ABOUT THE ARTIST "OFFICIAL TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES ARTIST" Designer of: "KEEPER OF THE SACRED FIRE" - 2009 TOPP Tribal Collection Pony
"HOLIDAY S'MORES & MORE" - 2010 TOPP Holiday Pony and Ornament
"NAVAJO SAND PAINTER" - 2012 TOPP Spring Release Pony
"TIN STAR SHERIFF" - 2013 TOPP Fall Release Pony
JULY 2009 - "ARTIST OF THE MONTH"
What does "Official" mean?
The title "Official Trail of Painted Ponies Artist" is given only to those
Artists who have been commissioned to paint an original Painted Pony
or whose designs were chosen to be crafted into a Collectible Figurine by
the Trail of Painted Ponies, Inc. This has become a coveted title.
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The Trail of Painted Ponies was born and bred in Santa Fe, NM as a stunning public art exhibition
that invited the best artists in the country to let their imaginations run wild... now, The Trail of Painted Ponies
are crafted into miniature works of art and have become one of the most beloved collectibles in the world.
I invite you to discover the beauty and wonder of collecting The Trail of Painted Ponies.
ARTIST'S NOTE:
My association with the Trail of Painted Ponies, Inc. began in late 2006 after I had created two
Public Art Projects in western Indiana, an 8' tall Giraffe "Yeast Rolls & Ranch Dressing" (Public Choice Award Winner)
and a 5' tall Colt "Smoky Cabin Fever". My desire to design and illustrate three-dimensionally was born.
I submitted my first design to the Trail for their National Competition "America the Beautiful"
and it placed in the Top Ten. My design was, "Cradle of Peace". They took immediate notice of my design work,
contacted me and not becoming discouraged I continued to create. My ninth design submission struck gold.
Gold in the sense that my design, "Keeper of the Sacred Fire" was chosen to be crafted into one of the
2009 series of figurines. I was thrilled! After two and a half years of not giving up I was finally rewarded.
I have now placed in twelve competitions to date, was the July 2009 "Artist of the Month" and now have
my fourth figurine with the Trail produced, "Tin Star Sheriff" a 2013 Fall Release Pony.
It has been a rewarding association and one that I hope continues on as my collectors continue to grow.
Cheryl A. Harris
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COLLECTIBLE FIGURINES Designed by Cheryl
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"TIN STAR SHERIFF"
2013 FALL RELEASE TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES COLLECTIBLE FIGURINE
(Retired by the Trail of Painted Ponies)
"An old west Sheriff's Pony."
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OPEN EDITION PONIES Signed by the Artist
(First Editions)
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"NAVAJO SAND PAINTER"
2012 SPRING RELEASE TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES COLLECTIBLE FIGURINE
(Retired by the Trail of Painted Ponies)
"Designed to honor the Navajo tradition of healing where the Medicine Man would enter the hogan and create intricate paintings in sand. The sick would sit in the middle of the paintings and when the healing was complete the sands were blown away."
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OPEN EDITION PONIES Signed by the Artist
(First Editions)
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"HOLIDAY S'MORES & MORE"
2010 HOLIDAY PONY AND ORNAMENT TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES COLLECTIBLE FIGURINE
(Retired by the Trail of Painted Ponies)
"A wonderous journey through a white wonderland with a warm fire to huddle near and gifts in store,
two friends delight in some marshmallows & more!"
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OPEN EDITION PONIES Signed by the Artist
(First Editions)
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ORNAMENT AND TIN Signed by the Artist
(First Editions)
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"KEEPER OF THE SACRED FIRE"
A Tribal Collection Pony- The Potawatomi
2009 SUMMER HERD RELEASE TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES COLLECTIBLE FIGURINE
(Retired by the Trail of Painted Ponies)
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OPEN EDITION PONIES Signed by the Artist
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- SIGNATURES ONLY -
on Pre-purchased Ponies Shipped to the Artist
(Customer Pays Shipping Both Ways)
$ 15.00 per Figurine
(I sign the Figurine, Collector Card and Carton)
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ARTIST NARRATIVE
The Potawatomi, Neshnabek, the True People, the Keeper of the Sacred Fire. They began their journey far north
of the Great Lakes as part of the Fire Nation. Influenced by the French traders and trappers the canoe-travelling tribe
migrated to the shores of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois and Southern Michigan. Eventually their vast lands
began to fill the farmlands of Ohio and Indiana. They were a peace-keeping tribe but they found themselves
caught many times fighting the French and English in the colonial wars, the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
These wars eventually provided the horses that later became a necessity in their lives. During the forced removal
of many Indian tribes in 1838 to the Western reservations, the Potawatomi were led out of their Indiana homeland,
down the Wabash River Valley, and began a 660 mile walk across four states to their future homes in Oklahoma
and Kansas. Many lives were lost and this became known as the "Trail of Death". The original water tribe reformed
and continued by horse to the vast Plains of the West.
Artist's Note: Designing this piece was enlightening to me. Having grown up and now living again on the banks of the
Wabash River in Western Indiana I knew for many years the small town of Attica, IN in the northern part of my county
held their Annual Potawatomi Festival in September. I was not totally aware of the entire history of this tribe but now realize
the area in which I was born was a great part of their lives and their journey. In 1838, during the Indian removal from Indiana,
hundreds of Potawatomi crossed the Wabash River just a few miles north of my community into Illinois and on to Kansas.
I now feel their anger and their hurt. In my design I wanted to show the "intensity" of emotions this tribe must have felt by creating
the embossed heated flames of the Fire Nation yet balance it with the cool and calming waters of their origin
of the vast Great Lakes. The elaborate ornamentation on the Pony is a reflection of the influences of the French.
The talents of the women of the tribe are shown in the fine colorful silks, quillwork and beadwork with the use of the
Oak and Acorn pattern. Going to war the braves would paint their bodies in red and black. The Pony holds a very long
armband which is a reminder of the tremendous journey the Tribe made from the
Great Lakes to the Midwest to the Great Plains of the West.
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TRAIL OF PAINTED PONIES DESIGN COMPETITION AWARDS
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"Navajo Sand Painter" Figurine Design
2011 Horses in Art National Design Competition "First Place Winner"
"Native American" Figurine Design
2011 Horses in Art National Design Competition "Top 10 Finalist"
"Tin Star Sheriff" Figurine Design
2011 Horses in Art National Design Competition "Top 10 Finalist"
"Heartfelt Love" Figurine Design
2011 Horses in Art National Design Competition "Top 10 Finalist"
"Indian Corn Maze" Figurine Design
2009 Halloween Harvest Design Competition "Top Eight Finalist"
"A Filly's Affair" Figurine Design
2009 The Art of Horse Racing Design Competition "2nd Place Winner"
"Keeper of the Sacred Fire" The Potawatomi (Neshnabek) Figurine Design
2009 Tribal Collection Design Competition "Top Five Finalist"
"Marshmallows and More" Figurine Design
2009 Holiday Design Competition "2nd Place Winner"
"Asleep in the Sleigh" Figurine Design
2008 Holiday Design Competition "Honorable Mention Winner"
"Cradle of Peace II" Figurine Design
2007 America the Beautiful Design Competition - Patriotic Category "TopTen Finalist"
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