California Style - cover image, 30 x 36 acrylic by Deborah Day.

The beautiful old bit was dug up on an Indian reservation years ago.

Deborah Day -­ Impelled to Create - by Sarah H. Crampton

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Deborah Day is driven by the unexplainable force that impels the artist to create. In an attempt to explain this inner force she confesses, "At times, I wish it would leave me alone. If I could harness it, I could get away from it. Someone once said, Art is a tyrant, and I relate to that statement very well."

In person, Deborah Day's genuine smiles immediately dispel the image of the idealistic artist who creates art in a vacuum, unaware of life's realities. The horses right outside her studio or her two children will remind her if dinner is late. She is constantly recharged and regrounded by being around the barn, riding and training, and the enthusiastic horse kids. Taking her daughter Cassie to the local shows has kept her connected to her community and the horse world that she constantly views from an artistic perspective. Deborah states, "The only masterpieces I'll ever have are my two children - Cassie and Joshua."

The cover painting "California Style", is a composite of several stories. Day rides with a reining horse trainer, Dave Klesper, whose tack room is a collection of old spade bits, hackamores and other remnants of the Vaquero era. Deborah included several of these treasures in the cover painting including the Luis B. Ortega reins and the Indian head conchos made by the Hollywood silversmith, Edward H. Bohlin. The beautiful old bit was dug up on an Indian reservation years ago and traded hands several times until Klesper acquired it in the 1950s.

"California Style" is also a painting of the Quarter horse stallion, Docs Lena Smoke, known as Ned to his owner, Wallace Winegar. Day comments, "This horse, who's stall is right next to the tack room at the Klesper Stable, is the self-appointed welcoming committee and his nickers provide a running commentary on the daily barn activities. He has a kind temperament, good manners, athletic talent and appealing looks. Ned is the embodiment of a noble horse.

"As I was thinking about this painting and what horse to use, Ned kept reminding me of his presence," Deborah explained. "I love the 'old stuff', the cowboy gear that tells a story of a different time. I look at this horse and in his kind eye I see that he has his own story. I like that too."

Deborah Day often creates large scale paintings such as "Long Horns", which is 36" x 48", and her newest painting "Fresh Paint" is 30" x 40". Their vibrant color, image size and natural look are compelling and effective. "Longhorns" and "Fresh Paint" both illustrate the strengths of Day's work. The backgrounds are minimal. The images are composed of clean, simple lines. No clutter. She is able to incorporate loose layers with the details such as the light catching the Longhorns' whiskers.

The "Yellow Horse" painting is much smaller, but everything in this painting is asking you to look at that pretty little Palomino horse ­- the lines of the hitching post, the light, and the shadows. The shadows have as much life as the rest of the painting. And this time Day includes the background.

Commenting on her painting Deborah remarks, "My work is not abstract, but I like to inspire people to contemplate. Even in portraiture I choose a different perspective than formal portraits, because I want something more to come through. I try to keep my vision broader. I paint instead of talk."

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