Brenda Moore

The Mules of Bray Grove Farm and Other Working Equines

Solo Exhibition - Cultivator at Bray Grove Farm

Sunday, May 22, 2022, 2-5pm

Cultivator is pleased to present Brenda Moore's exhibition, The Mules of Bray Grove Farm and Other Working Equines during Bray Grove Farm's Spring Farm Day.

Please rsvp and join us on Sunday, May 22nd from 2-5pm for art, conversation, light refreshments, and a tour of the farm. Bray Grove Farm is located 70 miles southwest of Chicago in Grundy County. To confirm your attendance and receive directions and parking information, kindly email.

The Mules of Bray Grove Farm and Other Working Equines will consist of Brenda Moore's drawings and paintings based on Bray Grove Farm's photos documenting the Belgian draft mules, Loretta, Emmylou, and Annabelle. Her love and respect for equines drives her continuing pursuit of this muse as her subject, masterfully rendered in graphite, ink, and oils.

Brenda Moore writes:

From the first moment a horse appeared in front of my retina I was captivated. As a child not having the opportunity to be around actual horses, I obsessively drew them and pretended to be one. Growing out of this obsession, I left it behind, in favor of academic painting ventures and then got caught up in mundane narratives with tropes such as irony, ambiguity, one liners and current events. I found myself going through the motions, often with a sense of disconnect. In 2005 a jarring life event caused me to remember my long ago fascination with that most brilliant animal. It was from then on that I decided to focus solely on the horse as subject. There was so much to explore, even learning how to ride in my thirties as a way to gain access to investigate their behaviors and anatomy. In choosing to take a risk: to make art about subject matter that can be viewed in the contemporary art world as trivial, romantic or cliché, I felt more authentic. Making art about horses finally gave me a purpose. The possibilities are endless, I render them in representational narratives as well as fantastical. I like to think that instead of belonging to the history of western painting, I belong to a much greater history, one that dates back 16,000 years when man first started painting horses. I relish at being part of something long ago, the evolution of humans watching and wanting to portray one of nature’s greatest feats of design.

This choice also led me to experience the unique bond that is created when working in partnership with an equine, nothing compares to it, it is truly extraordinary. This is why I am so grateful to have been invited to exhibit at Bray Grove Farm. I have long followed Brian and Joanne’s journey in starting their farm and partnership with their mules sowing the land. My proposal for this exhibition was to illustrate their working relationship with their mules: the late gracious Emmylou and her forthright sister Loretta who now works alongside newest member Annabelle. Through my drawings and paintings I hope to capture the important role the mules play on the farm, their work, provisions that they give back to the farm, and equine pastoral beauty. I greatly admire Joanne and Brian for their stewardship to their land, equines and the flora and fauna that are all interconnected at Bray Grove Farm.

Brenda Moore is a Chicago-based narrative, figurative artist whose work is devoted to horses as the focal point.. Her works in encaustic, oil painting, printmaking, embroidery, installation, and sculpture have been exhibited nationally. She received an MFA from American University, Washington, D.C. and a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA. Moore's art is included in both corporate and private collections in the U.S. including Wellington Management in Boston, Deloite & Touche, Kirkland and Ellis, and the Lewis Manilow Collection in Chicago. She received an Individual Artist Project grant from the city of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Her work is represented by Linda Warren Projects, www.lindawarrenprojects.com.

© Copyright Cultivator