This piece’s starting point was in a dream. I rose in the middle of the night to give it form. I could see a full size black stallion galloping majestically ahead of a storm directly towards the viewer. I wanted to add to the sensation that the horse was about to jump out of its frame and into your living space so I dropped the hoof below the canvas. It is as if the beauty of the night has given birth and endowed this horse with a sense of regal power. The conflict between the calmness of the horse and the gathering storm not far behind, his strength shattering the forbidding solitude of the night, and the wisdom in his eye against the unknown, endow this painting with absolute serenity and grace. Carol Rausch calls it my self-portrait.
Regarding Il Tuono/Thundering: “Nicholas really captures ‘spirit’ in all of his work.” ~Kat Ferrell
