That’s the title of my latest painting and it was my husband who suggested it after the painting was finished. It was the name of one of Buddy Holly’s songs and perfectly describes what I was trying to convey when painting this.
This painting was created to be expressly donated to the 2012 HeART of the Horse gala dinner and auction to benefit Save A Forgotten Equine (SAFE) Horse Rescue based in Monroe, Washington.
The two horses depicted are actual Thoroughbreds who were being rehabilitated at the end of their racing careers, given a second chance and placed into caring adoptive homes. I met them at the New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society, Langley, British Columbia.
I did one head in graphite with just the eye being featured in color and a bit of color on the halter and cheek to show that some horses “just fade away”, being abandoned, abused, forgotten. The other head is fully painted – the lucky horse who did “not fade away” and found a kind, decent owner, is well looked after and loved, and who has a renewed purpose in life.
Here is a close-up of the graphite horse’s eye:
