July Beaded Journal Page

Cinder And Me In The Summer Of '69

6" x 8"

Continuing on with my "Inspired By Horses" theme, for July's page I step back in time to 1969.

I was twelve that year, and had been horse crazy since birth. My sister and I campaigned our parents for years to buy us a horse, and finally in April, 1969, we got a horse named Bobby. My sister and I took turns riding Bobby, and then my parents realized that it might be wise to get a second horse. In July, we bought a pony. She was black as coal, and I named her Cinder. Cinder became mine alone, and we fit together like a glove.

me and Cinder in the summer of 1969 at Flying W Stables in Paramount, California

We were told Cinder was originally from Wyoming, although I was never able to confirm that. But as a kid born and raised in the Los Angeles area, Wyoming was the wide open spaces where cowboys roamed the prairies....far away from the concrete riverbeds and railroad tracks where I rode horses with my friends.

I rode Cinder for years in local gymkhanas, (barrel racing, pole bending, and other events) we won lots of ribbons and trophies despite the fact she was much smaller than the other horses we competed against. She was fast and agile, and I thought she was the best horse on earth.

I owned Cinder until I graduated from high school, when I sold her to another girl who loved Cinder almost as much as I did. Eventually Cinder was sold to someone else, and I lost track of her at that point. If I had to do it over again of course, I would have kept her forever.

This is not the first time I have created this image. Many times over the years I have done drawings and paintings of a barefoot girl on a horse flying through the air, with no saddle, no bridle. It's all about freedom and the carefree days of youth, it's a very personal theme for me and as close as I ever come to doing a self portrait.