JUDY LARSON

" THE HORSE TIPI "

125 s/n Giclee Canvas 11"x 11" $255

There once lived a Blackfoot warrior who was very fond of his buckskin horse. One day the man's horse was badly wounded in battle. The man daubed yellow paint on his horse's wounds and made a smudge of sweet grass, then sang sacred medicine songs and asked the horse to rise. Three times the horse attempted to stand for the warrior, but he could not. Finally, on the fourth try the horse found the strength to get up and his master slowly led him home. In gratitude to his faithful and loving caretaker the buckskin stallion gave the man a gift, a tipi decorated with the image of a horse. Not only was the tipi beautiful to behold, but it also held special powers, and the man became famous ever after for his ability to heal the sick.

 

 

" EAGLE'S GIFT "

200 s/n Giclee Canvas 24 "x 18" $650

"Native American legends have always intrigued me," says Judy Larson, "especially those involving talking animals. So it was difficult not to be enthralled by one such story, a Cheyenne legend in which an eagle is trapped in a dead elk's antlers. After asking for help from a warrior who is out hunting, he is set free. The eagle is so grateful that his life has been saved that before flying away, he tells the man to go to the other side of a hill and to look below. There the warrior sees his reward, a beautiful stallion covered with black and white spots exactly like an eagle's feathers."Spotted eagle feathers, highly prized by Native Americans, come only from the tail section of immature golden eagles. In "Eagle's Gift," Judy has replicated the eagle feather pattern on the horse's coat and has hidden therein an eagle or two. This Judy Larson Fine Art Limited Edition brings the best of art and legend into your home.

 

" THE GIFT "

1000 Giclee Paper 12"x 25" $225
200 Giclee Canvas 13"x 28" $545

The second offering in The Noble Spirits series.

Loyalty is a passion, a belief, a gift bestowed only upon those who earn it. Few leaders fired the vehemence of loyalty greater than Tatanka-Iyotake, the Lakota Chief, Sitting Bull. To The People, loyalty was not only a characteristic of man, but also extended to the natural and animal world.

In his final years, Sitting Bull proudly rode Circus Horse, a gift from Wild West impresario Buffalo Bill. A magnificent animal, Circus Horse had been trained to act and to dance in the renowned traveling show. Sitting Bull, however, recognized in Circus Horse the fire of a truly noble spirit.

Then, in the late 1800s, the Ghost Dance emerged, a ceremony that promised to rid the land of white people and to restore the Indians’ way of life. The American government feared that Sitting Bull would join the movement and bring his followers with him. Forty-three Lakota policemen were sent to arrest him, and a battle quickly ensued. At the sound of gunfire, Circus Horse began the act he had been trained to do: a dance of pawing the ground, throwing his mane, and rearing into the air. To Sitting Bull's followers, it was far more. Circus Horse’s great white body remained at Sitting Bull’s side throughout the fierce battle and, after the revered Chief was fatally struck down, danced for hours more, until he was exhausted, in respect for the fallen man. It is said that Circus Horse was possessed with a spirit, for, throughout the entire battle, this imposing target was not struck by a single bullet. Discover the face of loyalty in Judy's The Gift.

 

" THE DEFIANT "

1000 Fine Art Print 18"x 21.75" $245
200 Giclee Canvas 19"x 23" $650

For more than 50 years after an inconceivable act in which U.S. Army Colonel George Wright ordered his troops to slaughter 800 Native American horses, the bleached bones of the doomed horses could still be seen along the bank of the Spokane River in Washington. Today, a monument marks the site that became known as Horse Slaughter Camp.

The year was 1858, and several companies of soldiers, both on foot and on horseback, under the leadership of Colonel Wright, were engaged in a punitive military expedition against the Native American tribes, Yakama, Spokane, Palouse and Coeur d’Alene. On the morning of September 8, Colonel Wright and his troops spotted a large cloud of dust, which revealed the position of 800 Palouse horses. Although a valiant effort was made by the tribes to drive their horses into the mountains, nevertheless, after a fierce skirmish, the majority of the herd was captured. Although it was a crime at this time on the frontier to kill a horse, it was Wright’s job to subdue the tribes’ powerful hold over their land and to demoralize them. It took “the better part of two days” to shoot, club and kill all the horses, and, as the Native Americans watched helplessly from the hills, they could not believe what they saw.

