Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Western Art: Cowboys, Indians, and Horses


I spent many years living in Houston, Texas, which influenced my art. Many of my paintings have a Western theme, such as still lifes of bison and cattle skulls, portraits of Native Americans and cowboys, landscapes and horses.

"West Texas Town"
Oil on Canvas
12 x 16
Private Collection

This is an oil painting of my grandmother as a young woman in Colorado Springs.

"Pioneer Woman with Burro"
Oil on Canvas
16 x 20
Private Collection

This was a gouache painting of my nephew and one of his cousins at a family reunion in Colorado. I just loved the little pony's expression. He looked sassy!

"Palomino Pony"
Gouache
6 x 10
Private Collection

This is oil painting is of our first horse, Ibn, being shod by our farrier.

"The Blacksmith"
[
Enlarge]

Oil on Canvas
25 x 40


Animal Portraits by Bonnie Hodges


Baxter was a big leopard-spotted appaloosa that my daughter showed to Second Level dressage. Appaloosas are a breed of horse that were bred by the Nez Perce Indians in the Pacific Northwest. Baxter descended from Red Eagle, who was a famous Appaloosa stallion.

"Leopard-spotted Apaloosa"
Watercolor & Gouache
12 x 8
Private Collection

Here is another Appaloosa I painted. This was a commission I did in watercolor:

"Appaloosa Gelding"
Watercolor
18 x 24
Private Collection

My daughter's horse, Kastanie, was a Quarter Horse mare off the track. Quarter horses are popular for rodeo riding and as ranch horses. Kastanie turned out to be a really nice dressage horse, and showed successfully to Second Level. [Please see "The History of the Quarter Horse and Its Future in Dressage"] Kastanie was so nice that she was approved for the Belgian Warmblood studbook. A young girl in Louisiana bought her as a schoolmaster.

"Belgian Warmblood Mare"
Pastel
22 x 28
Private Collection

This was a palomino gelding at our stable in Houston. I think he was a Quarter Horse, too.

"Palomino Polo Pony"
Pastel
20" diameter

This old buckskin mare was a commission I did for her owners. She may have been another Quarter Horse.

"Buckskin Mare"
Oil on Canvas
24 x 24
Private Collection

This digital painting started out as some ink blots that I thought they looked like a horse. So, I painted an old Mustang around them. It turned out pretty successfully - it toured China in an art show through Houston Community College. It was done in Painter X.

"Wild Mustang"
Digital Painting
10 x 7


There were lots of cowboys running around in Texas!

"The Cowboy"
Oil on Board
30 x 24

"Texas Cowboy"
Pastel

I have also done a number of paintings of Native Americans. I really respect the culture and heritage.

Champs is a Native American from a tribe in Western Washington. She is wearing her native dress of buckskin and has eagle feathers in her hair.

"Seattle Totem Indian"
Oil on Canvas
30 x 24

Private Collection

Beverly is a Native American who is wearing her native buffalo-hide dress. Her head-dress is made of pheasant and quail feathers. We think it might be ceremonial. Her necklace is made of bear claws. The medallion reflects her status in the tribe.

"Native American"
Oil on Canvas
20 x 16


Here is another one of Beverly in a native buckskin dress. The head-dress indicates tribal membership. That might be bear fur around the bear claws on her necklace. Her status in the tribe is reflected in the medallion.

"Oklahoma Indian"
Oil on Canvas
28 x 22


Anna is a Native American from New Mexico. She is adorned in gorgeous turquoise jewelry. Her dress is called a black manta. The belt is a tribal belt. She is holding an eagle feather.

"San Juan Pueblo Indian"
Oil on Canvas
28 x 22

"Native American Woman"
Oil on Paper
22 x 30


"Indian Woman with Tribal Rug"
Oil on Board
20 x 16


"Native American Woman in Red"
[Enlarge]

Oil on Canvas
24 x 18

Native Americans of the Plains hunted bison for survival. In the late 19th century, the bison were almost driven to extinction by white settlers. Some contend that it was a way to destroy the Native Americans - to deprive them of their food source and way of life [Source]. This is a painting of a bison that was supposedly killed by Buffalo Bill Cody.

"The Last Buffalo"
Oil on Canvas
40 x 48

This cow was a victim of one of the brutal Texas droughts:

"Desert Drought"
Watercolor
30 x 20

These deer were probably victims of hunters' guns:

"Antlers"
Watercolor
18 x 24

"Deer Antlers"
Oil on Paper
30 x 22


Paintings, prints, and notecards can be ordered by using PayPal or by contacting me at art (at) bonniehodges.com. The paintings are available as prints, even the ones that were sold.

____________________________________________________
 


Edmonds, Washington
Art (at) bonniehodges.com
 
 
Artwork © Bonnie M Hodges 2023
 
 
 
 



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Artwork © Bonnie Hodges 2022

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Katja's struggle with wheat gluten


 
I would like to share the experience I had with my cat, Katja, and her health issues related to consuming dry pet food.

Katja is a Cornish Rex, bred by my friend, Cindy Regoni, DVM in Houston. Rex cats are known for their beautiful, wavy coats, as can be seen in my paintings. [See more
Animal Portraits]












Unfortunately, Katja did not have that wavy coat for most of her life. The paintings I did of her reflect how gray and "downy" her coat was.








A couple of years ago, Katja developed kidney disease. She got very thin and weak, lost the light in her eyes, and developed a very dull personality. We feared she would not live past January.


Cats Exclusive Veterinary Center in Shoreline, WA sent information about how cats require meat, and that it is not natural for them to eat grain or vegetables [see The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition]. I started doing research into wheat gluten, which is added to dry pet food. I learned that contaminated wheat gluten from China had been the cause of many pets' deaths in 2007 [see Timeline for China Pet Food Recall]. Even if gluten is not poisoned, it is still very bad for cats (and people). My doctor (Dr. Kimberly Hindman in Portland, OR) explained that wheat gluten gums up the villi (small hairs) in the intestine, which prevents nutrient absorption. People and animals who are sensitive to wheat gluten also have problems with barley and rye. Ash is also added to dry pet food, which may have been another factor in why Katja developed kidney disease in the first place.


Animal Portraits by Bonnie Hodges

I switched Katja to an all-meat diet (raw turkey or chicken, no dry food). The food gave her extra water in addition to the subcutaneous water injections I was giving her. I also took her off of water that had fluoride in it, as fluoride is a toxin that is especially hard on people or animals with kidney problems [see Fluoride: Poisoning the Well].

After about two weeks of being gluten free, Katja's health improved drastically. Her coat came in black and wavy. It looked better than it ever had in her life. She also had a lot more energy and became playful again. It is now mid-April [2010], and she is going strong. Look at Katja now!







I think our other cats were not as fortunate. Our first cat died of kidney failure. It was related to getting a feline leukemia vaccine, but a lifetime of eating dry food could have contributed.


Another cat developed cancer, which may also have had something to do with eating only dry food.

I am glad we figured out there was a problem in time to help Katja.

UPDATE: Our Katja passed away on January 28, 2017 at the age of 19. We miss her terribly.

____________________________________________________
 


Edmonds, Washington
Art (at) bonniehodges.com
 
 
Artwork © Bonnie M Hodges 2023


See more Animal Portraits