Horses have always inspired Joni. Growing up on a Maryland farm where she became a skilled equestrian, Joni grew to understand the anatomy of a horse. Although her quadriplegia prevents her from horseback riding, Joni still gets engaged with horses through her drawings and paintings.
This pastel pencil rendering was originally intended as a preliminary sketch for a watercolor. “I cropped the outline of a horse as close as I could, while preserving the grace and dynamism of his run,” says Joni. “If you take your thumb and cover the eye of the horse, he lacks life—he looks like one of those Greek statues with no arms or legs. But when you take your thumb away, it’s clear how much life and vitality is communicated through the eye. Whether in horses or humans, the eyes are truly a window into the soul!”
The Run never became a watercolor. Joni decided it should remain a pastel-pencil drawing. She presented the original to her husband, Ken Tada, as a wedding gift shortly after they married in 1982. It now hangs in their home in Calabasas, California. This signed, numbered, limited-edition print of The Run is available for purchase while supplies last.
- Each limited-edition print comes numbered and signed
- Frame not included
