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The Evolution of The Frank Colson Horse

From the beginning of time, artists have used the horse as a subject of artistic expression. 

Frank Colson created his first horse in 1962 while teaching at Penland, North Carolina. Although most of his horses since that time have been in clay, this first horse was a bronze jewelry chest. The mid-section of the horse was hinged so that the upper half, with the head and tail, lifted to reveal a red velvet lining. 

The next year, Mr. Colson had a one- man exhibition at the LeMoyne Art Foundation in Tallahassee and his second horse came into being. This was similar in concept, having an upper half that would open, but it was made of clay from wheel thrown and slab parts and was three feet high. When the upper half of the horse was opened, one would find two small clay figures making love in the inner darkness of the lower body. 

Over the years, sculptural horses, most often in clay and occasionally in bronze, have been a homogenous part of Mr. Colson's creative process. Below is a description of Frank Colson’s horses that found a permanent stable in locations all over the world, from New York to Florida,  California to New Zealand, where it was accepted  in the prestigious international Fletcher Challenge Ceramic Award exhibition in 1990. 

1.       WINGED HORSE. From the mythological horse, Pegasus. Large inner double wings are removable. (19" x 23" x 5") 

2.       ROMAN HORSE Etruscan horse with wooden styled saddle of the period  (14" x 12" x 5") 

3.       ENGLISH SADDLE HORSE Stylized horse with implied English saddle (14" x 12" x 5") 

4.       WESTERN SADDLE HORSE containing small glass head bead and stylized with stirrups (14" x 12" x 5") 

5.       MAJESTIC CIRCUS HORSE with blanket and bells. Unique design inspired from Sarasota Ringling Bros. Circus. (38" x 33" x 13") 

6.       CIRCUS HORSE with blanket and bells. Feathered mane. Unique design inspired from Sarasota Ringling Bros. Circus. (24" x 19" x 5") 

7.       MANE HORSE with flowing mane extended down side of neck. Tail is also flowing and spread outward. 

8.       ETRUSCAN HORSE Similar to Western Saddle Horse except treated with a verdigris patina to create an ancient bronze look. 

9.       POMPEII HORSE Surface finished in a faded burnt red that has an underlying ancient salmon-cream surface effect. (19" x 13" x 5") 

10.   LION MANE HORSE Rolling, flowing, lion like mane and tail. (14" x 12" x 5") 

11.   PETAL MANE HORSE Flower-like petals create the mane and tail. (14" x 12" x 5") 

12.   DRAGON MANE HORSE Mane has pointed triangles that imply the scales of a dragon. (14" x 12" x 6") 

13.   PAINTED HORSE A painted design in four vivid colors. The design creates an illusion of proportions of the true form yet heightens the visual effect. (14" x 12" x 5") 

 

14.  TANG HORSE Stylized from the Tang Dynasty of China. This horse emerged in concept after Mr. Colson had been brought a real Tang Dynasty horse for repair. The head of this animal is tightly tucked into the neck and the eyes are very slanted. (21" x 18" x 8")  In the summer of 1989, Mr. Colson conceived the notion to make a group of medieval armored horses of much larger scale than previously done. Research was made at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The medieval armor section at the Museum provided a rich resource of visual information that was the beginning of a group of large (3 to 4 feet high) armored horses. In addition, a few new bronze horses of smaller scale have come into being. One such horse, made in 1991, is a brightly polished bronze horse with a flying silver plated mane and tail. Because bronze may be made in editions, this particular horse is one of eleven internationally signed editions. All clay horses, of course, are unique one-of-a-kinds, since they originate directly from the hand of the artist and from the clay source, and not from a mold. 

15.   CONTEMPORARY HAN HORSE The development of this small (10" x 10" x 2") horse is a first in Mr. Colson's technique of making a slip cast piece mold in 1994. This horse was stylized after several Western Han Dynasty burial figures that were  "images as attendants of the coffin". These horses have small heads, large eyes and nostrils, thin ears, moderately long, arched necks, short wide bodies, very strong limbs, and sturdy hooves. (p47,50, The Quest For Eternity, Chinese ceramic sculptures from the Peoples Republic of China catalog of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art). The original prototype of this horse was modeled in clay and a plaster piece mold was made to accept a liquid clay slip. After each cast, with clay slip, the figure is fired to a moderate temperature of 1900 degrees Fahrenheit. Then each figure is individually refired using several different techniques ranging from organic smoke firing to low fire spray chrome glaze application, creating vibrant, crusty orange and reds and then occasionally dusting with volcanic powder. The result gives each horse its own distinctive flavor of aging similar to centuries of environmental exposure. 

16.   17th CENTURY JAPANESE & TANG DYNASTY HORSE RELIEF TILES During the summer of 1996, after touring mainland China and being briefly in Japan again, Mr. Colson developed a series of ceramic tiles stylized after historical images of horses. The EMA horse tile grouping and the DOUBLE EMA horse grouping are of 17th century Japan. Two compositions interpretive of horses of the Tang Dynasty are a group of six glazed high colored tiles of a noble lady riding side-saddle upon a Tang horse. 

17.   NEW STYLIZED TANG HORSES. In 1999, a new Museum of Asian Arts was opened and incorporated as anon-profit entity in Sarasota, Florida. Mr. Colson was invited to be a charter member of the board of directors. In addition to organizational participation, Mr. Colson did restoration work on several museum pieces. On such work was an authentic Tang Dynasty horse which was kept in his studio for several weeks. Using this horse as a study, a new series of stylized Colson type Tang horses were created. With head raised high, one horse is braying. Others have different attitudes of expression. Each differs in surface applications that offer centuries old effects. 

18.   WINGS OF HOPE  Large bronze winged composition , consists of black iron pole and flange base. (82" x 24" x 24") 

19.   STARFLIGHT Small winged horse composition, portrays a Pegasus emerging from the egg to the universe. (15" x 9" x 6") 

20.   THUNDERFLIGHT  A bronze winged composition mounted on a hardwood panel, with black plexiglass backing through the bronze fingers of a stormy thunderclap! (10" x 22" x 6 1/2") 

21.   DECO TANG HEAD In late May and during June of 2002, development of the Deco Tang Head evolved. This extremely stylized horse head (14" x 6" x 4") was developed as a variation of the Tang Horse. The scale of this head is merely a model for the intent of a much larger work measuring nearly two feet high. This piece affords me opportunity to do surface treatments with a variety of applications; i.e. smoke or, pit firing, Majolica glaze, and stressed sandblast with contrasting head glazes.

22.   KALEIDOSCOPE HORSE. The discovery of some wonderful hand carved wooden horses was the beginning of the painted animals. A German family of carvers who immigrated to Mexico did the carvings. The animals were originally destined for a carousel. And then Frank Colson showed new creativity with the array of colors in a one of a kind work of art.

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