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The French painter Jacques-Louis
David once said, “To give body and perfect form to your thought,
this alone is what it is to be an artist.” There is no modern artist
who expresses her feelings about the Arabian horse in a more
masterful way than painter Mary Haggard. A native of Indiana, Mary,
like so many young girls, was born with a love for horses and the
gift of a set of oil paints from her parents led to a career which
has found her paintings in the collections of the most
discriminating art enthusiasts in the world.
Mary’s work entrances the viewer with its graceful use of light and
carefully balanced compositions. Her attention to detail, from a
wispy strand of forelock blowing in a desert breeze, to a dramatic
landscape surrounding her equine subject, makes her work both
distinctive and compelling. “For years,” says Mary, “I tried to
depict the Arabian horse at their very best, in a noble way.” But as
her career progressed Mary began to look at her subjects a bit
differently. “More and more I realize that their true beauty must be
as we see them every day – not always at their best, but stained
from rolling in mud, slouching along because of a hot summer day.
Then, when the sun gleams in an eye or creates a golden glow through
a white mane and forelock, I get goosebumps!” A unique
characteristic of Mary’s work is that she translates her own
powerful emotions to her paintings, enabling the viewer to
experience similar sentiments
Mary’s work has graced the covers of several books, and many
connoisseurs of fine art have discovered that one of her paintings
is simply not enough. Among the discerning collectors around the
world who own more than one Mary Haggard are Henry and Christie
Metz, Walter Mishek, Gari Dill Marlow, Mohammed Al Marzouk, Sheikh
Abdulaziz al Thani, Usamah Al Kazemi, Hassanain al Nakeeb, Sheikha
Sarah al Sabah and Brent and Janel Maher. An ardent observer of her
own horses, Mary notes that “at the sight of a deer or a blowing
piece of paper, we are treated to a gravity defying dance, with
blowing and snorting that makes the faint of heart jump back.” She
reflects that surely God was describing the Arabian horse with the
Biblical words, “The glory of his nostrils is terrible, and he
rejoices in his strength.” |
