Colors and Creatures of Pride, Humility and Courage

 Color and Creatures of Sins

These are not set in stone, they change with the times, place and religion.

Pride

Pride is often shown as violet. Maybe it’s because it’s also related to purple which is a royal and regal color or something and when we are proud we think we are the center of the universe, king or queen of all. And we don’t like to concede we aren’t or that we need help. Everyone does, at one time or another. Purple was harder to find for pigment making so it makes sense it was used more rarely.

Pride doesn’t want us to admit we need help or accept it, even though everyone needs help at one time or another. What’s more it encourages us to assume those who do have done something wrong, or are lazy or deserve their problems. This isn’t necessarily true. People don’t choose disabilities or mental illness that may sideline them from working. It’s a ridiculous point of view. Most of us will have money troubles and even so, in the USA even the poorer among us are richer than in other countries. But we all need help. No one truly survives on their own.

It’s also the sin associated with horses. I guess that’s why Jesus rode a donkey instead of a horse into Jerusalem according to the Bible. He wanted to appear humble. Horses are magnificent animals although they can also be timid, shy and have their own families and pecking order. But as a species, yes they do look proud. Just watch a stallion prancing freely around, mane and tail held high and yes, proud and regal are the words.

 

 Color and Creatures of Virtue

Humility

Donkey, laying downHumility is often brown.  Earth is brown too. Perhaps it symbolizes a willingness to work with your hands. Sometimes red is used too. This surprises me a bit, since I think of red as blood and wrath and pain. (Anyone else find too much gives them a headache?) But apparently the blood is that of the martyrs and maybe the wrath is for those who hurt them. The humble are, I imagine, those who put themselves into other people’s shoes. They realize that they too, might easily be the ones who need help. Yesterday it might have been them, or tomorrow. So they give, sometimes quietly. Christmas 2011 saw people paying off other people’s layaway toys so children could have a Christmas. Others contribute to funds to help those having trouble with bills.  Okay, only some donkeys are brown. I don’t know what other creature would be associated with humility. Long eared and gentle enough to carry a pregnant mother a long way. Perhaps a lamb or sheep would be humble.

 But there is another virtue here:

Courage

It’s hard to pin a color on courage. Some say orange or red. I guess that makes sense, it takes some energy to be brave and those are energetic colors. It takes courage to say yes,  I need help. But it’s important because rarely do our actions or inactions hurt only us. If one can’t find courage to say ‘yes, I need help’ for oneself, what about ‘yes, I need help because my family will suffer if I don’t at least ask? It takes courage to offer help to, because people who are proud may be offended.

You also need courage to offer help. When you give help, it’s either a loan or a gift. Offer a gift of help to a stranger, homeless perhaps, and you have to wonder if they will spend it on food, lodging or a bottle of alcohol or drugs. You can’t know. But you’ll know – and your reason for giving it is at least as important as who receives it and how they use it.

I don’t know that I’d associate any species of animal as courageous. It’s too individual a thing. Any individual of many a species can be courageous if it faces a fear for any reason. But in spite of the association with pride, horses are a decent example. The term War Horse is out there due to the movie. A horse that has confidence in it’s rider charges into situations in spite of it’s fears. Whereas the ‘average’ horse may run in fear at the sight of an oddly shaped pile of hay!

References:

Colors

The layaway angels

 

Take a Stand for Honor, Horses and History in 2012

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by life. So many issues, who has time to research them all? It’s so easy to just ‘believe’ what we want to believe or what we are told by the government, corporation, boss, coworker, friends or family.

But sometimes the little issues we ignore are the small stones preceding an avalanche. And sometimes the politicians and big corporations are using some issues to direct us from others, so that we don’t consider the danger: if they will lie and sell out in small areas, who is to say they aren’t selling out in others.

Sometimes you just have to speak out.  Some of us use our voice. Some use bumper stickers, or hats or t-shirts. Some even use graffiti. Our art is our voice and when we ignore the signs it’s the first thing that has funding cut. Teach the kids math they think not art, as if creative problem solving and expression isn’t just as important in life.

We’d rather go for pop culture thought. So try this one:  Take a look at the history of the Star Wars galaxy. A great Republic is deceived by one man from within and destroyed. That’s not just fiction. It’s the history of our world too. It’s a case of misdirection. We get busy looking at the ‘big’ issues that the ‘big’ news covers and we miss that issue over on the side that is evidence of the corruption within.

Assumption is a dangerous thing. It can cost us money. It can cost us time, or our dreams and hopes. It can also cost our ethics. You can be as loyal as you like to political parties or your favorite corporations. But if you love something, you don’t ignore it’s flaws, you try and correct them. And it takes a lot of money and influence for these people to get elected. Easy for them to forget what it’s like for those of us without it or to swing the other way and assume we won’t care what they sell out.

