Three Artful Amigos Showcasing at the 2024 Phippen Western Art Show
~ by Rita Thompson-Tinsley ~
Young Alison Ryan spent many an hour drawing with crayons at the dining room table. Her grandmother always proudly displayed Alison’s meticulous masterpieces. Her love for the great outdoors was purely reflected in her pictures.
Today Alison Crary continues to enjoy the great outdoors, many times with husband Allan. They are usually on their young mustangs or hiking, where she commonly gleans reference images for her next art projects.
Living this lifestyle is significantly different than her previous career path. After graduate school, and over a decade of working in occupational therapy, Alison found her love of creating art was desperately missing from her life. So, casting caution to the proverbial wind, Alison decided to reignite and reaffirm her passion for landscape artistry. According to Crary, “A beautiful painting can provide a similar brief moment of peace or inspiration, and that’s what I hope to do with my art.”
Via colorful and bold pastels, the artist shares the feel of these natural landscapes to brighten the day of the beholder and inspire them to seek out a peaceful outdoor ambience for themselves.
If we all spoke “bray” maybe we would have a clue of what goes on inside a long-ear’s mind. Artist Meg Bassett Goodyear likely speaks the language because of the relationships she has developed with both mules and burros. They are the primary focus of her amazing and award-winning acrylic artwork.
Graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in art from Eastern Montana College, Meg had plans to be an art teacher until it was apparent that her career would include teaching children. So, instead, she became a nurse (RN). But, like Alison Crary, the ‘art bug’ caught up with her as well as the love she has always had for horses.
She began drawing horses as a small child and spent hours playing with her collection of Breyer horses. She confesses she was “just pretending I was a horse.”
As an adult, Meg’s first equine was Cheyenne, her ‘heart horse.’ “This gentle soul spent many years being so patient and forgiving with my awkwardness,” claims Goodyear. Then came Honeybun, who Meg refers to as her ‘muse mule.’ “Honeybun really lives up to her name,” says Meg who describes the mule as sweet and personable.
Meg has gained much confidence from her journey with Honeybun after suffering one too many injuries from past riding accidents. Not surprisingly, Honeybun’s image has become a feature in Meg’s paintings, with her funny expressions and unique personality. “I love her with all my heart,” expresses Meg of her more-than-amusing molly mule. (Nurse Meg’s and OT Alison’s paths crossed while working in home health years ago.)
Photography has been a time-honored family tradition and a creative outlet for Amanda Marsh. She continues to treasure the Nikon camera belonging to her grandmother along with cameras used by her dad. She has become an amazing photographer in her own right and a natural at capturing just the right silhouette. It is no surprise that her subjects are most always horses.
Eight-year-old Amanda’s first horse was a pony named Blackjack. She recalls how he pulled a red cart, and she and her mom would deliver Christmas goodies to neighbors by way of ‘pony power.’
Amanda grew up in horse and cattle country. “I truly love horses,” admits Amanda, who is an advocate for their care and well-being. She became a well-respected hoof trimmer. She is also well known for her meticulous methods including effective treatments and diets for equine Cushing’s disease symptoms.
Amanda is generous about sharing her knowledge and expertise with others for the good of their animals. She has lived and loved western culture and has worked many area ranches throughout her years. “Western culture is comforting. Our values and traditions stay steadfast because we want them to.”
Amanda’s path eventually crossed with fellow artists Meg and Alison who fell in love with her extraordinary equine photography. They encouraged Amanda to apply for the Phippen Western Art Show in Prescott, and she too was juried in.
Aside from having their booths close together at the Phippen Art Show, the artistic trio have their artwork proudly displayed on the walls of Bill’s Pizza across from the Prescott courthouse. Now, that’s something to neigh, bray and nicker about.
