One Being
In the dance of life
Sometimes there is the question of
Who leads and who follows
Other times there is no question
only the perfection of timing
when two beings become one
Then the communication
of thought into action
becomes fluid and seamless
When we follow the lead of each moment
being both participant and witness
we can become the dance itself
~ Kim McElroy
Reference photos for "One Being"
Pat had a unique request for my portrait of her horse Skippy. She felt that she didn’t need to have a photo-realistic portrait, but rather she wanted to capture the essence of Skippy and their relationship together.
To illustrate her feeling she sent me a phone photo taken at a distance by a friend at a horse clinic where she and Skippy were participants. The photo was blurred almost beyond recognition, but I could see enough to understand that they were doing groundwork with Skippy walking in a circle around Pat and yielding away from her forward movement.
In preparation for the portrait, I did a meditation with Skippy and Pat and I asked for a way in which I could depict their relationship. I saw them in a forest glade. Pat appeared as a Native American woman wearing a shawl. She and Skippy were dancing. They were moving in a circular motion similar to the photograph, but in my vision they were moving almost faster than the eye could perceive, and in that spinning at moments they blurred into one being. I realized that this was the energy that the photograph conveyed.
The challenge of how to depict this illusion became a journey in itself and led me to both familiar and new pathways in my artistic style.
Pat’s Comments:
Many of us with horses in our lives know the special, mostly fleeting, often spontaneous, moments of harmony. These are like entering another dimension, being in the moment with our horse.
I have appreciated Kim’s work for some time because she portrays not only the physical beauty of the horse, but also the feeling of the horse. Her talent is unique and obvious. So I asked her to do a soul essence portrait of my horse, Skippy, that would show the harmony and communication I am privileged to experience with him. I chose this style because I wanted the essence of this amazing horse to be displayed.
It has been a lovely journey from conception through the final product, communicating with Kim throughout. She came to my place to meet and photograph Skippy. Then she did a meditation about Skippy and me to prepare the vision for the art to be created. Then the perfect time came for the manifestation of this piece.
When completed, my daughter and I went to Kim’s lovely home for the painting to be revealed. When I saw the picture, I immediately felt the “One Being” which is the art’s title. The revelation and discussion by Kim of the process was made even more special because my daughter also experienced it. My hope is that this painting will be a valued legacy to her; a way to remember me out with my horses, calm, grounded, moving, happy.
So now every morning I can look at the picture of the essence of my loved horse and then I look past it, through the window towards the barn, and I see the actual horse in his glorious being. This is a gift I am very happy to give myself.