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Monday, September 30 2019 / Published in Weekly Feature

Steve Messenger: Immortalizing Horses Through Art

Steve standing with his painting “Clean Jumper”

By Shya Beth

Show jumping throughout the years has changed into a global, larger-than-life sport, and the same could be said about Steve Messenger’s colossal equine paintings. Steve has an uncanny ability to collect emotions together on his canvas, bringing his images to life in ways only a truly knowledgeable and talented artist can.

“Bonnet”

Steve was born outside the city of Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in the Baltimore suburb of Columbia. While a young adult, he and his brother both took riding lessons, catching the “horse bug” early on. Spending days hanging out at the stable and learning more about horses created the foundation for Steve. “My brother and I took riding lessons,” he said, “but it was working at Laurel and Pimlico as a hot-walker when I was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art that got me interested in the equine body as a subject.”

While juggling art school and his job as a stable hand, his first encounter with combining his two passions came in the form of a figure painting class, giving him the opportunity to see a new way he could earn a living by bringing together two subjects he loved. However, at the same time, a new opportunity forced him to choose between working at the stables and art school. “I dropped out of art school at that time when an opportunity arose to groom for New Hope Farm. That was when the Korean Olympic team was being trained there by John Madden, and it was such an invaluable experience for me.”

Returning to Art

After moving on from his time as a groom at New Hope Farm, Steve picked up work at Gates Head Farm, outside of New Hope, Pennsylvania. “There was a big art scene there,” he said. “It got me interested in art again and I finished my degree at UARTs in Philadelphia.”

Back to being both a student and a groom, Steve was determined to make sure he didn’t lose sight of his second passion, particularly once he found an affluent market that enjoyed showing off their love of horses and the lifestyle as much as they loved being around horses themselves.

With show jumping and dressage being the disciplines he was most experienced in, it wasn’t long until he started crafting his own recognizable style that mixes a touch of realism with an eccentric color palette, and sometimes larger-than-life canvases that portray the epic movement that horses show throughout all disciplines. Steve notes that while he paints other animals when commissioned to do so, his love remains with horses, which are also his most popular subjects.

Bringing It All Together

Now a full-time artist working just a short distance from Philadelphia in Collinswood, New Jersey, Steve still enjoys going out to see “real” horses, whether that’s photographing local client horses or going to South Jersey Horse Rescue’s location in Atlantic County, New Jersey, to help give back to the horses that have given him so much. The rescue’s mission is to provide a loving sanctuary to abandoned, neglected, abused and slaughter-bound horses. While working from photos that he takes himself or that clients send in, Steve makes sure that his pieces are not a direct copy of the image, but rather an artistic approach to showing the spirit of the animal he’s portraying.

Changing from an industrial building in Philadelphia to a converted single-car garage, he has designed the perfect studio space — hung with drywall and painted, sealed and equipped with flat files and bright flood lights for photographing his larger-than-life paintings. Working on the colossal scale he does requires ample room to stand back and carefully evaluate each work in progress to make sure each one is as he imagines it to be.

Steve works in both oils and acrylics; however, acrylics have proven to be his favorite and most popular medium. “A question I get a lot is why my work looks the way it does, especially the large black and white paintings,” he said. “I wanted to create the effects of fine charcoal drawings without the mess or requirements of glass framing.” Steve usually chooses to eliminate the background and to fully focus on his subject, drawing attention to the details of the horse’s physical presence.

When asked what his goals are for the future, Steve said, “I would like to get to more horse shows.” Creating these equine portraits isn’t only Steve’s passion, but also a way that horse owners and enthusiasts can enhance their living space. Each unique and one-of-a-kind painting adds a vibrantly colorful and bold presence to their lounge or living room while seeing their favorite horse immortalized through the vibrant hues of Steve’s palette.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/equineartbystevemessenger and instagram.com/messengerfineart

Art Of The Horse is the world’s first equine art platform established in 2014 by Shya Beth. With weekly articles featuring up-and-coming as well as world-renowned artists, art exhibitions and art news, Art Of The Horse is the premier source for all things equine art.

