You see, I have a complicated relationship with artist resins. Although some of them are the most drop-dead gorgeous horse-shaped objects that I have ever seen, for some reason I seldom find myself yearning to own one.
In part, I think it's because it kind of seems wrong to me to own a beautiful artist resin and not show it. I'm not an artist of any sort, but I sort of feel that if an artist is going to go to the trouble of making a beautiful sculpture and then having it reproduced in a highly detailed resin, that artist wants those resins to go forth and spread the word about that artist's talent.
I could be completely wrong about this. After all, equine artists who have their sculptures cast in bronze probably aren't hoping those bronzes will go out and win show ribbons. They probably just want to make a beautiful thing that someone else will also find beautiful, and will take into their home. The same may be true of resin horse sculptors for all I know.
Another reason for my resistance to artist resins, though, is a matter of cost. It's not that I think resins are overpriced -- I don't. Considering the amount of time and talent poured into their creation, they're probably a pretty good bargain. But when artist resins first hit the hobby, I was not making very much money and couldn't even afford a customized model (known at that time by the clunky moniker "R/R/H," meaning "remade [repositioned], repainted, and haired"). There was no way, therefore, that I could afford to both buy a blank resin and then commission an artist to paint it.
I also couldn't really wrap my head around the difference between a repainted plastic horse and a painted resin horse. If I bought an R/R/H horse I could be confident that it would look like no other model horse on the show table. But before people began to customize resins, all resin bodies in a particular run looked alike -- only the paint jobs made them different from one another. It just didn't make sense to me.
And finally, I wasn't convinced about the stability of the medium. Plastics will age, but model horses made in the 1950s were still in good shape 30 years later. Resin was new, and unproven. Who knew how long it would last?
Idyyl Art Highland Pony
It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the first two resins that joined my collection came in the form of raffle and contest prizes. The first was one of 25 Highland Ponies created by Karon Grieve of Idyyl Art. He came to me pre-painted, so keeping him was a no-brainer.
Animal Artistry Arabians
My second resin was the miniature standing Arabian foal by Donna Chaney of Animal Artistry. She came to me as an unpainted resin, but she didn't require much prep work and I had a friend who loved painting who agreed to paint her for me at a very reasonable price.
EquinArt Miniature Donkey
Next to arrive, many years later, was a cute little Gulliver donkey resin by Candace Liddy of EquinArt. I bought him as a finished piece, directly from the sculptor at a live model horse show. More recently, I got a finished Animal Artistry miniature trotting Arabian stallion in a trade, providing my foal with a father.
Laf'n Bear Shetland Pony
The last to arrive was a little Netzky Shetland pony by Lynn Fraley of Laf'n Bear. I've long been a fan of Lynn's work and I'm a sucker for Shetland ponies, so when the chance came to get a finished one I went for it. To tell the truth, I'd rather have a "clinky" Netzky, but finding one of those little girls for sale at any kind of affordable price is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.
As far as I can remember I've only had two other resins residing briefly with my herd: Laurie Jo Jensen's LJ Round Robin and D'Arry Jone Frank's Mozart. I got one in trade and gave the other away in a trade, but I really did like them both -- just not enough for them to stay.
Would I add another resin to my herd? I wouldn't rule out the possibility completely, but if I did it would probably come in the form of a contest or raffle prize. I never actively shop for resins, but there are a few I like floating around out there, and if I happened upon one at the right time and in the right place, you never know.
Never say "never," right?
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