The Painting Pony
His work was accepted for a month-long gallery showing, that is until the curator found out the artist was a horse named Buddy.
“We’d referred to Buddy simply as ‘the artist’ throughout the application process,” said Jessica Drake, Buddy’s owner.
Buddy is a 10-year-old Arab mixed-breed horse who lives in Rockford on a 100-acre farm, home to several horses. About four years ago, he learned to paint and has been painting ever since. People all over Tennessee and individuals from Kentucky to Canada have bought his paintings.
But the gallery show was a no-go.
“We thought it would be wise to let them know Buddy was a horse once he got accepted,” said Daniel Drake, Jessica’s husband.
The gallery withdrew its offer when it learned “the artist” was of the hoofed persuasion. “They said it wouldn’t be fair to other artists,” explained Jessica. “I guess they would have been upset to be outsold by a horse.”
Buddy’s paintings are abstract, but some might say they rival the work of an artist with opposable thumbs. And he even has an artist’s temperament. Sometimes he’ll refuse to paint until Jessica changes colors, or he’ll concentrate on a particular area of the canvas with an obsessive focus that forces her to flip the canvas before he paints a hole through it.
Buddy was diagnosed with Equine Cushing’s Disease at the age of nine. The ailment makes shedding difficult for affected horses. It is a condition that Buddy will deal with for the rest of his life. Buddy also suffers from Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM), a neurological disease that can cause paralysis. Buddy is still fighting EPM but should recover fully, thanks to an early diagnosis.
When Buddy first started to paint, Daniel shared some of the paintings with his co-workers. They loved them, he said, and they started asking where to buy them. Jessica and Daniel began selling Buddy’s artwork by request. When Buddy was diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease, the couple decided to open a Web site to sell Buddy’s work to a larger audience. The sales help defray the costs of Buddy’s treatment, and 10 percent of the profits are donated to the University of Tennessee to help fund Equine Cushing’s Disease research.
Many who buy Buddy’s paintings are inspired by their beauty and by Buddy’s story, his owners said. Jessica shared a comment from a buyer in Nashville: “Buddy’s paintings aren’t only beautiful, but they are an inspiration to me. My dog has Cushing’s disease just like Buddy, and it’s very hard on the spirit. Buddy’s paintings are so full of color and happiness that they add a glimmer of hope and joy into my often dark world of Cushing’s Disease. Thank you, Buddy, for bringing some color back into my world.”
“To me, hearing responses like this one let me know that what I am doing is more than just paying the bills and creating art, that it has meaning, not only to me but to others who are also coping with various life troubles,” Jessica said. “I’ve had people purchase paintings for friends who have lost loved ones, dedicating the painting to them, and I’ve had people purchase paintings for loved ones who share a connection with Buddy’s health issues. People connect with his paintings, and it gives them hope; that, to me, means more than anything.”
A version of this story originally appeared in The Daily Times.