"Horse Marionette"

8" x 10" (image) 11" x 15" (paper)

Reduction with 2 blocks and some hand coloring, oil based ink and watercolors on Rives BFK

Edition of 4

Print can be purchased here.

A wooden, hand-painted horse marionette hangs on the wall just outside my daughter's bedroom. It was given to me years ago by a friend who found it at a flea market. When I first receive this gift, I untangled the strings, attempted to make the horse walk, and quickly came to appreciate the practice and skill required for competent puppetry. In my possession, this particular puppet is unlikely to ever be used in the manner it was intended. It is a lovely object that hangs on a yellow wall, casting an even deeper yellow shadow. Ironically, when suspended on the wall, the strings and handle that normally would introduce motion appear more like a restraint for the animal. The puppet is beautiful, but frozen. Might as well be a picture.