Just inside Paula Crawford's Riga home is an unusual horse. It's one of her pet projects - a six-foot by eight-foot, fiberglass thoroughbred for the High Falls Brewing Company's Horses on Parade. After dinner, Crawford, a Brockport High School art teacher, changes into her painting clothes, goes into her family room, gives "Mister Red" a pat on the back, fills her palette with brightly colored acrylics and goes to work. Some people may think it's strange to share their living space with a horse - not Crawford. Mister Red is part of her family. She nicknamed her horse Mister Red after a similarly named famous horse, of course, and the red paint she used for the underpainting. His official name is "High Falls Horse." Crawford captures the beauty of the High Falls area in her painting. On one side of the horse is a scenic view of the falls area by day. On the other side, reflections of light bounce off the falls at night. In October, Crawford submitted three designs to the Arts and Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. Her designs were among 600 submitted for consideration. In November, the Council notified Crawford that her designs were accepted. The next step was to have a local company sponsor one of her winning designs. Hoselton Automall in Fairport chose to sponsor her High Falls Horse design after reviewing 75 others. They liked the traditional approach she used. "The design seemed to keep in spirit with the High Falls Brewing Company and downtown Rochester," said John Love, general manager. Hoselton's decided to sponsor an artist because of the unique way the project builds interest in downtown. "It is a great way to support local charities and give back to the community," said Love. Crawford's High Falls Horse will be on display at Hoselton Automall from May 10 through September 14. Crawford got her design idea from a watercolor class she took at RIT last summer, where she spent a lot of time painting the falls and scenery on location. Using photographs as her guide, she began painting the horse in January. So far, she has spent over 80 hours on the project. "I ate, slept and dreamt, horses for a while," she said. "Some nights I could not even sleep because I was worried I would not meet the (March 1) deadline." With just a few finishing touches and a clear coat needed to complete her masterpiece, Crawford can finally rest easy. Crawford's art students are cheering her on from behind-the-scenes. "I enjoy being seen as an artist by my students, in addition to being their teacher," she said. She is using her experience with this contest to encourage her students to enter similar contests in the future. Crawford has taught at Brockport High School for 16 years. She has a master of science degree in art education from Nazareth College, and a bachelor of arts degree from SUNY Brockport. She is currently working on a master of fine arts degree at RIT. Crawford has directed a talent show called "Class Acts" at Brockport High School, for the last 16 years. She has also painted murals for the Cinema Theater and displayed work in local art gallery exhibits. She credits her being able to work full time, take night classes and paint Mister Red to her husband, Michael. "He has been very supportive of me, since painting has been my life for the last couple of months," she said. "He's already planning how we are going to transport the horse to a warehouse." The High Falls Horse will be among 160 horses on display in public areas around Rochester in May and will go to auction in September. Crawford is considering bidding on him. Profits from the sale of the horses will go to local charities. For information about Horses on Parade, log onto www.horsesonparade.org. |
