Whispers from the Faery Realm: "C’est Moi" ~ An Unveiling of Kef’s Soul Essence Portrait
- Kim McElroy
- Sep 7
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 13
Meeting Charlotte
When Charlotte first wrote to me about her young horse Kef to commission his Soul Essence Horse Portrait, I was inspired by their story of love at first sight. She had found Kef about two years before, and the deep bond that she felt at their meeting had been unfolding in wonderful ways.
Charlotte and her husband live in a farmhouse in France, a place of quiet beauty where her horses live on the surrounding pastures and woods. We spoke on a Zoom call and though she struggled at times to convey in English all that she wanted to say, I understood the language of her heart, and it was wonderful to connect with her in person.
What I was particularly intrigued by was when she explained why she wanted to commission the portrait of Kef as her new, young horse. Most of my clients commission me to paint their horses in their elder years, or after they have passed, as a way of honoring their lives together and staying connected in spirit. Charlotte wanted to express the joy and expansion of their connection. She wanted to celebrate who Kef is in and of himself, and to honor their connection at the beginning of their journey, and the promise she recognized was unfolding between them.
Discovering Kef and His World
As we began our conversations, I asked Charlotte to send me some photographs. Most were spontaneous, not posed, and some were taken at unique angles. His expressions weren’t always of classic head-up-and-ears-alert poses. At first glance my critical eye passed over these as insufficient to create his portrait. Then I realized they weren’t merely photos of her beautiful horse, they were glimpses of who he is and how I would see experience him if I met him in person. Charlotte also included images of her pastures, woods, and a small pond that she felt was a magical place. Some of the photos were unusual, close-up, or abstract. Most were not necessarily what I would use for an art reference. Once again, I realized Charlotte’s impulse was to share not only what Kef's home looked like, but how it felt. The photos were visual poetry.
The photograph I ultimately chose for his portrait stood out because the natural pose conveyed his sovereign and gentle presence. It seemed he was offering an invitation on his own terms, making it clear that only if one truly engaged with him would he choose to reveal more of himself. Charlotte later said, “Kef is rather reserved. He often needs time to build up his confidence when impressed."
Visions Before the Painting
One evening, as I was falling asleep, I tuned in to Kef. I asked if he would offer me an impression of his essence. I saw him with branches woven into his mane. I felt how his innocence and his wisdom were one and the same, and I realized his presence felt like faery energy or Gaia. Charlotte had described Kef as being a young horse with an old soul. She had also said, “He is very gentle and not shy, but I can feel this ancient and earthly power like a flow within him.”
In a shamanic journey for Kef and Charlotte I had a vision that informed the feeling of the work of art and seemed to speak to their relationship. It was the image of a boat resembling a canoe being hand-carved or hollowed out – as if by Charlotte’s hands. Then I sensed her riding Kef and this evoked the idea that he would carry her like a boat on the water. This vision confirmed for us that the pond was central to the theme of the energetic presence of Nature that was revealing itself through her connection with Kef.
Charlotte had also sent a photograph of a beautiful moth that had alighted on her hand and would not leave. I felt the moth had a message for her and perhaps it could be a link to what in French is called “the férié world.”
While I mused upon these thoughts, my intuitions were confirmed by an unusual piece of music that played on my playlist. It was fitting that it was titled in French "Les Kloropanphylles," an ambient track inspired by Maxime Chattam’s saga Autre Monde. The characters are Pans who live on the canopy of the Dry Sea, a gigantic forest. When I looked up the song, I discovered a beautiful and evocative video that took me immediately into the heart of what I was feeling about Kef’s essence.
The Creative Process
All these elusive feelings simmered in my subconscious as I planned and composing the portrait. I wandered my own land, getting in touch with inspiration for the painting. It was as if intuitively I connected my home and hers, asking Nature to show me the possibilities of visual elements that could enhance the vision. I admired lichen-covered branches and discovered a dried leaf hanging suspended in midair that looked like a butterfly’s wing, reminding me of finding shed moth wings in these same woods that inspired my earlier painting of Papillon, the faery horse.
I shared these photos with Charlotte, and she chose certain ones that she resonated with, which were my favorites as well. We spoke again on Zoom she was excited about my ideas of superimposing the photo of Kef that I’d chosen with the pond, and of blending in the images of nature and the moth. She told me she didn’t need to see a sketch. She trusted the process of creation to unfold.
Art as Meditation
As I chose the composition of Kef superimposed over the pond and the reflected trees, the branches felt like elemental spirits embracing him. Since the moth had previously been on Charlotte’s hand, I chose to place it on the wing-shaped leaf tucked into Kef’s mane. When I began applying the pastel with my hands, drawing the pond became a meditation. The more I looked at - and into - the photograph, the more serene and surreal it became. In shamanism, bodies of water are known as thresholds to the sacred Lower World where spirits reside. The photo itself became the portal, allowing me to access the beauty and wisdom of that place, though I had never been there.
I asked Charlotte what kind of flowers might be floating in the pond and she said they were likely Blackthorn. This was another confirmation of the connection to faery, as Blackthorn trees and shrubs are said to be held sacred by faeries.
Kef’s body began forming from left to right. As I drew, I imagined petting Kef’s soft coat. My hands and pastels faithfully created each layer of light and shadow, blending my awareness of his physical form while connecting me with a three-dimensional inner vision of him. The iridescent green color of the moth added an otherworldly elemental presence. Kef’s sweet face and gentle eye was the finalé.
After weeks of layering the pastel art, when I stepped back to observe the art in its completion, I experienced that same grounded and otherworldly sensation. I realized that in creating the composition of the reflections in the pond, the juxtaposition of Kef as the horse grounded in this world against a reflected world upside-down caused a subtle shift of perception that invited the viewer to enter a realm where everything is more than meets the eye. The art evoked an otherworldly dimension where everything has a meaning, a language, and a consciousness.
