CHOLLA'S STORY

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I Loved That Horse
written by, Renee Chambers
 

Cholla

I once had a horse named Cholla, who was my one and only horse.  I Loved him with all of my heart and soul, and he me.  It was Love at first sight for both of us. Instantly, upon our first glance of one another, he followed me, no halter, no reason other than an interpreted bonding trust.

You see, I had moved West, desiring to own a horse, even though I hadn’t a clue.  I was a trained ballerina, not a cowgirl.  Cholla was almost five years old, born from a Mustang stallion and a Quarter Horse mare,  a gorgeous 15.2 copper buckskin with amazing conformation, long black mane and tail, a dorsal stripe, horizontal zebra stripes on his lower legs, depicting an ancient blood line and a volatile time bomb to boot !

Yes, he had been a bit “cowboyed” to say the least, leaving him with both physical and emotional scars, as he did not respond to the cowboy’s traditional methods of breaking a horse with ropes and force. Hence the name, Cholla, one of the worst cacti one can encounter in the high desert.  Cholla’s level of intelligence did not allow him to cower to their manipulative practices, he knew he was stronger and he fought back.

Yet, beyond Cholla’s tough exterior was a heart of gold, in fact, he developed into an accomplished award winning International Artist.  I did not train him to paint. His innate talent was inspired by his own curiosity of year after year watching me paint his corral fences.  Cholla had always loved to hold things in his teeth, so in the Spring of 2004, when Cholla was 19, I tacked a piece of water color paper to the fence, showed him one uneducated stroke with the water color paint, held out the brush to him, he took it in his teeth and brushed the paper.  His second piece ever was “Zen Self Portrait” still on the fence.  The next day I got him a big sturdy easel and he made the powerful transition without hesitation.

Being a choreographer, I do understand art and how it manifests through the universe.  Cholla’s essence is undeniably pure and his art reveals his constant connection with nature.

His talent is now acknowledged internationally as his minimalist expressionism is recognized as a personal “Cholla” style compared to the fire of Pollock and the fixed gaze of Resnick.  His creations are collected in both original and limited edition fine art giclee prints on three continents to date.  His art has received two International Art Awards, NYC & Venice, Italy, amongst human artists, as the jurors have judged the art itself, not the source.

Cholla was a supreme being.  A majestic, talented artist with much to say.  Cholla the magnificent was born in the Spring of 1985, he started painting in the Spring of 2004, his Spirit left the Earth in the Spring of 2013.  Approaching 29 years on planet Earth, Cholla showed little signs of age except for his timely arthritis, mostly in his hips, and on March 22, 2013, when Cholla lay down in his green pasture to rest his 1300-lb body, he was unable to get up.  He tried again and again.  His spirit lives through his art.
 

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The Artist Is A Horse!