It may not seem like a picture of the Sun as a horse is a particularly seasonal thing to post at Christmastime, but if you consider that celebrations of lights and light-bringers have been observed around the winter solstice for as long as there have been solar gods and heroes to celebrate, then this is about as festive as it gets.
So happy holidays—here comes the sun! In this case, Sol Horse, the latest addition to my series of Planet Horses. He is brought to you by India ink and colored pencil, metallic pen and acrylic paint. The original measures 11″x14″ and has been spoken for, but will be making an appearance at the Further Confusion art show next month. I will also have prints of him for sale at my table in the Dealer’s Room.
Fun facts!
Sol, the Sun, center of our solar system, is a G-type main-sequence star, sometimes informally (and inaccurately) referred to as a yellow dwarf. Despite its modest size in comparison to giant stars such as Betelgeuse and Mintaka, Anilam and Alnitak, it still accounts for roughly 99.85% of the mass in the Solar System.
Sol, the horse, head of the Planet Horse series, is represented by a Clydesdale draft horse, with a lot of flare and corona. Although the sun is popularly gendered male these days, in Old Norse she was Sól or Sunna, a goddess whose daughter will personify the sun after the events of Ragnarök. And although I’ve been using male pronouns to refer to this Sol neither have I given him any sexually dimorphic traits, so the viewer may use whatever best pleases them. Of course the actual sun, being a swiftly spinning near-perfect sphere of nuclear fusion with no secondary stellar satellites, is the very embodiment of non-binary.
I have one more addition to the series planned, and Patrons will soon be getting WIP shots of her. You can join the party here starting at just $1/month.
