|
 One of the things I love the most about doing what I do is having the occasional priviledge of being involved in something special. Each job is unique but some are more meaningful than others. Recently, I received an email from a lady named Margarita. She told me the story of her very special mustang. His name was Mico. Here is some of what she told me.
"I bought him from a horse trader who was ready to send him to slaughter because he was lame and no one wanted him. I know I paid too much for him, he was probably worth $100.00 but I didn't care, I knew something was there even though his eyes were dim and he was in a very sad state."
"I nursed him for about a year and decided to saddle him. He crow hopped, bucked and acted dumb but I stayed on. After that rodeo I told him, "I'm an old broad and you're no spring chicken, neither of us can get hurt." He never bucked again." "Years passed and this old cowboy drove past my place and stopped, told me that he knew that old Paint horse. He had been a well known stallion and had been gelded at 14 years old, was a real handful. He seemed very happy to see him and was pleased he had found a good home. I unfortunately did not ask him for Mico's original name or where he came from. I'm just glad to hear that there is someone out there who felt like I did when they knew Mico."
I asked Margarita to send me a picture of Mico and I started thinking about what I could do to honor his memory. Being the owner of an old Mustang myself I know something of the unique bond one can have with such a horse. Mustangs are proud and often headstrong with a stronger than average herd-sense and a tendency to be over protective of their pasture-mates. I think most people who appreciate the quirks of mustangs, see themselves as 'mustangs' as well. Margarita shipped Mico's last set of shoes to me to use for his memorial. I referred to Mico's photo often as I worked on the design. I had a difficult time finding the perfect look and tossed several concept drawings in the bin. I couldn't seem to think of a design concept that felt just right. Margarita also spent several weeks to settle on just the right words to have me engrave on his memorial. Finally, she sent me the following note. "Jim, this is really hard and I can barely see the computer screen through my tears. Here goes: Left side: No beginning Right side: No end Center : Mico "In the end, it was he who held the reins to our hearts" After reading those words with a lump in my throat, everything fell into place and I was able to pencil out a design that, though different from anything I'd done before, felt just right for Mico. I had already picked the best of Mico's shoes and had prepped and polished it. So after getting Margarita's approval I set aside some other work and anxiously began working on this very special horseshoe. For the phrases "No Begining" and "No End" I composed a somewhat unstructured and wild looking vine-work which I hope will hearken to that part of Mico's spirit which remained untaimed. I wanted this unorthadox vine-work to appear to be free of the traditional structural confines of classical scrollwork. For the nail channels, I chose a more predictably growing leaf structure which is steady and unchanging. This honors the part of Mico's character that is obvious in the photo below; The part that was worthy of the trust of a child.  Unlike a lot of my work, the project involved no gold, no silver nor precious gems. But there was always an unspoken understanding that this project was something special. There was always a reverence associated with the work. When I gave Mico's finished shoe to my wife to ship, she handled and packed it as if it were a Faberge egg. Then when Margarita received the shoe, she sent back this heart-felt letter. "I received Mico's beautiful shoe and precious gift. Mark and I took our time opening the box holding back the tears. We both knew that moment was going to be special and it was. No words were said. We handed the shoe back and forth, admiring the intricate work. Mark finally looked up, his eyes welled up with tears and said "this is truly a piece of art, and we have to find a very special place for it." My son, who happened to come by, held it up close, carefully taking in every fine line. All he said was "whoa, amazing." In this business, we get jaded. Rarely do we get taken aback by anything beautiful. Jim, you managed to remind us of what true beauty really is. It is love and commitment. I committed to Mico and gave him a wonderful life, he, in return, gave me love. Jim, you put it together and turned it into fine art. Thank you so very much. In engraving this horseshoe, I felt like I was doing something important. Not important in the sense of making a major artistic contribution to the world. But important in helping to keep the memory of a very special animal alive in the minds of the people who knew and loved him and accepted him for what he was. Not a winner of titles... a winner of hearts. |
