Catalina McIsaac

Artist

A Dream Realized

This week I had the pleasure of sitting aloft Encore! in a collected-light-airy-canter for three strides; like being on a carousel (where a sculptured horse slides up and down a pole while the base circles around and round). It was an extraordinary feeling and, for a moment, I experienced a dream realized.

Encore! is a thoroughbred born to run long, flat and fast; which she does daily, on her own, with bucking and jumping thrown in, just for the fun of it. She’s bred to win races, not to dance up and down. Today, I experienced what I only hoped was possible. She lifted and squeezed her powerful forward movement into a collected couple of strides and danced! The best part is she chose to do it herself. It’s the first time I felt the athletic lightness that comes naturally to the Akhal-Teke horses I used to ride in the wild hills behind Los Alamos, CA and, in the back country , on the coast behind Refugio Beach, in Santa Barbara County, CA.

Anyone that has a dream of doing something difficult has experienced, “the hint of success” that keeps one trying to achieve the goal. Today the hint of “it’s possible” brought joy into the challenge and, as the moon was rising on our left and the sun setting on our right, I decided we deserved a trail ride to celebrate.

The gate was already open, so after finishing our transition exercises (with my valiant effort to glue my seat to the saddle at the sitting trot) we headed out on a springy walk for the open country next door.

I chose a new direction after we passed the flapping tarp that floats above an unfortunate calf that spends his days eating in confined quarters unsuspecting of an inglorious end on someone’s plate on a table. Encore! boldly walked by without concern, which was an achievement all its own.

We crossed the street and headed out through an open meadow with a small neglected pomegranate orchard and uninhabited house. Normally, we take the trail through the oak tree thicket, but wisdom whispered it’s late and a deer might flash out in front of us causing both of us to over-react. When I ride the wild alone with Encore! I try to err on the side of caution to keep us safe.

As we traveled on the edge of the forest, Encore! was buoyant from her happy workout on the dressage arena and tried to hurry ahead. I checked her enthusiasm on every stride and gave the rein when she complied. Sure enough, on the far side of the meadow, a young buck bounced across a safe distance ahead of us and ran into the thicket, on the hill beyond us. Encore! took notice, but didn’t worry. It was a lesson confirmed in listening to wisdom.

At the top of the hill, we stood, quietly, while we watched the sun drop down through the fog bank over the Pacific Ocean. A sliver of light outlined the place where the river meets the sea and a silver lining shined under and above the fog bank to give us a narrow view of the sea. This was our reward for making the steep climb. Behind us the rising moon took over and provided a soft light for the way home.

~ Catalina

My Israel My Palestine

Details of a work in progress…

In the studio, pushing paint around and breathing the sweet smell of oil paint, I thought about this work in progress like a chef might think about cooking. All the mixing and “tasting” of colors, all the tiny shifts of “flavor” with a slight increase of one color into another, is like preparing a gourmet meal. The preparation of a particular color to lay along-side another color already up on the canvas is like stirring in one ingredient into another and hoping the mix is just right.

Leading a brush loaded with color and drawing a “bead” is a thrilling experience. The neighboring colors create a delicious contrast that is enormously satisfying. Sometimes one of the colors has to shift in tone or change completely to fit into the whole. The process is not discouraging. It is endlessly fascinating to see how the slightest change of one shade or color can bring the entire work into completeness.

Over the years of blending and mixing colors, I have had the personal criteria that the work must “sing” when finished. As I move ahead with “My Israel My Palestine” the bits and pieces on the canvas must come into perfect harmony for the work to “sing.”

Devil May Care

It’s been a stretch of time since I rode ten horses a day and started youngsters for ranches on the Central Coast. When Encore! arrived as a four month old thoroughbred filly that I bought for one dollar sight unseen, I’d been away from equestrian pursuits for a while. Now back in the saddle with the hope of dancing with Encore! I find I’m worse than rusty; the tell-all is my sitting trot. I’m fine for the first few strides into the trot, but when Encore! gets going, I get bouncing. I am improving, so there is hope, but I had no idea how far down the ladder I’ve slipped. I have tried to find a thoughtful approach to sitting Encore!’s spirited trot, but have come up empty, until that is, I got my surcingle repaired. Yesterday, I waited patiently while Jose Carrillo (he owns the shoe repair in Solvang) stitched the broken strap. He took a few extra moments and found a ring and then zip, and he had the long line equipment back in play. While I waited, I picked up a classic cowboy straw hat and bought it for six dollars. I love second hand treasures; but I digress.

Back home it’s late afternoon; so late the daily breeze stopped. I bribed Encore! to leave her paddock for dance practice with carrots.

I prepped Encore! with my meager, but effective long line skills and verbal commands to walk trot walk trot halt trot walk, etcetera, so that when I’m aboard, I can simply ask her to walk when the sitting trot becomes a bouncing trot. This is particularly useful, because I can’t do much when my hands are flopping around when Encore! picks up speed. With a review for Encore! in the long lines and my voice commands, it all becomes more manageable. Yesterday, I got a glimpse of how I might actually be able to gain dominion over this most difficult and necessary skill for dressage as I coax Encore! to listen to the aids and, mercifully, slow down.

Long lines are a double bonus for me. First I’m able to encourage Encore! to focus and mind my voice commands and second I get to watch the progress from the ground. Best of all, at this point, is setting up her square halts and half-halting for transitions. I get to watch the effect of my aids from a distance and when it’s right it’s beautiful. I’m encouraged by Encore!’s natural ability to move gracefully and see how I can influence each stride. It’s a little like being a puppeteer with a thousand pound horse held by two strings. It’s my hope to do everything on the ground with long lines that I do when I ride. It’s an art; wish me well.

I don’t have mirrors (which are common for dressage training) so I rely on a glance at the reflection on the French doors, near where I mount up, to check my position. In the arena, I use our shadow to check square halts. Nothing is perfect about our journey, but it’s a beginning. Since this entire project of dancing with Encore! is outside the norm, I feel free to go ahead with enthusiasm and intuition; devil may care.

Dancing with the wild on the back of a horse is heaven.

~ Catalina

When I go to these isolated beaches to collect my art making materials there are, rarely, more than a handful of beachgoers. My goal is to bring the experience of the beach to the city. It’s important that people remember how special a rugged coastline is, and how it touches the deepest parts of our soul and heals.

The ocean is a sanctuary; a place for the spiritual, poetic and artistic, in each individual, to expand. The visitor that experiences this exhibit soaks up the atmosphere and carries it into the world. The exhibit reveals the ocean as a generous landscape that gives us the intangible things we crave; peace, happiness and oneness. The exhibit contributes to a heightened sense of urgency to protect our wild places.