Following the slaughter, Colonel Wright and his troops continued on their way, burning lodges and storehouses, filled with the Native Americans’ winter supply of oats, vegetables, camas roots and dried berries. That winter many of the old and very young died of starvation. Apparently, to Colonel Wright, however, the campaign was a success, as he reported to his superior, “The chastisement which these Indians have received has been severe but well merited and undoubtedly necessary to impress them with our power. For the last 80 miles our route has been marked by slaughter and destruction.”

Judy's "The Defiant" portrays three of these Native American horses, rebelling at the senseless slaughter of their herd. These three are "The Defiant," as they show themselves and their Native American caretakers, that somehow, against all odds, they will survive as living testament to two horrific days in history.

 

 

" THE GHOST WIND "

1000 Fine Art Print 17"x 28" $245
200 Giclee Canvas 20"x 323" $695

The first offering in the Noble Spirit series

It has been said that, in the early mists of dawn, they were invisible; in a snowstorm, undetectable; in battle, unseen. Then, like the spirits for which they were named, they inexplicably appeared. Ghost Wind horses carried big medicine. Along with their stealth, they were exceptionally intelligent. They were trained to be fierce combatants, but, like warrior-poets, they were also renowned for their complacent and docile nature. Their value to the tribe was known to be greater than that of any human.

Distinguishing each Ghost Wind were two to four, or a handful of dark spots, but only on its left side. "Lightening" or vanishing stripes graced the cheekbones of the face. The skin of the body was silver white, the hair more like fur, and dark "stockings" covered the legs. The direct father/son breeding line traced back to the Northwest's Siletz and Talimook peoples, who bred their horses with Russian (as opposed to Spanish) spotted horses. Quite rare, they did not appear in every generation.

Considered to be forever wild, a Ghost Wind was never "owned," but simply watched over by a caretaker or custodian. Still, its training was intense. It could be counted on to continue an attack against a foe, even after its rider had fallen. Yet, such was the training and nature of this forceful warrior that, returning directly from the violence of warfare, a small child could handle it. A noble spirit, indeed.

 

" THE MISFITS "

1000 Fine Art Print 18"x 27" $245
200 Giclee Canvas 20"x 30" $695

At the beginning of the 19th century, tens of thousands of wild horses dotted the landscape of Central and Southern California. As settlers, missionaries, ranchers and hunters vied for open range, however, the Mustangs fell prey to those who would profit by their death. Missionaries reported that in 1807, two herds of 7,000 wild horses each were driven into the ocean at Mission Santa Barbara to drown, and hundreds of wild horses were left in corrals to starve at San Diego Mission. In 1812, Spanish cattle ranchers, intent on utilizing the rich grasslands of the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, slaughtered 30,000 wild horses. Considered a nuisance by sheep and cattle ranchers, who wanted public lands to pasture their livestock, another 40,000 were killed between 1828 and 1830, during the great drought of California. Hunters also joined in, hoping to import bighorn sheep to kill.

Throughout much of the 20th century, wild horses by the tens of thousands were killed, not only for their rangeland, but also for pet food. Almost 30 million pounds of horsemeat were canned in 1933 alone. The decimation of wild horses continued until 1971, when the federal "Wild Horse and Burro Act" gave some protection to our country's wild horses. Still regarded today by many as grassland competitors, eyesores, habitat destroyers and misfits, however, wild horses continue to struggle to find their rightful place as free-roaming and respected animals. Rights to federal lands, "appropriate management levels," fire, drought, overgrazing, and many other issues have caused experts to agree that, at the present rate of decline, the Mustang could very well become extinct by the end of the century.

"The Misfits" is the sixth and final offering in the "On the Run" series. Countless other stories could be told, like those of "The Fugitives," "The Resisters," "The Protesters," "The Pursued," and "The Defiant." Perhaps, by revisiting a few of these happenings in our country's history, we will not be destined to repeat the events of the past, but will seek to value our wildlife and those animals which have found themselves to be in dire circumstances.

 

 

" AIR AND ESCAPE "

550 Fine Art Print 24.5"x 15.25" $245
200 Giclee Canvas 26"x 16" $650

Perhaps more than any other element, air, particularly in the form of wind, can spook a horse, even a savvy horse in the wild. Nevertheless, air provides protection to the wild horse, carrying smells of danger, and signaling the wild horse, giving it time to escape to safety.

