During the summer of 2021, equine artist Karen Brenner traveled throughout the state of Kentucky photographing horses who had been nominated for this special series. Each selected horse is represented in a painting by the artist!
Meet the Beautiful Horses of Kentucky!
Superstar quality! That’s Bonnie! Her owner, Jennifer, loves to share the Bonnie’s adventures as they experience life together. You’ll find the most adorable baby photos, mare and foal pictures, growing up “firsts” and so much more on her Instagram page! I was under the spell of Bonnie’s beautiful blue eye and the gray-blue strip that zigzags between her sorrel face and bold white blaze. So stunning! Of course you’ll have to check out all those Insta photos to see Bonnie’s bold coloring ALL OVER!
What a privilege to get to visit the Rockin R Farm to see their Kentucky Saddler babies! They are so precious! I fell in love with this tiny buckskin who was only a few days old. So precious! Did you know Kentucky Saddlers come in lots of colors? Rockin R Elvira, a gorgeous palomino, is often on loan to the Kentucky Horse Park, and is also part of the Beautiful Horses of Kentucky series. What horse color is your favorite?
Available as a print through Fine Art America
Not all horses get to live in the bluegrass state. But all of them wish they could! Lush green pastures make for great grazing! And look even bluer in the shadows of early evening. Ryon and Bandit, buddies who have a huge field of grass to share with just one other equine, are chowing down in this painting of light, shadows and horses.
Posing near a quiet pond, Quarter Horse Breeze is silhouetted by the reflections of the clear blue Kentucky sky dotted with puffy clouds. What an ideal setting for a painting! Thank you to Caycee for letting me photograph and paint your beautiful bay roan.
Available as a print through Fine Art America
Purdue’s High Roller is an International Champion Rocky Mountain Horse! Gleaming to perfection, he is silhouetted on a hilltop surrounded by beautiful Kentucky fields and woods at Purdue Stables in this painting. Almost black with a flaxen tail, I love his unique color! His movement is outstanding – which explains his many championship titles with the Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse Association and the Rocky Mountain Horse Association. It was a joy to get to spends time with this beautiful horse!
Imagine a little girl and her first pony – an Appaloosa. Tasked with finding the perfect name, Macie immediately chose “Penny” because those appy spots looked just like pennies! Macie writes, “Penny was my very first horse when I was a little gir. Not only was she my first horse she was my first friend. My love for horses started with her. Although she’s now in retirement, she’s still the strongest and sweetest horse I own. I will forever love my sweet pony girl.”
Macie’s barn was the perfect backdrop for Penny! I could not resist doing a second painting featuring this cute pony!
Ali is an dynamic Friesian/Quarter Horse mare who lives on a breathtakingly beautiful small farn in Kentucky. Yes, she has one of those awesome Kentucky black-gray barns that are iconic in the state. But her barn is extra special with an American flag flying on the side. Doesn’t she look great posing in front of the Stars and Stripes? You’ll have to find her owner Donna and ask her about this special horse – and the special flag.
Y Creek Nez Boy (aka Boy) is a leopard appaloosa and has too many spots to count! Can you find any heart shaped spots?
How many horses have fan clubs? Well, I know one! The outstanding American Quarter Horse stallion, Its a Southern Thing. A Reserve World Champion in Western Pleasure and World & Reserve World Champion in Western Riding, Moonpie (as he is affectionally called) also competes successfully in English. He has awesome forward motion backed by power and athleticism. His offspring are competing and wining in the aforementioned disciplines as well as lunge line, halter and trail. No wonder he has his own fan club. Special thanks to, Mary Ann, one of his many fans who suggested that he be included in the Beautiful Horses of Kentucky series. I’m so glad she did. He is beautiful! And I love his kind personality which is what this painting is all about.
A classic Appaloosa, Slim is the star of his stable. With a goofy personality and the dexterity to open stall doors and untie lead ropes, you can only imagine the trouble he can cause. But he’s also the go-to horse for a safe ride. Megan nominated Slim because he’s the horse that got her mom, who had always wanted another horse after loosing her childood pony, back in the saddle. Megan wrote, “I remember the first day he came home and my Mom sat in the saddle and just said I feel like I’m home again.” I loved that! And I loved how cool Slim looked in front of his antique red barn, which was carefully dismantled and moved to the property when it was slated to be torn down from its original location. The bright orange bucket added just the right amount of crazy color for this “goofball” steed’s painting!
