The Journey of Sun and Twilight
- Kim McElroy
- Jan 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 18
Some portraits carry a single and profound presence.
Others open a space large enough to hold generations.
This Soul Essence Portrait was created in 2016 and unfolded as both remembrance and revelation, a listening into lineage, love, and the quiet threads that weave through us all.
When Tané first contacted me, she asked me to create a soul essence portrait of her Morgan stallion, Native Sun. She allowed my creativity free rein but said she felt drawn to Native American imagery.
Sometimes the imagery for a portrait comes through a vision, and sometimes it unfolds through what I am drawn to, or discover. I have learned to trust that whatever is meant to appear will reveal itself.
When I looked through the photos Tané sent, the first picture that caught my attention was a photo of Sun’s profile with his mane streaming behind him. I was drawn to the concept of a sunset over distant canyons. The wide sunset sky seemed to beckon for something else. In asking what that might be, I encountered a museum display image of an Osage headdress made of eagle feathers and horsehair. The sacred feathers echoed the movement of Sun’s mane so precisely that the connection felt immediate.
Upon his shoulder, I planned to create his embodied self in all his masculine grace. The two visions felt like echoes of his own being, as if his physical and spiritual selves traveled side by side.
When I shared this concept with Tané, she told me her ancestors were Osage, and that the tribe originates from the region of Missouri where she lived. That knowledge settled into the portrait as something grounded and real. I researched the making of headdresses, which described a ritual of capturing an eagle for the blessing of a single feather. I meditated with the vision of the headdress, and I received permission from Spirit to draw it. I dedicated the art to honor the peoples and the eagles that were of its making, so in this context, the headdress could carry the meaning of place, of ancestry, and as a blessing for the art.
While the portrait was still being formed, Tané shared with me that she had suddenly lost Sun’s young colt, Twilight, in a tragic accident. She asked me if I could include Twilight in the portrait. In that way, we realized she could hold sire and son together within the same vision. I resonated with the tenderness of that choice. I, too, have felt the ache of carrying grief while still reaching toward beauty, and how some losses alter the way time is felt, reshaping the inner landscape that follows.
Tané only had a few photos of Twilight, but they were enough for me to see his bright spirit. Twilight leapt into the painting with innocence and clarity. His presence reshaped the composition in subtle yet powerful ways. The headdress became a point of transition, honoring the horses’ bonds between worlds. Above Twilight, I added a swirl of stardust to reflect his sparkling energy in motion, and a single star burning bright to represent the guidance that remains present as time and lives continue to shift. For me, it was a poignant reminder of how loss and continuity can share the same sky, held within a larger field of belonging.
Though his life was brief, Twilight’s spirit carried power. Celebrating his time on earth became as essential as honoring his sire. The art became a vision of Sun and Twilight sharing a lineage of spirit beyond bloodlines.
A few years ago, I learned that Tané herself had passed. Now I tenderly hold the image of her reunited with her horses within the mystery of the Great Spirit. The art now lives in other hands. The story continues beyond the moment of its making. For me, knowing this does not close the circle. It widens it. This portrait reminds me that none of these journeys belong only to one lifetime. What is shaped through listening remains available. What is held with love continues. It moves into new guardianship, new memory, new breath.
Recently, I awoke before dawn and watched the first light rise beyond our windows. The silhouettes of trees softened the familiar landscape, reminding me of the sunset sky and the timeless journey of sun and twilight. The moment opened my heart to a deeper awareness of earth as witness and keeper. I felt the presence of the ancestors and animals who once lived on this land long before our own, whose bodies have returned to it, whose wisdom remains held within soil and sky as their memories live on through the elements.
When the sun rises
somewhere, the sun sets.
Strength comes in many forms.
In power and majesty,
and in grace and innocence.
May the ancestors watch over us
and our loved ones
in this journey called life. ~ Kim McElroy
Beautiful 😍
Wow! Very moving.