the horse, 1997
Over the decades, my art has found its way into the homes and hearts of collectors all over the world — always directly, one soul to another, never through a gallery wall. These connections are deeply personal. I love to hear how a certain horse in my work mirrors someone’s own spirit, or becomes a source of comfort and guidance.
My Soul Essence Portraits are the most intimate expression of this calling. Created in collaboration with each client, they honor the living presence of a beloved horse — whether here or in spirit — and translate that bond into color, symbol, and form. These portraits are more than likenesses; they become touchstones, companions, and living reminders of love.
My journey has led me to co-create The Way of the Horse card deck and book set, and most recently The Council of Horses Oracle — a gathering of mythic horse beings whose presence came through both my art and my words. Writing has become as intrinsic to my creative expression as painting; there is no place where one begins and the other ends.
The Way of the Horse
The Council of Horses Oracle
Here at SkyeLandeSea — the sanctuary my husband Rod and I designed and built on the Kitsap Peninsula — we’ve shared our lives with more than thirty rescued animals over the last twenty-five years. Today, my muses include two playful cats, a house rabbit, and a visiting herd of wild deer. The stories and teachings of these animals, along with the memory of my equine soulmate Darma, live in every creation.
Kim and Darma with their animal family 2002
My hope is that, in meeting my work, you feel a sense of recognition — as if a door has opened to a place you’ve always known. For horses, in their grace and mystery, have the power to lead us home.
An Invitation
My website is more than a gallery — it is my home, my story, and my life’s work. I invite you to wander its corridors: see the creations, read the poetry, meet the horses, and listen for the stories that may awaken something in you.
Honor the part of yourself that knows horses as magical, sentient beings — companions, healers, and guides. Follow the threads of synchronicity to the artworks and writings that speak directly to your soul.
Connecting with kindred spirits like you — those who feel the way I do about horses — keeps my inspiration alive. My love for horses overflows from my heart to my hands, through the colors of my pastels, into the art I create.
One of my beloved collectors once wrote,
" Your paintings are windows that look out into our true home,
and doors through which we can fly into realms we so nostalgically seek.”
May the Spirit of Horse be with you, always.
And if you’d like to walk further along this path with me, I’ve gathered all of my creations — art, writings, oracle, and offerings — into one place, waiting for you.
p.s. I love hearing stories of our connections. Please feel free to Get in Touch
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