Blabby B and Beau are best friends! Blabby B, a thoroughbred, had came to live with Beau, a gorgeous Morgan horse, after he lost his sister Belle who’d shared his barn for 24 years. He’d been so depressed for 2 months after his loss, his owner John sought out a companion. And that’s when Blabby B came to the farm! On loan from the family’s veteranarian, she brought back Beau’s outgoing personality and playfulness! As an aside, John mentioned that Blabby B is so calm that prior to my visit he’d stacked up a few hay bales, sticks, fabric and more in the field next door to catch her attention so she’d look alert for her photos. Boy, did that work. In the painting she is actually staring down the “strange” objects in the distance.
Also noteworthy, Blabby B is a daughter of Tabasco Cat who won the Preakness and the Belmont. And she has had foals by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah and Fusaichi Pegasus who won the Derby.
Payton is a Haflinger/Paint with an enchanting personality – and life story to match. He has been a lesson and show pony for almost 24 years, just recently retiring. He started out with his owner Christy so many years ago as her lesson horse, and now has returned to her life to teach her 6 year old daugher! Christy write, “He is the most patient, kind and loving pony, has a huge personality and is absolutely adorable with his fluffy mane and bushy tail.” So true. So true!
What an innocent face! Teddy is the leader of Kris’ small herd. Unfortunately, the evening before our photoshoot, Kris called to say Teddy was limping. Thankfully it was just a minor injury, but there would be no action photos. Of course action is not necessary. I fell in love with the abstract shapes in this layout and had to use it for Teddy’s portrait. He looks like he wanted his painting to be a close up portrait all along! What a mastermind!
Aston Marwan is such a classic appaloosa with a beautiful blanket and polka dots splashed on his beautiful neck and face. His owner Danny had Aston pose perfectly along the calm pond on his farm. This reminded me of the classic Kentucky paintings of thoroughbreds and quarter horses from the 1950’s. So here’s a 2022 version of that classic look. I loved the way the lines of the trees accented the curves of Aston’s neck and tail. Of course when Aston later zoomed around his pasture the secret of his beauty was revealed. He is half-Arab! And those Arabian genes shone through in his lively animated movement. He is really a beautiful horse!
Too irresistible donkeys, Radar and Valentino, were part of Rivelle’s posse when I visited. So of course I had to snap some photos of the pair. And create a painting featuring the cuties!
I loved the way Revelation Z (aka Rivelle) grazed peacefully under the huge cumulus cloud floating above his vibrant green pasture. What a calm moment. Rivelle is a Zangersheide, which is a Belgian sporthorse. According to the Savvy Horsewoman, the “Zangersheide (often referred to as the Zang Horse Breed) is not actually a true breed but a registry, aimed at producing quality show jumping horses.” A variety of European sporthorse lines are carefully breed to produce these jumpers – and thus they are hard to spot just based on appearence. But that crazy “Z” at the end of Rivelle’s registered name is a sure sign that he’s a Zangersheide! And when it came time to catching Rivelle after the photos were all taken he showed off his athletic abilities by strategically racing through the pasture to avoid the inevitable haltering.
Zarwsza’s owner Carin wrote that the gorgeous white Arabian arrived in Kentucky “at age 7, unhandled and mistrusting of humans. She has become my best friend and confidant, and matured into a sweet, beautiful mare, both inside and out.” I loved photographing Zarwsza as she raced enthusiastically around her pasture – but could not resist this final pose, as she called to her friends in far off fields, as the basis for her painting.
Rowdy Rebel dashes through his pasture with equine glee!This beautiful white quarter horse was the perfect model for my newest painting.
Do those blue eyes capture your heart? Drake is a striking tri-color paint horse with the bluest of blue eyes, that his owners Craig and Barbara make “all the ladies love him.” I know that was my reaction, and I tried to capture this most delightful feature in his painting. The sky just happened to match his eyes perfectly the day I visited! Awesome, right?
AQHA gelding Toreto is a barrel racing super starwinning a qualifiying for a lot of barrel futurities with his rider, Havana! He is also a star in this new oil painting as he races through his pasture showing off the beautiful colors in his dappled coat!
One of my new favorite breeds, the Kentucky Saddler, comes in a variety of colors. Elvira is a golden palomino – and represents the breed at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington! That’s where I got to meet her. I just love her whispy pale mane which floats in the breeze as she walks through the aisles of the beautiful stable. She’s just beautiful!
Thoroughbred mare, Siesta, is spectacular on the polo field where she competes with her owner Donald. She is so patient waiting beside the trailer for her turn on the field.