The white buffalo also needed the same protection that air could provide, by alerting it to danger. In the world of the Plains Indians, the white buffalo was revered, and especially sacred. Deemed the most acceptable gift that could be obtained to offer to the Great Spirit, this rarest specimen of all buffalo, when encountered, was always killed for sacrifice. Ceremony and ritual accompanied the taking of a white buffalo, and, while different tribes used the skin in different ways, all of them prized the white buffalo for its powerful spirituality. Today, when a white buffalo calf is born, it is visited and acknowledged by Native Americans as a symbol of the return of the buffalo and a return to the old ways. It is a sign that prayers are being answered, and that the people are becoming more spiritual; the people are coming back to the religion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

" THE PROTESTERS "

1000 Fine Art Print 16.5"x 28" $245
200 s/n Giclee Canvas 18" x 31" email-price

 

Described in 1806 by explorer Meriwether Lewis as "lofty, elegantly formed, active and durable; in short, many of them look like fine English coursers," the spotted horses of the Nez Perce Indian tribe were unlike any he and William Clark had ever seen. Named by the Nez Perce after the Palouse River, these wildly colored horses were believed to be gifts from the gods.

In 1877, the Nez Perce entered into a war with the U.S. Government, and the entire tribe, with its several thousand carefully bred horses, embarked upon a journey that would take them 1,300 miles toward Canada and safe haven. Only forty miles from the border, the Nez Perce were besieged and outnumbered by the U.S. Cavalry. Forced to surrender, Chief Joseph and his captured people were taken far from their homeland. Their exceptional horses, which Chief Joseph referred to as "my children," were deliberately killed by the soldiers. Only a few horses were lost in the mountains, sold in the East, or hidden away by ranchers. By the beginning of the twentieth century, fewer than 300 of the magnificent Appaloosa horses remained.

"The Protesters" portrays three prized Nez Perce horses, running for their lives, in an attempt to evade the three U.S. Cavalry soldiers (hidden in their coats) bent on their destruction. These horses represent the spirit of the Nez Perce, which continues to survive and endure against all odds.

 

 

 

 

" THE CROW TIPI "

300 Giclee Canvas 12"x 16" $395

When Judy came across the Blackfeet Indian legend of "The Crow Tipi," she was enthralled with the various elements of the story, and how they might come together in a painting. In the legend, there was a brave warrior who stole horses and guns for his tribe. The head chief of the tribe became jealous of the warrior’s success and glory and used witchcraft to bring bad luck to the man. Three times the brave man rode out to battle, and three times he returned on foot, because his horses had run away.

As the warrior lay sleeping after returning home from a raid, he dreamt that a man came to him and said, “You should not have had to walk home alone these nights. I see you have given a share of the meat from a buffalo you killed to my children, the crows. For your kindness I will give you two things: the power to become a chief of your tribe and my own specially painted tipi, The Crow Tipi. Go a little way from here, and you will find horses." The warrior became chief of the Buffalo Dung band, and the Crow Tipi remains in his tribe to this day.

 

 

" EBENEZER AND THE WAR HORSE "

550 Fine Art Print 21"x 21" $225
200 Giclee Canvas 24"x 24" $695

Out of the millions of horses that have shared our country's history, only a few have distinguished themselves enough for their names to be remembered. Among these select few is Ebenezer, Chief Joseph's renowned Appaloosa racehorse. Light red roan in color, with large blood-red spots on his white rump, he was not the prettiest horse in the herd, but he could run like the wind. So famous was he that newspapers in Walla Walla and Lewiston, Washington recorded each time Chief Joseph rode him into town. Anyone with a good, fast horse of his own, whether frontiersman or Native American, dreamed of the day when his horse would beat Chief Joseph's Ebenezer. But, alas! Ebenezer won all his races well out in front of the best horses in the region.

The black horse portrayed in "Ebenezer and the War Horse" honors another of Chief Joseph's horses. Although his name has not survived through time, he was special, as well, for he was the horse that Chief Joseph chose to ride to surrender.

" FIRE AND FLIGHT "

1000 Fine Art Print 15"x 25" $245
250 Giclee Canvas 16"x 27" $650

To live in harmony with the forces of nature is the essence of being wild. The untamed mustang embodies unbound freedom, honed by the raucous ebb and flow of Mother Nature. Instincts, unfettered by the influence of man and acquired over millennia, guide, like guardian spirits, the horse's coexistence with the elements.

