Contained Fire
Contained Fire - that feeling of something vital and powerful held beneath the surface.
After taking riding lessons, I became fascinated by the tension between a horse's natural instincts and the restraint required when responding to its human companion. I wanted to explore that sense of powerful energy being contained - not diminished, but held in check.
The painting began as an exploration of complementary colour, pigment and water. As the deep blues and hot oranges moved and mingled across the surface, they began to express something of that same tension: instinct and restraint, energy and control, existing simultaneously within the horse.
For me, Contained Fire became about the power that remains within us even when it isn't being expressed - something vital, alive and quietly waiting beneath the surface.
Original watercolour · Available
Contained Fire brings a concentrated, vital energy to a space - the horse’s inward stance and intense colour creating a sense of strength held quietly beneath the surface.
A closer look at Contained Fire, showing the scale, flowing pigment and expressive surface of the original painting.