It was so exciting to get to meet and photograph one of Kentucky’s favorite race horses ever – The Player! Lively and playful this dynamic thoroughbred was such joy to be around. He loved racing through his pasture in the bright sunlight! And his team even treated me to a photo session of The Player getting an “after the race” bath with water spraying the champion – just like at the track. The reference photo for the painting was taken after his shower when the Player was sparkling wet!
Move over Rudolph! Let Vexin pull Santa’s sleigh! He’s such a fireball of energy – I don’t think he’d need assistance from any of those other reindeer either! It was with pure joy that I got to photograph this rare American Sugarbush Harlequin Draft, whose full name is HexenNacht. When his owner Samantha offered to have him ready with ribbons, I said yes! And his floating power and presence was delightfully enhanced by the billowing satin as he thundered through his hillside pasture. What a wonderful horse!
Available as a print through Fine Art America
Lively and beautiful, Hannovarion mare Jade was so sweet. She and her owner Danielle seem to really enjoy spending quality time together – delighting each other!
Parysa is a gorgeous Arabian mare. She was the perfect model – so calm and elegant. It was such an honor to include her in the Beautiful Horses of Kentucky series. The huge Kentucky barn was the perfect background for this painting. It was actually a beautiful, clear morning when I visited, but I added a bit of fog!
Tigger is a grullo Quarter Horse – such a neat color (that’s sort of hard to capture in a painting). He has the neatest zebra stripes on his legs, but I fell in love with this composition of him grazing beside that pretty lake, so unfortunately the stripes are not the star of the painting…. instead it’s Tigger!
Czrarina Maria is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who excels at her new career – barrel racer! She and her owner Jessica enjoy love spending time together and showcasing the multiple talents of the famous Kentucky breed of horse!
This mother and filly duo are Half Arabians – can you guess the other half of their breeding? It’s Paint! The beautiful markings fade with age to a beautiful white! They looked so lovely on their hillside pasture with some awesome fluffy Kentucky clouds rolling by.
This beautiful Tennessee Walking Horse stallion, Go Boy’s Pride of JFK, poses regally in front of his family’s iconic Kentucky tobacco farm. You can see JFK has his eye on his favorite mares in the nearby pasture! We could not help notice the black barns dotting the Kentucky landscape as we drove along. Doing some research I discovered the black color raises the heat inside the buildings to help cure tobacco. And the creosote traditionally used to paint the backdrop for beautiful horses!
Available as a print through Fine Art America
Butterscotch is a unique “Buttermilk Buckskin” – and I bet you can guess how that color name came from! Creamy pale yellow, she is so beautiful! This Tennessee Walking Horse is a dream come true! Debbie wished for a horse since childhood – and recently Butterscotch fulfilled her dream!
Whiskey, 16×12, oil on masonite , $768
Whiskey, a Kentucky Mountain Horse, is featured in the FIRST painting completed in the Beautiful Horses of Kentucky series!
How perfect is that? Kentucky is known for their horses – and whiskey, right! This unique breed originated in the bluegrass state and I was so lucky to get to meet a limited number of these special horses! Whiskey is SUPER special because he and his partner, Mady, do trick riding. Mady stands atop Whiskey as they gallop around the arena! It was a treat to get to meet the pair almost as soon as we crossed the river into Kentucky. In fact some of the photos I took have the great river in the background. I thought Whiskey looked like a gleaming jewel in this spot of sunlight near his pasture though, so the river wasn’t included in the painting.
Contact Karen at kmbrenner@hotmail.com for information about purchasing a painting.
Thank you to the Lexington Public Library for hosting the series
in their third floor gallery
April – May 2022.
Meet the Horses featured in the series!
Check out this video featuring the Beautiful Horses of Kentucky horses!
Thank you to everyone so graciously allowed Karen to stop in and photograph your horses!
It all started with a Press Release….
Kentucky will be the 14th state to be featured in the Beautiful Horses of… series
WOOSTER, OH. Karen accepted nominations through April 2021 for horses to include in her special Beautiful Horses of Kentucky series of paintings. During June she traveled throughout Kentucky photographing selected horses for reference material for her upcoming paintings.
It was a WONDERFUL adventure! So many beautiful horses AND horse owners!
Photographing beautiful horses is one of Karen’s favorite things to do! She loves traveling around the country, visiting farms and talking with fellow horse lovers. Capturing images of horses, whether grazing, running, playing, resting, or working, is pure fun for the artist. Transforming these reference photos into colorful paintings is another of her passions.
Since 2000, Karen has been creating oil paintings of horses. You’ll find many of her recent paintings on this website, but for a glimpse at previous “Beautiful Horses of…” series, click the link below. You’ll see literally hundreds of paintings from the past 20 years.