First Look

After closing the gallery early (7:00 pm) last night, I went over to the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion to have a look at the Crossgate exhibit, but as I walked through the gate on Nelson Avenue, the sweet smell of timothy hay and horses hit me and I was immediately transported to heaven. How I've missed that wonderful smell! I've always said there are two types of people in the world - the ones who like the smell of horses and the ones who don't. I have no tolerance for the ones who don't.

The place was completely deserted. There weren't any prospective buyers, grooms or stable hands anywhere in sight. It was very strange - I got the feeling I wasn't supposed to be there. In those quiet, dark stalls there are millions of dollars worth of sleeping yearlings, representing countless hours of work, money and planning to get them to this moment.
The sales office was closed. The doors to the pavilion were also locked. I looked around and saw a TV replaying the day's races to an empty paddock. It was quite eerie - like I was the only one left on the planet. Some major changes have been made to the walking ring and paddock area. Lots of new boulders and a forest of giant red Cannas, planted along the paths leading to the sales ring, to make it look more upscale. Someone's idea of landscaping to impress, I guess.
I walked around to the other side of the pavilion and found that door open. I took the stairs up to the second floor and found what I was looking for - the walls of the upper galley covered top to bottom with paintings. The gallery looks like a work in progress. They obviously haven't finished hanging the show, since there were lots of paintings stacked against the walls and in corners. As an artist, I always want to see what other artists are doing, especially successful ones. Of course, perception is everything. As a gallery owner, I want to see what my competition is doing.
For example, I have a large Heather St. Clair Davis painting in the gallery - probably the only one on the market today - but I wanted to make sure there weren't any others for sale before I advertise it as such. I soon discovered Greg has one too - a study rather than a finished painting. It was interesting to look at from an artist's perspective. I could see how Heather started a painting, building up the sky and layers of trees and brush. I only wish she were still alive. She was truly an incredible talent.
The painting I have is a large canvas, one of the last she painted. It's a little atypical of her work - a landscape with a panoramic view of the English countryside, a row of cottages and some horses grazing nearby. There's also a fox in the lower half of the painting, just right of the center, looking at the horses. A nice touch.

"Upper Farmcote" by Heather St. Clair Davis, Oil on Canvas, 24" x 30"

A lovely British pastoral scene. Notice the fox in the brush, just to the right of the path.

What surprised me instantly were the prices. They've come way down since I was here last (2008). It's a bit of a shock. I've known for a while that the equine art market has suffered in recent years, but it's worse than I thought. As with everything else, it's a buyer's market right now.
Frost & Reed saw the writing on the wall back in 2005. They pulled up stakes after 25 years in Saratoga Springs. That was even before the 2008 market crash and recession. They've been in business for over a hundred years, publishing prints and eventually selling million dollar Munnings and Herrings to old money in Europe and America. They're not in the sporting art business any more. Now I know why. Still, hope springs eternal.
After taking two turns around the gallery, I feel I've seen enough and leave. As I pass the rows of quiet stalls, I notice a yearling has been taken out of his stall and is being ministered to by a couple of grooms, so I head down the shed row to have a look. The groom immediately tells me I'm looking at a million dollar colt. He isn't just talkin' the talk; he's right. I happened to have stumbled onto a colt by Frankel, out of She Be Wild. His half brother, Brooklyn Bobby is running today in the first race, a mile and a 1/16th maiden special weight for 2-year-olds on the inner turf course. He's the favorite. His sire, Frankel, raced in Britain and is considered to be one of the greatest racehorse in the world, being undefeated in 14 starts. I don't have the yearling sales catalogue, so I don't know how many Frankel yearlings are in the sale, but this is definitely on of its stars! Imagine my luck, just happening upon this stellar baby on a quiet Friday night!
They put him back in the stall after about 20 minutes, so I head towards the gate. I can't resist going down one last shed row when I see a night groom walking down the aisle, flicking the stall lights on and off, checking the occupants inside, and moving on to the next stall. All is well. Good night.