This mustang, bathed amber by the light of an encroaching prairie fire, makes for safety, just beyond the edges of the temporary destruction. Soon, renewal will spring from the ashes. But, there is something more to these wild spirits.

One day, as a red-tailed hawk passed before the sun as it soared high in the sky, it appeared to Judy that the sunlight burned like orange firelight through the hawk's tail feathers. As Judy conceived this image, it seemed only natural that just such a spirit would accompany this mustang, to guide it beyond the reach of the fire's passing danger.

" THE RESISTORS "

1000 Fine Art Print 19"x 22.25" $225
200 Giclee Canvas 21"x 25" $650

In 1919, the United States Department of Interior ordered the Crow Indians to kill all wild horses on their reservation land, sacred ground that had been leased by the government to cattlemen. No Crow could abide by this order, a demand akin to asking a man to kill his own brother. In 1923, following a final ultimatum, the United States government hired local cowboys, joined later by Texas outfitters, to kill the horses on a bounty basis – four dollars for the tip of a horse’s ear. During the next seven years, the hired guns killed more than 40,000 horses, including the Crow’s personal mounts.

By 1930, the great and powerful Crow tribe was bereft of its horses, its culture, severely damaged. To the Crow, whose livelihood depended on their prized horses, this tragic event was more devastating than a military defeat.

“The Resisters” is third offering in Judy Larson’s “On the Run” series, a selection of images focusing on animals caught in dire circumstances.

 

" ONE WITH "

1000 Fine Art Print 21.5"x 18" $195
150 Giclee Canvas 24"x 20" $595

 

Iyuptala: Ee-yoo-P'TAH-lah. "The Native American's relationship with the elements, the earth, and its inhabitants were viewed as "one with." He moved through nature as he did with his animals, not as an owner or as a subduer, but as an equal, a companion, a brother. Total trust existed between the Native American and his horse, with whom he was "one with." They moved together as one. They understood each other. They listened to each other. So powerful was this understanding, this respect, that the very rocks in "One With" speak of this relationship. Nature, the animals, and the Native American are as one unit. There is no question. The Native American and his horse belonged here, "one with" each other, with their Creator, and with His creation."

 

 

 

" THE FUGITIVES "

1000 Fine Art Print 17.5"x 23.5" email-price
150 Giclee Canvas 17.5"x 23.5" email-price

 

All across North America the wilderness and all that is wild and free about it continues to slowly disappear. In Judy's new series, "On the Run," she concentrates on animals that either find themselves in or have found themselves caught in dire circumstances.

"The Fugitives" is inspired by the Bureau of Land Management's plan to remove, over the next several years, nearly fifty percent of all wild horses from public lands. Running towards us from a dark background, these three are headed for a future that is even more foreboding.

Larson, through her unique scratchboard and concealment technique, has immortalized four other members of the band on the coats of these three wild spirits "on the run."

" PACKHERD "

2950 Fine Art Print 19.5"x 28.5" $245

Enveloped in the foggy mist of early morning, a herd of wild horses crowds closely together against the unknown. More elusive to the observer is a pack of wolves that seem to gather with them.

In the rugged wilderness that is home to both packs of wolves and heads of horses, many traits are essential for survival.

Primary among these is a close-knit reliance on the group which fosters cooperation and companionship, and which aids in preserving the group's integrity.

Horses of color were truly prized by Native Americans. The horses in "Packherd" represent the remnants of these carefully-bred herds which played a prominent role in Native American society.

" A TIME TO HEAL "

325 Fine Art Print 19.5"x 28.5" $305

During the nineteenth and well into the twentieth century both Native Americans and nature were at great peril. For the Nez Perce, the Appaloosa and the wolf, the government's destructive penchant for control proved almost final. But a time of healing has begun with a potential for change. The Nez Perce tribe has welcomed to its lands in Winchester, Idaho, a pack of wolves formerly known as "The Sawtooth Pack." These eleven "Wolves of the Nez Perce," in their new role as ambassadors for their wild brothers and sisters, have come home to the land that their ancestors once shared with the native people. Visitors are afforded the rare opportunity to experience the wonder of wild wolves in a natural setting and to partner with the Nez Perce in a mission to promote awareness of wolves and coexistence with them. Now, more than ever before, it is "A Time to Heal."

