[PROMOTIONAL SPOTLIGHT]
The horse has long served as artistic inspiration because of its beauty and personality, but also because of the deep connection artists can find with the animal. In this promotional spotlight, our editor worked with the four galleries featured to present a sampling of the art of the horse being created today. There are examples that focus on the creature itself and others that concentrate on the horse and rider. Each being a vibrant, yet subtle interpretation that breathes new life into a timeless subject matter.
Barbara Meikle Fine ArtSanta Fe, NM(505) 992-0400 | meiklefineart.com
Barbara Meikle, who grew up in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, remembers drawing her very first horse at age 2. Throughout her childhood she spent time riding horses along the Rio Grande River. That love of horses continues to inspire her work and life today. Meikle has four rescued horses of her own right outside of her studio window. Horses and other animals appear in Meikle’s works that use vibrant, startling color palettes to bring out the soul of each one she paints—and perhaps they show a bit of her own soul too. She calls the style “expressive impressionism.” Meikle’s Santa Fe gallery Meikle Fine Art has benefited regional and national animal sanctuaries and rescues for many years, of which many are equine.
Blue Rain GallerySanta Fe, NM & Durango, CO(505) 954-9902 & (970) 232-2033 | blueraingallery.com
Korean-American artist Rimi Yang, born in Osaka, Japan, and now based in California, creates expressionist paintings that explore the emotional and symbolic relationship between horse and rider. Her interest in this theme stems from a fascination with both physical and spiritual connection, and the trust shared between human and animal. Her work, which can be found at Blue Rain Gallery, features rhythmic brush marks that evoke a dreamlike energy and her intuitive process. Each painting is a mix of figuration and abstraction that draws on Eastern and Western traditions, resulting in compositions that “prioritize emotion, movement and a search for universal harmony.”
Ian Russell Gallery of Fine ArtPrescott, AZ(928) 445-7009 | ianrussellart.com
Self-taught contemporary painter Cody Kuehl has become recognized for his “moment of impact” interpretations of the American West. Growing up in Northern Colorado, Kuehl trained and showed draft horses, and his artwork reflects themes related to that upbringing. Ian Russell Gallery of Fine Art, in Prescott, Arizona, which represents the artist, shares that “Kuehl begins with hand-drawn compositions inspired by imagination, photography and pop culture, then refines them digitally before transferring imagery onto layered plexiglass. Each original is reverse-painted—requiring precision, as the first marks become the final surface—then assembled over an abstract acrylic background. The result is a striking, three-dimensional, cell-shaded aesthetic.”
Legacy GalleryScottsdale, AZ & Santa Fe, NM(480) 945-1113 & (505) 986-9833 | legacygallery.com
Charcoal artist Rachel Brownlee, a fifth-generation rancher, finds inspiration for her artwork directly from her experiences living and working on her family’s cattle ranch in Nebraska. Her compositions depict animals and people that are vital to today’s contemporary American West. As the gallery explains, “Brownlee’s connection to the horse began through her life on a working ranch, where horses are essential partners rather than symbols. That lived experience defines her subject matter. Her work stands apart through extraordinary detail, authenticity and her innovative use of charcoal on panel—varnished and presented without glass—creating a rare immediacy and depth that feels both tactile and alive.”
This story appeared in the June/July 2026 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.
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