"Mommy, does the Sun come up riding a horse?"

This painting was inspired by a true story. I read it in the account of a woman's life - a woman who lived in Southern Arizona around the turn of the century. And yet I think it is a story that is played out over and over again; in many womens' lives; in Arizona and elsewhere; today as well as in the past. When I first read this story, it immediately struck a chord in me: reminding me of difficult times in my own life when I was younger; and reminding me of situations I had seen other women go thru.....To read this women's story, scroll below the painting. The painting is acrylic on canvas; 28"x34"; with a carved and painted frame of pine.

One day, a woman comes to the realization that her situation has become intolerable - she cannot stay here anymore. So she gathers up a few belongings she can carry, and her small daughter, and she leaves. She will walk, if she must, across the desert, and return to the home of her parents: her family village that she left when she married. It is a hard thing to do; but she sees no other way. It is morning when she and her daughter leave, but it is slow going. She realizes they must spend the night in the desert; finish their journey the following day. The desert evening is chilly, and they huddle in a blanket amid the shelter of rocks. It seems the cold night will never end. The little girl stirs; "Mommy, I'm cold and I'm scared." "Don't worry, dear, the sun will come up soon; we'll walk again, and soon we'll reach Grandma's and Grandpa's house." "Will the sun come up soon, Mommy; fast?" "Yes; yes, dear." "Mommy, will the sun come up riding a horse?"
And the sun does come up: fast; glorious. As if borne upon the back of a golden and glorious horse.
The beginning of a new life.
A Storyteller's Art Gallery: Back to the main gallery entrance.
"I wonder if the Moon rides a horse...": painting
A Wiser Lion Now: sculpture
Elder Brother and the Spider People: painting
The Dawn Women: painting
I Stand for my Horse: painting
Grandfather Toad: sculpture
The Wonderful Watermelon Horse: sculpture
Back to the Very Beginning: Turtle Woman's Home Page