Middle-row Jumper - Bunny
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Carver: Gerry Handfield
Painters: Karen Anderson and Marilynn Carley
Size: 42" chest to rump
Status: finished
Sponsor: Mrs. Paige Stahl
When designing this wonderful horse, Lauren was inspired by the work of John Zalar. Zalar had what some describe as the gift of giving life to inanimate objects. There is a twinkle in the eye of a Zalar horse, the kind that makes you look twice to check to see that it didn't move when you glanced away. The poses are filled with vitality, inviting the rider to climb up on the horse's back. Zalar's manes go from elegantly draped to wildly flying and everywhere in between. He designed expertly carved trappings using a vast array of motifs, from the Egyptian sphinx to an English hunting party. This beautiful white jumper also has a flavour of a Carmel horse.
Perhaps Bunny's most endearing feature is the bunny found resting behind the saddle. Gerry Handfield, Bunny's carver, carved the rabbit in the evenings while on a fishing trip in Saskatchewan.
Note the remarkable likeness between the pattern for Bunny and the finished horse. Karen and Marilynn, both members of a group known as the Northern Alberta Decorative Artists, combined their considerable painting talents to achieve the outstanding similarity.