Photos courtesy of Steve Messenger

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Tagged under: equine art, shya beth, Steve Messenger

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The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here The✨April issue✨ of Sidelines Magazine is here and we are so excited to feature three-day eventer Liz Halliday on the cover! Big thanks to photographer Melissa Fuller for the beautiful photo of Liz and Cooley Nutcracker- Liz Halliday-Sharp - HS Eventing. Liz and her horses have taken the eventing world by storm - and find out how Liz is at the top of the sport as a female eventer! As the horse world gears up for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event 2023, it's the perfect time to enjoy our eventing issue!! We also feature eventer and woman entrepreneur Frankie Thieriot Stutes, who is not only an eventer, but also runs Athletux and FRANKIE CAMERON handbags and accessories. And don't miss our eventing story on Robert "Bobby" Costello, who will be leading the US Eventing team to the 2024 Paris Olympics- and US Equestrian has named Bobby the eventing technical advisor/chef d'equipe!! Liz, Frankie and Bobby all have GREAT stories - don't miss any of them and don't forget to get your tickets for the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day event! We are also excited to introduce you to hunter-jumper rider Casey Lorusso Smith, who is not only a talented rider but also a psychotherapist and incorporates horses into her career. If you are up for adventure, then read the story on dressage rider Priscilla Baldwin who certainly doesn't let any grass grow under her feet! We also head to the west coast to catch up with hunter-jumper trainer Jim Hagman of Elvenstar Farm, we feature beautiful art by equestrian artist Tammy Tappan, and we get to know Miranda Jones and her family. Miranda is not only an attorney who spends a lot of time in the courthouse, but she's a rider and spends lots of time riding, and is joined by her daughters also! We are excited to feature Stephanie Lightner in our Unbridled column, and don't miss our columnists George Williams, Robert R.L. Jacobs and Margie Sugarman! It's a great issue - and you can read it online, but don't forget to go to the website and order a subscription and get every issue delivered to your mailbox!! Enjoy this issue and enjoy the ride: Link in bio!!
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Marie Meyers has been around the world because of Marie Meyers has been around the world because of dressage, but it’s her farm in Moorpark, California, that has captured her heart. The farm and the business that thrives there represent Marie’s lifelong journey—a journey made up of good friends, spectacular horses and relationships made to last.

Marie was raised in Southern California, and spent her childhood playing just about every sport under the sun, but she didn’t discover riding until she was 14 years old. “I loved animals so much, so I started taking lessons. I did jumping at first, but I was very bad at that, for sure!” Marie laughed.

After some time, Marie moved on to take lessons at Foxfield Riding Academy and began riding dressage. “I fell into dressage by accident,” Marie said, “At the beginning, I thought it was extremely boring, but then I got hooked. By the time I graduated from high school, I had plans to travel to England to work for Franz Rochowansky, a former head of the Spanish Riding School.”

In 1988, Marie’s hard work paid off, and the pair was selected as alternates for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. “They didn’t take the alternates that year, so we didn’t go to Seoul, but the experience, the training and the European Tour afterwards set me up for the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden,” Marie said.

In addition to having success representing her country, Marie was busy with her life—marriage, a business, teaching lessons and clinics. 

Learn more about Marie in this month's edition of Sidelines Magazine. Click the link in our bio for more 🦄

📸Photos by Lindsey Long Equine Photography, www.lindseylong.com

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We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on o We are starting a ‼️new series‼️ here on our socials where we share some of the lovely stallions, and their breeders featured in each month's magazine. Our first feature on this #STUDSunday is...

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Thistledown Arctic Lore x Alvesta Fairy Lustre
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Fairfield, VA

Contact Cheryl Maye at (703) 431-9096 for more information
https://www.mayeshowponies.com/more-info/stallions

You can find ALL of the stallions featured towards the back of the magazine in the equestrian gallery. Keep a look out EVERY Sunday for a new handsome STUD muffin🧁 and don't forget to subscribe to get your very own edition of Sidelines Magazine, the magazine for horse people, about horse people 🦄

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