This horse is following me

Very small-world story to tell. At the LA Art Show, visitors were greeted in the entrance-way by a beautiful, huge, life-sized bronze stallion. It was a beautiful sculpture, but it was hard to tell if it was one of the many artworks for sale or an installation created by the show organizers. At any rate, it was impossible to miss, situated just inside the entryway. And, of course, upon leaving the show, visitors were able to see the horse's backside, and the stallion was, shall we say, anatomically correct. So it left an indelible impression.

The day after the Art Show, I went to visit my friend April, who moved to Claremont, CA with her husband and baby last year. Even though it's only an hour away, I'd never been to lovely little Claremont; it felt like a real adventure to the foothills. After I arrived, April and I started walking toward the "Village" for lunch, and we detoured a bit so April could show me a particularly lovely street. As we approached one house, we noticed a moving truck, from which was being unloaded....THAT BRONZE HORSE!! It was so strange. I blurted out "I saw that horse at the show yesterday!" Turns out the horse was being delivered back to its creator, Barbara Beretich, a lovely painter and sculptor who has lived and worked in that house for decades. I couldn't believe the irony.

Barbara invited us inside, where we were able to see her amazing home and studio. She told us she is rep'd by George Stern Fine Arts in LA, and he arranged to have that horse (one of two!) at the show. Barbara runs her own little gallery out of her home, showing works of the many artist friends she has. For whatever reason the universe brought her and her horse into my life (and April's!) that day. I can't wait to see where this new-found friendship leads.