Gouache, graphite, and colored pencil on paperexpand_more
Gift of Kohler Foundation, Inc. and Eleanor Spiess-Ferrisexpand_more 2023.81.2
Eleanor Spiess-Ferris grew up on a small farm in northern New Mexico. She has described this scene as one that emerged from dreams and memories mingling. "I knew what dangers existed – coyotes, wild dogs, and snakes hidden in the underbrush and, on nature’s side, flash floods, wildfires, and drought," she wrote. The artist considers the fantastic imagery of this work to be a feminist painting about survival. She noted, "It is a painting about protection. It is a painting about courage. It was my way of telling myself that I had to fight for my artistic vision by defeating my own fears. In fighting off doubts and negativity I felt I could and would create a world where my daughter could prosper and I would thrive creatively." Three women, disguised as horses, cross through an inhospitable landscape and are attacked by dogs. They ward them off the best they can.
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