Choosing the Title
When the time came to choose the title, it was an interesting challenge. Since the impact of the art is so profound the first time it is seen, if the client can’t be with me in person, I often suggest they wait to see it in person when it arrives at their home. However, this makes choosing a title difficult as they haven’t yet seen the art. Nevertheless, we played with a few ideas based on the themes we’d discussed.
We played with a few phrases describing the magical feeling of nature and of faeries. I realized the elements in the portrait weren’t surrounding Kef, they were Kef; that in his presence, all that magic could happen. I considered a title like "The Wonder of Kef." Then, in our email dialogue, Charlotte suggested we ask Kef to help us define the feeling into words. She later replied, “He tells me it is about sincerity and simplicity. “Here I am”, translated in French as C’est moi'. This title was perfect! It was not only Kef declaring his self-recognition and presence, but also the voice of the land, the faery realm, and of our shared experiences across oceans and continents.
Closing Thoughts
Creating Kef’s portrait was a wonderful collaboration and offered lessons for me in listening, receiving, and timing. Charlotte’s desire to connect with me in person conveyed her love for Kef and how important the process of the portrait was to her. She didn’t simply send me pictures of her horse; she offered the depth of her loving words, a glimpse of the magic of her land, and an invitation to experience Kef’s Soul Essence in every possible way.I am deeply moved that this work of art expresses Kef and Charlotte’s “Once Upon a Time” and “Happily Ever After” as C’est moi”.
Charlotte’s Reflection (in her own words)
My name is Charlotte Bousquet. I am a French writer (for teenagers and young adults mostly). I published about 60 books, as diverse as realistic fiction, fantasy literature and comics. I am animal communicator and equine behaviorist too. I live with a family of seven horses and have one 8th friend in Morocco. I discovered Kim’s work with The Way of Horses, the beautiful oracle she created with Linda Kohanov. The portrait of Noche, The Master of Sadness, touched me so deeply I began to cry. And I felt so connected to The Horses’ Ancestors that I decided to buy a print of the artwork. I have had a bond with horses since I was a little girl. I think I really began to realize what this link meant in Morocco, when I met Keyrann, my first horse and “little brother”. After that, I never stopped trying to understand them better and, above all, to co-exist with them in the fairest possible way. This led me to train in intuitive communication and technical trust, to take various courses, notably with Walter Badet, and more recently to train to become an equine behaviorist with Coralie Fournier (Equitalliance), to give Horses and their Guardians their true inner power.
When I first thought about asking Kim to create a portrait of my beloved horse, Keyrann, he had just passed away. But it was not a good time and the moment was missed. But I was on Kim’s email list and a year and a half later Kim wrote that her waiting list for commissioned portraits was open. This time I was again in the throes of life’s challenges in the eye of the storm, because my dear father had passed away and my mom was in despair. It was during that time that Kef, my young Berber horse, came to me like a vision, a vision of the beginning of a way. I knew at this moment that I wanted to ask Kim to create his portrait.
After a few email exchanges, Kim and I talked via Zoom and I told her my story of Kef. Of how we met in the Haras d’Uranie, the wonderful place where my friend Caroline breeds Barb horses, an ancient, hardy breed originally from the Maghreb. From the moment I met him in October 2021, I felt I knew his soul. We went for a walk that felt as though we were walking together to the end of world.
I began to send Kim some photos of Kef. I was inspired to include photos of our land and of nature. Leaves, butterflies, trees, and a pool. All of these moments and images appeared to me like meaningful signs.
When Kim first connected with Kef in meditation, she told me about visions of him as connected with Gaia, that he was a fairy soul, both wise and old with and young and innocent of heart, and about the deep bond between the two of us. She had seen something like a boat with sails, and interpreted that for Kef, I had to be the captain. It was unsettling for me because I am not comfortable with the idea of the sea, of boats, and certainly not with the harsh concept of sailors (Captain Nemo, etc.) BUT, this confused feeling disappeared as soon I began working with Kef. The feeling was replaced by the progressive understanding of our bond, and of what he was waiting for from me, and what I had to do to take my place in his life. It was not a question about leadership, but an invitation to be strongly myself, confident and true to our song, the song that we are to create together. It was during this time that my relationship with Kef began to evolve.
During the entire process of Kef’s portrait creation, I had the feeling we all were connected – Kim, Kef, and me. As if the three of us had a story to tell, a story made of photos, words, visions, and feelings. It was beyond the “simple” process of a painting, and was the beginning of our relationship from heart to heart. I evolved during those months, and Kef did too. He began to have more confidence in his own inner power. He had some hesitations, particularly when encountering incongruent people, or more chaotic horses. But I felt his inner power getting clearer, bigger, and stronger.
When the time came to find a title to Kef’s portrait, Kim and I decided to ask him. His response came immediately: “C’est moi.” A title that sounded like an evidence!
I was very impatient to unveil Ke's portrait when I received it. When I saw it, it was like an evidence for me that "C'est moi' was just perfect and will remind me - I'm just human, so sometimes I forget - not only the vibrant and wise heart of Kef but also those of all horses of - and in - my life and family.
Kim sent me the playlist of the songs she listened to when painting Kef. I find it beautiful, deep, joyful, wise, and faeric. I decided Kef and I could listen to it when we ride on a trail. It immediately created a sphere of communion and calm, in which we walked, trotted, and galloped, right on the way of our story to come…
This is
a story about beginnings,
About
trust and truth
This is
two souls recognizing each other
two hearts creating a new song
And
one weaver of light drawing the path.
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