Artist/equestrienne creates "Taking Flight" for community exhibition
Ashley Halsey '07, a studio art major and award-winning equestrienne, was the perfect choice as artist for one of the 34 horses in the exhibition "Horses, Saratoga Style 2007." She designed and painted "Taking Flight" a cerulean-hued steed covered with colorful images of birds commonly seen in upstate New York.
The Fiberglas horse, sponsored by the Adirondack Trust Co. and Skidmore, will spend
the summer on the lawn of the College's Admissions Office, near the main entrance
to campus.
Halsey, a Pawcatuck, Conn., resident, was chosen by Kate Leavitt, chair of the Art
Depart- ment, to paint an entry for the community art exhibition. Said Halsey, "This
is something that I've always wanted to do. In my hometown a while back, there was
a similar exhibit of painted whales." Having seen horses from the 2002 exhibition
of "Horses, Saratoga Style," and given her history as an equestrienne, "I had to take
it on," she said.
She chose birds as her subject matter, "because birds and horses are creatures of
flight." She added, "I was looking for something that would take to the three-dimensional
surface of the horse in an advantageous way." While working on the project, Halsey
said, "I constantly had to keep in mind the shape of the horse's body and how the
birds would be seen from many different angles."
Accustomed to painting on a two-dimensional surface, she found herself considering
such elements as placement of the birds in relationship to the shape of the horse,
and was mindful of the appropriate size of the birds' wingspan on different parts
of the horse's body.
Birds common to the Northeastern U.S. decorate the surface of "Taking Flight." These
include blue jay, goldfinch, robin, ruby-throated hummingbird, pileated woodpecker,
red-tailed hawk, snowy owl, and rose-breasted grosbeak, among others. Some roost in
the tree limbs adorning the statue's legs, others fly around its head and muzzle.
Acrylic paint was used throughout; Allstar Chevrolet donated a clear overcoat.
Leavitt was Halsey's advisor on the independent-study project, and the student responded
to her professor';s insight. Halsey estimated that from concept to finish, the project
took more than 100 hours, including painting six hours each day during spring break
in March, then on weekends until completion in mid-April. The final composition is
"fun and playful" said the artist. "It's much different than my concept of how it
would look. I disregarded some size and space relationships," she explained, and even
eliminated some of the birds she'd planned to paint.
"Taking Flight" is the latest large-scale work by an artist who favors big projects.
During her senior year Halsey completed two books: Saratoga: A Historical Guide, and Beyond Forests. She also created "A Walk in Northwoods,"; a large-scale oil painting that won a prize
in the 2007 annual student art show; and "Upwind," a 12-foot by 5-foot oil on canvas
that she entered in the 2007 Senior Art Show this spring. Besides their size, Halsey's
projects tend to stress her interest in the environment, which she hopes to continue
to emphasize as a professional artist. "I would like to use my skills to make people
environmentally aware," said Halsey.
The longtime equestrienne gained a new appreciation for horses while working on "Taking
Flight" A rider since the age of 9, Halsey had to wait until her second year at Skidmore
to join the Equestrian Team because she broke both arms in a fall from a horse during
the summer preceding her freshman year. Once back in the saddle, she quickly made
up for lost time, competing–and winning–regularly. She won virtually every class she
rode and many blue ribbons, except during spring semester 2006, which she spent in
Florence, studying art.
As academic demands increased over the years, Halsey cut back on most extracurricular
activities, which included participation in Benef-Action and the campus chapter of
Habitat for Humanity. A self-described "methodical, consistent" worker, she believes
her sound work habits helped her avoid stress during her college career. "Independent
studies teach discipline," she said. "I have developed an ability to pace myself in
my work in order to meet my deadlines."