Cholla the horse painter

Cholllllpinttt

 Newhorsebuckcr

Cholla is a horse whose painting seen here, "The Big Red Buck", will be exhibited at the 3rd International Art Prize Arte Laguna opening tomorrow in Mogliano Veneto, Italy. You can see more of the Reno, Nevada artist's work on his Web site, "Artist Is A Horse." All of the paintings reproduced on the site have a "copyright Cholla" watermark. Prints of The Big Red Buck are also available with a portion of the proceeds going to the Virginia Range Wildlife Protection Agency. From the Associated Press:

Renee Chambers, Cholla's owner and assistant, says his international acclaim proves his artistic talents.

"Yes, it's a novelty that a horse can paint," she said. "But it's not about novelty anymore. It's about his validation as an artist."

Cholla's painting career began by accident, Chambers said. He'd follow her around when she'd paint the corral each year, and one day her husband quipped, "You should get that horse to paint the fence."

Chambers instead tacked a piece of paper to a railing, bought some watercolors, mixed them up, and handed a brush to Cholla, who gripped it in his teeth and stroked the paper.

"He's been painting ever since," she said.

Horse takes up painting, has works exhibited

Previously on BB:
Elephant artists
• Elephant paints an elephant