How Moving to the West and Wild Horses Have Influenced Her Paintings
EquuStyle: Where did you move from? And, how does living in the West affect your work?
Melody DeBenedictis: I grew up in Florida, and from there made my way up to South Carolina, North Carolina in the mountains and a short time in the Tennessee mountains before making my move west. The landscape of the west is incredibly inspiring by its vastness. The smells, the sights, the sounds… it's an incredible experience that keeps drawing you in to the wild.
EquuStyle: How would you describe yourself as an artist?
Melody DeBenedictis: I have been called prolific. I would say that I am disciplined and motivated. Having two galleries teaches a great discipline to just paint. I used to wait for this euphoric high, and would be up for days straight painting. As I had a retail gallery, early on it taught me the value of discipline. Even if I wasn’t ‘feeling it’…I learned over those early years, that if I would just ‘show up’ at the canvas, whether I felt it or not, the creative would come as the brush hit the canvas. It's been a liberating experience to know that as I show up, so does the creativity within. The motivation, that comes from the work itself, knowing the work is created in hopes of bringing positive change as each painting tells the story of our wild land, wildlife and the wild mustang.
EquuStyle: How do you hope to evolve as an artist?
Melody DeBenedictis: Constantly growing in skill level. My work has come a long way over these 14 years. I paint on an average of 5 or 6 days a week. I have purposely not used aids, such as grids or projectors in my work. I have desired to continually push my skill level, working from eye to hand to canvas.
I have a greater understanding of the art industry itself, though that is constant ebb and flow, and am always learning. Staying flexible is essential to success. If we become rigid as an artist, it can limit our growth creatively and from a business perspective. I always say, ‘I don’t want to be famous, I just want to be rich’. Obviously I am not there yet, Lol… it takes money to do great exploits. Can I be happy if I don’t reach a level of fame, of course, but I paint to bring change. So of course the money would give me a greater ability to ‘give’ in ways that I would love to help in so many ways.
EquuStyle: Which artists have influenced your work the most?
Melody DeBenedictis: There have been many, but over the last few years, I would say Mark Maggiori has captured my attention, as he has many others. His work is amazing and he has reached a level of ‘fame’ in his work that gives him the freedom to do what he desires to do around his business and his work.
I think when musicians, artists, other creatives reach a level of fame, opportunities open to drive the direction they want to move in. Art is fickle, so pleasing your audience while staying true to ourselves in our craft is always a challenge. As I watch other artists, it's not just the work they create, or the skill level of their craft, but I watch to learn. To learn how to be a better business person along with constantly working to increase my creative skill level.
EquuStyle: What is it about the West that most informs your paintings?
Melody DeBenedictis: Well, obviously wild mustangs are foremost. The grandeur and size of our western frontier is always desirable to paint the landscape as much as the wild mustang and wildlife. Light play is a huge factor in creating compelling art.
Composition is next on my list. And, I love color. When you travel across the west, it’s the diversity of the range that is moving. You have the desert, the plains, the mountains, the big skies above. Depending on the season, it literally comes alive; even the smallest rainfall can bring vivid life to the landscape.
I would hope that my work showcases the beauty of our western landscape, and the wild that call it home. I feel extremely fortunate that I get to do what I do, see what I see, experience what I experience, and then come back to the studio and recreate those experiences on canvas to share with the general public, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the wild in their own home.
EquuStyle: Where will you be traveling to take reference photos or paint on location during the coming months?
Melody DeBenedicitis: We’re in conversation about that even now, lol. I am looking to go north into Wyoming and perhaps up into Montana before shooting back down home into Colorado. There are several roundups of wild mustangs which are very disruptive to herds, family bands and even the land itself, the timing of planning may be interrupted depending on where we choose to travel. That conversation is on to make some decisions on where to go.
EquuStyle: Are there particular wild horses that you have come to know and enjoy painting?
Melody DeBenedicitis: I love the Sand Wash Basin of Colorado, of course because that was my first introduction to wild mustangs and to wild lands. But Wyoming, the Dakotas, areas of New Mexico, Nevada are also favorites on my list of favorites.
EquuStyle: What is the story behind “Meteor, Stallion of the Sand Wash”?
Melody DeBenedicitis: Meteor has a special place on the basin as he is the only of his color. After losing ‘Picasso’ who was known worldwide, it will be interesting to see which stallion is next to reach the acclaim that Picasso did.
Meteor has a beautiful color and countenance on the range. He remains a bachelor stallion at present, it will be fun watching as he continues to mature to see how he does as a stallion with his own band of mares. To date, he seems content running as a bachelor with his guy friends, lol.
EquuStyle: How has the work of wild horse advocates, such as Ginger Kathrens of The Cloud Foundation and wild horse photographer and advocate Carol J. Walker impacted your work?
Melody DeBenedicitis: We can learn a lot from them. They have been in the field a very long time. Ginger is a wealth of information as she has dealt with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) for years. Her documentation of herds and input is invaluable for the preservation of our wild herds.
Carol , I met early on as well and have a great respect for the work she does, keeping the public informed and showcasing the beauty of our wild mustangs and the land. There are so many out there doing their part to make a difference. Supporting the work of advocacy is an important part of bringing positive change. In a way photographers and painters are the ‘eyes’ of what is currently happening on the range as they spend so much time out there. They know the herds, they see the landscape, they are the "catalog" of keeping a record of our wildlands in a way that the BLM doesn’t have the staff to do.
