Painted Ponies

Horse Play in the Hills:  New Jersey’s state animal is festooned with balloons, bedecked with fins and playing the sax — and it’s all for a good cause.

By: Susan Van Dongen

""
"A Horse of a Different Color," in Bedminster.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   Artists love horses. Their noble heads, graceful movement and superb musculature is natural subject matter for painters and sculptors.
   But how many artists have actually had the opportunity to paint on a horse? That is, not including the woman in north Florida who recently showed her support for the United States by painting an American flag on her steed.
   Following in the hoofmarks of last summer’s "Cow Parade" in New York, when the city landscape was dotted with a herd of gaily painted fiberglass heifers, a Warren-based company has launched Horse Play in the Hills. The community-wide project features original art installations in the shape of horses, at different public locations throughout Somerset County, on view through Nov. 8.
   The 50 fiberglass horses were purchased by Somerset area businesses, clubs, schools, non-profit organizations and individuals. The groups commissioned artists to decorate their horses, which were then designated with a charity beneficiary.
   The culmination of the event will be Nov. 10, when the Visiting Nurses Association of Somerset Hills auctions the painted ponies, with the money going to the sponsor’s charities. The invitation-only auction will take place at Merck and Co. Inc., in Whitehouse Station.

""
"Sunburst" stands proudly in the light in Bernardsville.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   For Joe Recchia, a senior at Du Cret Art School in Plainfield, Horse Play is an opportunity to exercise his imagination, add a work of public art to his resumé and take part in something to help the community.
   "I saw something about it on the Internet and asked for more information," says the 21-year-old Hillsborough resident. "I sent some sketches to Nancy Schecter at Hemisphere Productions (the event organizers), and after some revisions she accepted my idea."
   Mr. Recchia took his raw material — an 8-foot-tall, 125-pound fiberglass thoroughbred — and crafted an oversized cream-colored rocking horse, complete with fetlocks and saddle. The Somerville-based Ethicon Corp. sponsored Mr. Recchia’s horse, which it named "Lullaby." The horse is on display at the junction of Route 202 and 512 in Far Hills, and its designated charity is the United Way of Somerset County.
   Toward the end of the overall installation, the organizers realized they still had two unpainted horses and asked Mr. Recchia if he would like to work on another. He agreed, and is currently in the process of completing "Sea Horse," a cross-species fantasy sponsored by the Princeton architectural firm Ford, Farewell, Mills and Gatsch.

"Joe
Joe Recchia’s 8-foot-tall, 125-pound cream-colored rocking horse, complete with fetlocks and saddle.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   "I’ve done a couple of things on commission before but never something like this," Mr. Recchia says. " ‘Sea Horse’ has aquamarine and sea-green colored stripes. I modified the basic shape of the horse by adding dorsal fins to its mane and tail, and there’s a fin on each ankle. It’s almost done, but I still want to make an orange snorkel mask, which would fit over its head."
   The snorkel mask and bright colors are a playful way for Mr. Recchia to show his love of pop art, as well as influences like surrealists Salvador Dali and H.R. Giger, Pablo Picasso and medieval surrealist Hieronymous Bosch. He’s spent about two intensive weeks on "Sea Horse," but worked on "Rocking Horse" at a more leisurely pace over his summer vacation.

""
"Flight Dreams" is festooned with hot air balloons.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   The art works need to be in place soon, since trail maps guiding the curious to all horse locations were completed Sept. 20. The equine art is on display at 50 spots in Bedminster, Peapack/Gladstone, Far Hills, Warren and Watchung. Maps can be picked up at these locations as well.
   Other offbeat themes for the horses include "Blue Note," a musical mount playing tunes on his saxophone, and "Flight Dreams," festooned with hot air balloons.
   Horse Play is modeled after a public art project introduced in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1997, featuring more than 800 decorated cows. In 1999, Chicago had its own "Cow Parade," which raised more than $5 million in charity and added $200 million to that city’s economy. Other cities have jumped on the wagon with decorated barnyard animals. According to Ms. Schecter, New Jersey chose the horse because it’s our state animal.
   Mr. Recchia saw a similar event in New Orleans, which featured enormous, whimsically decorated fish.
   "It was basically along the same lines," he says. "I thought it was really unique and that the fish were really artistically done. My idea to make a horse into an aquatic animal just popped into my head, although I’ve always kept fish. I have a 50-gallon tank right now, and I used to keep a salt-water tank."

"Another
Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   Like "Sea Horse," "Rocking Horse" combined Mr. Recchia’s painting and sculptural skills. He crafted a saddle, bridle and rockers attached to his horse’s legs, and chose a combination of acrylic-based paints for both horses.
   "I used mostly latex outdoor or house paint for its durability, and also because it has a sheen to it," he says.
   "Sea Horse" will be put out to pasture near Watchung Lake, and benefits the Willow School, a private elementary school under construction in Bedminster.
Horse Play in the Hills is at 50 locations throughout Somerset County through
Nov. 8. For information, call (908) 580-0051. On the Web: www.bernardsville.com.
The invitation-only Mane Event Auction takes place at Merck and Co. Inc., Whitehouse
Station, Nov. 10. For an invitation, call (908) 766-0180.