OklahomaHorses Magazine Nov/Dec 2020

24 OklahomaHorses • November/December 2020 EQU I NE ART I S T S A s I walked through Shelly Presley’s front door, I was pleasantly greeted by her orange Corgi, Butter. After a warm greeting from Presley and her dog, I gazed into her dining room, which was filled with daylight streaming in from the window. The light caught the many photorealistic oil painting portraits of horses. “They are all my horse,” she giggled. “I just change his color.” As we sat and chatted, we both discovered our commonalities in the inspiration of horses and the drive to create artwork that captures our wonder for these majestic creatures. I mentioned, “Your accuracy in anatomy is spot on, and the eyes of your subjects draw you into their spirit.” With a common hometown of Edmond, we both discovered that we learned to ride horses from the late legendary Master of the Hunt Lucille Fancey. The following Q&A is an interview unveiling the journey of Oklahoma equine artist Shelly Presley. Q. WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WERE HORSE CRAZY? A. As long as I can remember I have always loved horses. When we played, I was always the horse. I used to canter everywhere I went. Q. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN CREATING ARTWORK, AND WHO TAUGHT YOU OR INFLUENCED YOU? A. My greatest influence was the Oklahoma artist Orren Mixer. I remember seeing some of his original works and was in awe of every stroke he used. Q. WHAT IS IT THAT INSPIRES YOU ABOUT THE HORSE AND DRIVES YOU TO PAINT THEM OVER AND OVER? A. Horses are amazing—the kindness in their eyes, the athletic ability. Sometimes when I see a horse, all I can think is how much I would love to paint his image. Q. WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND REGARDING HORSES? A. I have been involved with horses off and on my entire life. I show Quarter Horses and donate work to benefit several organizations. I also am involved with the Oklahoma American Quarter Horse Association. Q. WHAT IS YOUR PAINTING PROCESS, AND WHY DO YOU PREFER OIL PAINT? A. I paint thinly, adding layers upon layers. I like oil paint because I work full time and needed a medium I could stop and start that was easy to ship. Q. WHO DISCOVERED YOUR WORK AND ENCOURAGED YOU TO SELL IT? HOW OLD WHERE YOU WHEN THIS HAPPENED? A. My family has always encouraged me to get out there and paint for people. I took a long break for raising and putting two kids through college, but I found my way back to what I love. Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PAINTING AND WHY? A. My favorite painting is one I did of my horse in white that I donated to the National Snaffle Bit Association. It was one of my first white horses, and now I am addicted to painting white ponies! Q. WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY AFTER VIEWING YOUR ARTWORK? A. I want my paintings to make people reflect and be happy. I do a lot of commission work to immortalize animal family members that have passed. For more information, check out Shelly THE MAJESTIC EQUINE ART OF Shelly Presley WRITTEN BY: Jennifer Hustis Presley Gallery and Custom Portraits on Facebook. Shelly Presley