My personal issues to go to war over (metaphorically speaking)? Well, naturally the biggest ones involve horses.

But lest you think I’m just deciding based on my love for them, here is my decision making for who to believe and side with on issues:

  1.  Facts. Prove it, don’t just tell me and expect me to believe.
  2. Listen to both sides.
  3. Follow the money and the motives. Who stands to gain on either side?
  4. Is it really my business at all?

My first war is this:

The Bureau of Land Management’s management of wild mustangs, which they are charged under the 1971 act protecting free roaming horses and burros as American symbols of the west. I for one, wanted to believe they were doing just that, from the time I first read “Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West” by Marguerite Henry.

1. Congress asked them for proof of their decision making process and how many horses were left. They could not provide it.

2. They ask for huge funding to roundup and warehouse them even though they still have not proved the need.

3. They are trying to keep journalists out. Their is currently a lawsuit about it. But photo and video of horses literally being hit by helicopters has been captured. This behavior would get any other pilot in trouble.

The horses injured in the roundups are so high in number that any civilian would be arrested for animal cruelty.

4. Fact: In spite of the law, the places the horses have been allowed has been whittled down. When they are removed due to ‘too many for the land to support’ (again, they have shown no proof) cattle move in. Millions of cattle can fit but a few hundred horses can’t? I’m no math expert but something doesn’t compute.

The BLM’s conclusion: round them all up, geld the stallions and just have show herds.

Their reason: they are overgrazing and horses non native and never mind the law.

My Conclusion:

  • That isn’t ‘free roaming’ it’s slow extinction. No stallions = no foals = death of the wild  mustang.
  • They can’t prove the overgrazing.
  • The horses originated here before dying out, so it’s a native species returning. But the cattle were never native.
  • They can’t prove the horses numbers. But even their claimed ‘goal’ of how many horses left takes us to a level too low for them to survive given the genetics involved. That can be proven.
  • It’s MY LAND and YOUR LAND, yet the Bureau of Land Management and the local states and ranchers act as if it’s all ‘THEIR’ land. It’s the land of American citizens. All of us, not just them.
  • And it’s MY MONEY and YOUR MONEY. So our government claims it’s out of money yet they can supply the BLM with millions of this money for roundups and holding of mustangs without any proof.

Why? What is the Bureau of Land Management and Department Interior’s Motive for this?

  • The head of the BLM is a rancher and the board tends to elect those with like minds.
  • Some have tried to get the BLM to combine with the Office of Surface Mining.
  • The Dept of Interior has come under fire for being too closely aligned with mining interests. The BLM is closely aligned with Ranching

What do the opponents, those who resist the roundups have to gain?

  • Big bills as they drive to the roundups and try and witness them. Bills for land, rooms, and transportation and meanwhile time off from other jobs.
  • More bills as they fund lawyers who are going against other lawyers who are paid by the deep pockets of our own government.

The final warning on the BLM though is their response to criticism. They repeat the same old line without answering any scientific challenge, ignore all protests in meetings, keep the rounded up horses on private land so no one can witness their treatment and just try protesting on their website. They flat refuse to take emails in objection. Sometimes they say it but others it just doesn’t work. Normally I’d think that was just a glitch. But not now.

The worst part  they claim they keep journalists out for their own safety. Right. Journalists with horse experience.Journalists are embedded in war zones with the military and going out in hurricanes and disasters. But they can’t watch a roundup? They might spook the horses. More than the helicopter hitting them spooks them?

These design ideas hit me whenever I get…MAD! I expect they’ll keep coming. It’s an odd form of inspiration born of fury. Fury that my country is being corrupted.

I suddenly experienced an upsurge in my ‘Don’t let the Wild Horses fade away’ designs at Zazzle. Not surprised, its’ bumper stickers. Think I’m the only one whose concerned at the deception?

Fading Away Wild Horses

I’ve also sold several: “Mustangs are an American Heritage, Don’t You Dare Sell out My Share’ featuring a buckskin charging.

Mustangs an American Heritage  Mustangs: Stand up for their Freedom

I’ve got one whole Cafepress shop devoted to a bay stallion battling a mountain lion. T- shirts, mugs and more. That idea would be easier than battling humans. At least the lion just wants dinner. No, humans are a worse predator. We take more than we need and show little little at the long term damage.

Don’t take what I say at face value. Research it yourself, just for a few minutes a day if you can. If you won’t or can’t buy my t-shirts or bumper stickers, at least speak out and spread the word. Sign the petitions. Let your political leaders know that it’s your money and land and you want accountability in how it’s used.

Oh, and regarding creativity: nothing against cows, but when is the last time you were inspired by one? But the sweeping beauty of the west, the galloping wild horse have inspired true history and fiction, art and beauty, called out to tourists who are shocked to arrive and find the same horses are being wiped out. The Mustang is a symbol of freedom as surely as the American flag and bald eagle. It symbolizes the hard working cowboy, the native american battling for his land, it even has a car named after it.

What is it worth to me? Will I ever get to see a wild Mustang? I don’t know. I live in the East. But they are mine too, not the local western states. And I have seen the wild Chincoteague ponies during the annual roundup. One sight of how packed that town is and the idea that horses aren’t a tourist attraction gets blown out of the water. What about the people who claim they are cockroaches? Hm. Funny. I’ve never heard of a cockroach being a cow pony, or inspiring movies or winning Dressage championships like Pedro.  And a horse only foals once a year and a wild one has no guarantees of survival. As far as I can see, the only similarity to a cockroach is that a horse is a life form.

One thing I guarantee you. I don’t come up with these designs just because I’m looking up for a sale. The inspiration has to go somewhere. It may as well be into the art.

Sources:

The Bureau of Land Management

Wild Horse Freedom Foundation

Dressage Mustangs 

 

 

Halloween Inspirations

Halloween brings out both greed and creativity. Greed for the candy. Creativity for those who aren’t satisfied with standard store bought costumes. And then some don’t stop with costumes for themselves, but decorate their pets as well.

In general, for animals one would expect Halloween to be terrifying.

We humans know that usually it’s meant to be fun. But what is an animal to make of that weird get up you are in? Or all the crazy strangers moving up and down the neighborhoods?

There are few creatures more unlikely than a horse in costume. Most of the horses I’ve known freak out at a wind blowing a leaf at them. I knew one that had a panic attack when a hat was moved near him. I never did figure out what caused it. Was he attacked by an evil hat as a foal? Where a costume? The thought probably would’ve made him faint.

But in spite of this, one does hear of costume classes.  And they don’t limit themselves to native cultural costumes. Forget mere indian ponies or war horses, though they are impressive enough. Some people go even further and amazingly, their horses go along with it.

I found this video on youtube of some truly impressive horses: check out their human’s creativity and the horses courage at putting up with wearing this oddity.

May everyone have a safe Halloween: watch out for things that spook your horses or food that is less than ‘horse compatible’. Look too for the ‘Trick’ end of the ‘Trick and Treat’. Tricks involving horses can turn dangerous.

My First Ever Youtube Portfolio

It’s up and ready, complete with music. It features my illustrated horses in exciting poses. Done in Imovie it is complete with music and sound effects. I’m eager to keep going and have several ideas for more. I’ve set up an all new channel, including other people’s videos I find inspiring.

I’m also working on Flash, although the storms lately are a major issue. I won’t stay on a plugged in machine during thunderstorms. It’s different with a laptop of course.

I now have a wacom bamboo pen tablet working on both machines and I’m head over heels in love. It came with Corel Painter Essentials 4 so I’m experimenting with that too.

Finally, I’m also still wrestling with this WordPress thing, since it’s determined to not cooperate in the area of permalinks.

The next stage of my Horse Web and Graphic Design site.

So I’m finally at the validation stage of building my site.
Naturally I’m running into easy issues like Seamonkey Composer not
  using proper end tags. Of course, I didn’t expect it to be
perfect, I only used it because I was in a big hurry to get all
 that Cafepress stuff up.

Then there is the external link issue. Turns out my referral tags
 have unsupported characters in them. There is nothing I can do
about it. Nothing. The referral links are designed by Greeting Card
 Universe and Zazzle. If I want my royalties I must use them.

Finally there are the bizarre CSS issues. I gave up on those when
 I realized I was getting two or three different results from the
same validator and the same css stylesheet!

At long last I joined a horse community called Barnmice.
Looking forward to reconnecting with the horse community.
I already joined Deviant art the other day, and they’ve certainly
inspired my art lately in many ways. There is some truly brilliant
 stuff up there.

So this just leaves what to do about the original Starhorsepax .
I’m hoping to redirect the original URL and recreating it as a
kid’s site.

Now if only in this business I can actually make some money
instead of just spending it. Horses and art are good for the soul.
 Hopefully I can translate that into earning money too.

Moonlight Prancer Horse mousepad
Moonlight Prancer Horse by starhorsepax
Browse 
My new and improved Clydesdale, with the cool brush effects added.

I really love free brushes for Gimp and Photoshop.  Moon is by Hawksmonte, Water by Obsidian Dawn.   Most of them I found on Brusheezy

 

Welcome to Starhorsepax Designs Blog

This blog is all new, the website is too. So please be patient with it.   The shop navigation isn’t up yet and I haven’t filled in the prices or finished the contact page.

Friendly suggestions for improvement are welcome, just keep in mind I’m not claiming to be finished.

But if you are looking for a web designer and or graphic artist I’m here and ready even if the site isn’t complete.  My specialty is horses and other animals.  In addition to here you’ll find me on Zazzle, Cafepress, Greeting Card Universe and I’ve just joined Deviant Art.