Horse painters find ‘Free Rein’ at ranch in Bitterroot

By Antonio Ibarra

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    LOLO, Montana (Missoulian) — Painting brings to mind brushes, an idea and a canvas. But at Dunrovin Ranch in Lolo, tucked near the iconic Bitterroot River, the “canvas” got a bit of a twist Saturday.

Six artists from Montana and as far as New England — Cathy Berendts, Georgina Lisa Archer, Kim Kresan, Kimberly Spence, Nikci King and Claire Emery — painted the coats of live horses at the annual Equine Art Extravaganza.

As comfortable as a horse can be and with only slight movements, the six animals calmly chewed on hay and stretched their legs every now and then as the women brushed away.

This year’s Extravaganza theme was “Free Rein,” a continuation from last year’s “It Takes a Herd” topic as a way to highlight the importance of herd immunity during a pandemic, said ranch owner SuzAnne Miller.

“Now that we have vaccines, it has given us freer rein to get back and do the things we love,” she said. “We wanted to honor the fact that we have these wonderful vaccines which allow us to be able to get back together.”

Dunrovin Ranch has held the Equine Art Extravaganza every year since 2017, but the pandemic put a hold on the number of guest artists they were able to host last August due to the intensity of the pandemic and COVID-19 precautionary protocols, Miller said.

Most of the horses were provided by the ranch for artists to use as live, moving canvases where they could portray their creative ideas.

Artists were free to use water-soluble paints to express themselves. They started working around 11 a.m. and continued to paint until 5 before showcasing their work and cutting the horses loose for pictures and a walk around the ranch.

Spectators — both in-person and from other parts of the state who purchased a ticket through “Friends of Dunrovin,” a nonprofit affiliated with Dunrovin Ranch — had the opportunity to cast their vote online for their favorite design. Most of the proceeds go to Missoula Youth Homes, an organization that supports foster children with programs, housing and family care for children in need.

“My mother was an orphan. She lived at an orphanage in Twin Bridges, Montana as a child, so that’s what inspired me to try and raise money for foster children,” Miller said. “Our nonprofit strives to raise money through activities and events at Dunrovin Ranch for local nonprofits that value the well-being of people, animals, community and the environment.”

‘What could be better?’

Kneeling in front of a horse called Mystery, New England native and longtime Missoula resident Emery outlined the figure of a flying osprey on the animal’s chest.

She couldn’t be happier and at peace to be able to experience painting on a live, moving canvas for the very first time, and for a special cause, she said.

“It’s super special for me to be able to expand on a theme that means a lot to me as an artist and conservationist and also getting the opportunity to do it with this beloved horse in order to raise money for youth homes in Missoula, I mean what could be better?” she said.

As an environmental conservationist, Emery was excited to be able to paint and bring to life some of the things she’s most passionate about, which are rivers and birds, she said.

“I wanted to celebrate the Bitterroot River, and the ‘Free Rein’ theme was just perfect because it allowed me to celebrate the life that the river harbors,” she said. “I wanted to highlight some of the important bird species that live along the riparian area of the river.”

Riparian habitats are where rivers or streams meet the land, such as river bottoms, black cottonwood and willow areas.

Emery spends a lot of her time exploring the Bitterroot River and the types of fauna that flourish and benefit from the river ecosystem.

“The Bitterroot is a free and wild river that provides amazing riparian habitats for almost 80% of birds which allows them to reproduce, feed and rest as they migrate,” she said. “What I love about it is that the river is always flowing and so are birds. The river has free rein the same way that birds do, so it ties together really nicely.”

Visceral imagery

A couple of rows away, Kresan finished painting the lower torso of Raz after nearly four hours of continuous work, with deserved breaks every now and then for both her and the horse.

Kresan is a Montana native who was born and raised in the Bitterroot. She remembers spending most of her childhood exploring the woods and open spaces.

“When I think of ‘Free Rein,’ the visceral imagery that comes to mind is me running around tall fields of grass and feeling free,” she said.

This was Kresan’s first time painting on a live animal, and it was very therapeutic, she said.

“I’m really enjoying it because I just love horses,” said Kresan as she pushed her brush along Raz’s coat. “I’ve never had a horse in my life, so I take any chance when I can hang out with horses. For me it’s like a childhood dream that’s never died. This has been very pleasant.”

‘Just amazing’

Strolling through each of the rows where the artists could be seen working away with their painted horses, Carolyn Bonner from Lolo took pictures of the painted horses.

Bonner was a volunteer for the event. She and her daughter, Mariah, and grandson, Lorenzo, appreciated the artists’ work.

“It’s very detailed and just amazing to see how the horses can stand still while the artists work,” Bonner said, holding Lorenzo’s hand as he pointed at the animals. “They almost seem to like it too. The paintings we’ve seen so far are very unique.

“My guess is (the horses) probably like the way the brush feels on their coat,” she added.

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