By Shya Beth
Maggie Robertson’s exploration of contrasting lines expresses the controlled power and tension that all horses, whether tamed or wild, commonly share. Maggie’s recent Big Blue Horses series effortlessly conveys this as a large canvas series that boldly explores the equine form and shows how seemingly simple lines can capture the energetic and physical presence of the horse.
The quote, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man” is one that Maggie continually finds herself coming back to, and it inspired this body of work. “The image of the horse is powerful, laden with meaning to the human species for at least as long as we began to depict their images on the walls of stone caves,” Maggie said. “Through these paintings, I’m interested in achieving a gorgeous blue matte quality on the surface and have found tempera paint to be the best for this. These highly graphical works also incorporate charcoal and acrylics with the contrasting colors.”
As Maggie was developing the series over the last several years, she became interested in revealing the process in the finished piece. “When I start the painting, I first work on the composition and position of the horse figure in charcoal. While in the process, I noticed how I liked to see the changes I had been making within the original sketch, rather than choosing one position and painting over the other sketchy lines. I felt it was interesting and suggested movement of the horse, revealing its past positions and giving more energy. This led to the ‘Leg’ paintings, with which I am particularly pleased.”
With a self-styled “typical horse-girl artist” origin story, Maggie’s interest in art has been with her as long as she can remember. “I blame my parents,” she said. “They always encouraged an appreciation for art history and collecting original art for the home. I, of course, was inspired by beautiful horses and tried to draw them all the time growing up. When I started learning to ride as a kid, I completely fell in love with it. I grew up in the Midwest, near St. Louis, and spent many years learning to ride rather informally at a Connemara breeding farm, spending summers and free time hacking and riding bareback. As an adult, I find myself riding more than ever now that I’ve discovered foxhunting. I haven’t been in a position to own my own horse, but have good friends who generously allow me to ride their horses. For that, I am forever grateful!”
Maggie earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 1997. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in biomedical visualization, which she likes to describe as medical illustration, from the University of Illinois in Chicago in 2000. “After graduate school, I began working as a graphic designer for the Field Museum and later the St. Louis Science Center. Fine art has now become my focus and, working hard, happily the art is now my full-time source of income. I do believe my education has been valuable and informs my artwork continually, giving my equine pieces a sense of physicality through my understanding of the animal’s anatomy.”
Thousands of Years of Inspiration
Maggie exhibited her Blue Horses in her solo show at the Kim Storage Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this past October. “It was such a thrill to see all my large horses beautifully lit in a way I hadn’t seen before, which was profoundly moving,” Maggie said. “The particular hue of blue in this series holds strong emotional appeal to humans. One only has to remember Yves Klein and the development of his famous trademarked pigment, Yves Klein Blue, and this ultramarine color was once reserved for the cloth that enshrouds Mary, mother of Christ, in 15th-century Christian art. To me, this color is the only color that could adequately express and uphold the beauty and power that I feel the horse embodies.”
The Big Blue Horses series is far from over, and Maggie has many more ideas cooking. The process of creating a painting begins long before the sketching starts. When an idea sprouts in her mind, she lets it simmer and develop slowly in her subconscious. Then, suddenly, she becomes aware of how to create the piece. She’ll know what medium is best for the idea, whether it will be a painting, big or small, an etching or a sculpture. Working intuitively, she continues to add or take away, and, at some point, she’ll just know when to stop; it is complete.
Maggie’s fascination with prehistoric artifacts of animals and horses continues to inspire her art, particularly sculpture. Called the Talisman Horses, they are a homage to elegantly carved horse artifacts from thousands of years ago, showing the full essence of the horse while giving only the essential visual elements.
Finding a thrill in foxhunting and everyday rides, Maggie’s goals for the future are to travel to Britain to see their amazing horse sales, agricultural fairs and prehistoric artifacts in person. “I see myself continuing to make the work I feel compelled to create and forming many fruitful relationships with people who appreciate the work,” she said. “I’d like to collaborate with art galleries to showcase these works to people who wish to enhance and beautify their lives through art. I really do want to make work that improves people’s daily experiences in a small but significant way.”
For more information, follow @MaggieRobertsonFineArt on Instagram, or view Maggie’s gallery representation at kimstoragegallery.com, @kimstoragegallery or @blue_print_gallery and her sculptures, ceramics and prints are available at forsythart.com, @forsythart