EquuStyle: How are you promoting your wild horse paintings as a “bridge” to educate the public about the plight of America’s vanishing wild horses?
Melody DeBenedicitis: The raw beauty of "wild" compels people to want to know more. Traveling, doing shows, events, having a galleries…wild horses are not a "hard sell". Few people know much about wild mustangs. The paintings are my way of "introducing" them to the public. The stories always come as folks ask questions.
There is a lot of propaganda out there, it's one of the biggest reasons I started traveling myself, I wanted to know first hand about the dynamics that surround the plight of our wild lands and the wild mustangs. It’s a politically driven issue that doesn’t have one solution to the diversity of issues that surround our wild mustangs and burros. It will take compromise on both sides to find solutions to assure wild mustangs, burros, wildlife, and the land itself can flourish. The demand of competitive industry on our landscape is fierce, it will take a willingness on both sides to bring sustainable resolutions to preserve the land and the wild.
EquuStyle: What is most important for people and collectors to know about you and your work?
Melody DeBenedicitis: I am convinced that Art can bring change. Art is a form that from its beginnings has always told a story. Art is timeless. I am committed to being one of those artists with a passion to make a difference on behalf of our wild lands and those that call them home.
The importance of preserving our wild places is essential. To lose the land and the wild would be a loss that cannot be described. Sanctuaries and preserves are great to have, but the element of "wild" doesn’t exist there like the true wild. Once animals no longer have the social dynamics of "family" etc. between them, they are changed. It's important to recognize "wild" and do our very best to preserve it as it is with as little intervention as possible.
EXHIBITION/AWARDS:
2011 MUSTANG MAKEOVER, FORT COLLINS CO
2011 EXTREME MUSTANG MAKEOVER, FORT WORTH TX
2012 MUSTANG MAKEOVER, WY
2011 CHERRY BLOSSOM GALLERY SHOW, CO
2012 SPIRIT OF THE WILD HORSE SHOW, SANTA FE NM
2012 LOVELL MUSTANG DAYS, WY
2012 TERRITORIAL DAYS, NM
2012 STABLES GALLERY “HORSES” SHOW, TAOS NM
2013 WILD HORSE ART SHOW, MAYBELL AND CRAIG CO
2014 LAS VEGAS NM STUDIO TOUR
2015 THUNDERING HOOVES, BEVERLY HILLS CA
2015 THUNDERING HOOVES, TX
2016 THUNDERING HOOVES, MARFA TX
2016 THUNDERING HOOVES, SANTA FE NM
2016 CELEBRATING THE HORSE SHOW, SANTA FE NM
2016 LAS VEGAS ARTS COUNCIL STUDIO TOUR NM
2018 ANGEL FIRE STUDIO TOUR NM
2018 ANGEL FIRE ART UP NM, SECOND PLACE AWARD
2019 THUNDERING HOOVES, FORT DAVIS TX
2019 EQUUS FILM AND ART FEST, SEDONA AZ
2019 WILD MUSTANG SHOW, LIVERMORE CO
2020 SANGRE ART GUILD WESTCLIFFE, FIRST PLACE
2020 EQUUS FILM AND ART FEST, WINNER
2021 EQUUS FILM AND ART FEST, WINNIE WINNER
2022 EQUUS FILM AND ART FEST, RUNNER UP
2022 SANGRE ART GUILD WESTCLIFFE, SPECIAL AWARD
2022 EQUUS FILM AND ART FEST, HONORABLE MENTION AWARD
2022 SANGRE ART GUILD WESTCLIFFE, PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
2022 SANGRE ART GUILD WESTCLIFFE, FIRST PLACE AWARD
2022 EQUUS FILM FESTIVAL, WINNIE WINNER
2022 SANGRE ART GUILD WESTCLIFFE, FIRST PLACE AWARD
2022 VALLEY HARVEST SHOW, BECKWITH RANCH, WESTCLIFFE
2022 SANGRE ART GUILD WESTCLIFFE, SECOND PLACE AWARD
2023 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HORSE EXPO, DENVER CO
2023 COWGIRL GATHERING FORT WORTH STOCKYARDS
2023 MUSTANG SUMMIT, EQUUS FILM AND ART FEST, SECOND PLACE AWARD
2024 365 ART&COLOR ONLINE EXHIBITION/COMPETITION, ARTIST RECOGNITION
OTHER OUTSIDE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
"THEIR LAST RIDE” DOCUMENTARY FILM 2016
MEMBERSHIPS:
PRO MEMBER "CGA"- COWGIRL ARTISTS OF AMERICA ASSOCIATE MEMBER "WAOW"- WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE WEST ASSOCIATE MEMBER SANGRES ART GUILD, WESTCLIFFE CO
PAST GALLERY REPRESENTATION:
2012 GRAND TETON GALLERY, JACKSON HOLE WY
2012 CREATIVE SPIRITS GALLERY, FORT COLLINS CO
2014 THOMAS GALLERY, TAOS NM
2016 RUNNING HORSES STUDIO, LAS VEGAS NM
2023 MELODY DEBENEDICTIS FINE ART GALLERY, WESTCLIFFE CO
All images Copyright Melody DeBenedictis -all rights reserved. Cannot be reproduced for any purpose without permission from Melody DeBenedictis.