EDITOR’S NOTE: This month for our tack and equipment issue we expand the category of equine art to celebrate this woman’s resourceful use of recycled materials as well as her creativity and talent
FEATURED ARTIST: Susan Buechler, Horseshoes Etc.
Art has been part of Susan Buechler’s life for most of her adult years. After 25 years of furniture making and wood carving, Susan has switched her focus to metal. The change occurred one day as she saw some old horseshoes lying around, and began to imagine them in various shapes. Always motivated to learn new techniques and try new creations, Susan convinced her husband to teach her the skill of welding. Starting with a plasma cutter, she began to form ranch signs and eventually developed her cutting skills to include sheet metal sculptures.
Susan gathers her raw materials from several local farriers and carefully cleans the horseshoes for her recycled creations. Metal sculpted horses are cut and detailed with the plasma cutter, finished with a rusting agent and carefully detailed with a metallic rub and protective clear coat to create a rich patina finish. All of Susan’s sculptures are created from original designs. “I get an idea and I can see the finished piece in my mind”, she explains
Horses have been a major inspiration for much of Susan’s work. Being a very resourceful person, she raised her four children riding trails, often bartering her art to get just the right mount for her kids. She and her husband Les reside in Snohomish, Washington and still hit the trails with their horses, a Morgan and a Quarter Horse.
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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