 

" RED HORSE "

3250 Fine Art Print 14.75"x 24" $245

On June 25, 1876, Red Horse, a Minneconjou Lakota head chief, rode under Lamedeer into an unexpected fight with Lt. George Custer. In the ravines and on the ridges along the Little Bighorn River, Custer and his Gray Horse Troop met their fate.

Despite instructions to wait for reinforcements, Custer inexplicably divided up his command and proceeded to attack.

For uniformity of appearance, Custer had given each company of the 7th Calvary its own color horses. According to Indian accounts, the prominent gray horses of Company E were the easiest to follow in the confusion of battle.

When Custer and his men were surrounded, they released their remaining gray horses. Stampeding through the Indian lines, the horses were captured near the river.Although no photographs exist of the famous battle, Red Horse's recollections of the battle do, rendered in brilliantly-colored drawings depicting all phases of the action.Red Horse surrendered to General Crook's troops in 1877.

" MEDICINE CROW "

2500 Fine Art Print 17"x 17" $245
250 s/n Giclee Canvas 20"x 20" email-price

In many ways, Medicine Crow, a Mountain Crow, born in 1848, was typical of the Native American of his day--steadfast and loyal to his people, an important contributor to his tribe. His 'medicine' (an object thought to give control over natural or magical forces) was a hawk, which he wore as part of his headdress. In battle, it was more important for him to touch his enemy--count coup--than it was for him to kill his enemy. Medicine Crow fought for the white man twice, against the Nez Perce in Chief Joseph's retreat and against the Sioux under Sitting Bull when they were seeking sanctuary in Canada.

 

" NINE TO FIVE "

250 Fine Art Print 26.75"x 16.125" $295

Five Indian ponies sense an inexplicable presence. As they make their way through the rocks and trees down the steep hillside, their uneasiness is conveyed to their riders. Warily, the party pauses.

By happenstance, these five Native Americans have chanced upon a place so filled with the spirit of the wolf that even the rocks and trees attest to its power.

After today, the five riders' medicine will be stronger and more powerful, having been blessed by nine natural benefactors.

 

" IN SPIRIT ONLY "

250 Fine Art Print 19"x 26" $295

 

Symbolizing sacred power to the Native American the Eagle was honored more than any other bird. As two Indian ponies race through the forest, decorated with eagle feathers, is the air filled with the shrieks of eagles or do they exist in spirit only?

" PRYOR COMMITMENT "

3250 Fine Art Print 25.25"x 21.5" $245

"Pryor Commitment" honors the wild mustangs of the Wyoming Pryor Mountain Range.

It is a poignant reminder of legal promises made and broken to protect and defend the wild mustangs against those who would do harm in the name of profit or expediency. Over half the land in 11 western states are public lands and yet the wild mustangs are shoved into the bitterest of landscapes and told to "survive if you can".Judy brings to this stallion and his mares a sense of heroism, for they are the descendants of a determined and resilient species. What other animal has gained mankind so much and asked for so little in return?

Hidden in the image you will find the promises of the future in the form of two foals. Intelligent, beautiful, the wild mustang is not only a part of our national heritage, but a potent reminder of what it means to be free.

 

He Dog. Childhood friend of Crazy Horse, witness to his murder.

Born in the same year, in the same season, He Dog and Crazy Horse grew up together in the same Ogala band, played together, courted girls together, fought together. Distinguishing themselves in both war and peace, they were made chiefs, "shirt weavers", and hence bearers of the Crow Owner's Society. He Dog, at age 92 in 1930, gave his personal account of the killing of Crazy Horse by a soldier at Fort Robinson in 1877. He Dog was at his side, a friend to the last.

The magnificent stallion featured in "He Dog" pays homage not only to the "sacred dog", the horse, of the Plains Indians, but also to the noble life of a great Dakota.

 

 

" SPIRITS OF GRIZZLY CREEK "

250 Fine Art Print 19"x 25" $295

In "Spirits of Grizzly Creek," a Native American must cross a swift stream. Because many tribes were terrified of underwater spirits, they beseeched the spirits to permit a safe passage.

The Native American portrayed has called upon the potent strength of the bear to help him. Four grizzly spirits reveal themselves in the forest foliage, one rises from the waterfall, and another grizzly takes form on the coats of his horses and accompanies him as he races from the waterfall, and another grizzly takes form on the coats of his horses and accompanies him as he races through the creek.

He will achieve safe passage. His medicine is strong.