Thru July 15th, 2026 "Horse Power" at
Main Street Arts
Clifton Springs, New York
Yes, we had a beautiful day for a ride out to Clifton Springs to attend the opening of "Horse Power" a large group show at Main Street Arts, 20 West Main Street. When we arrived, there were many people in attendance, and 57 artists whose work had been selected for the exhibition. I saw a window display of sculptural work by Jappie King Black, a noted artist from Brockport. The pieces she displays are haunting and have a dark, fragile personality.
Over the years I have seen many group shows at Main Street Arts, but this theme exhibition has a wide range of larger and smaller pieces with many paintings and some photography, all about horses. There is a strong sculptural work that greets us as we all walk in.
A surprising thing about this presentation is the fact that I don't remember another theme show that has a focus on this animal - as popular as horses are. I do remember having seen some wonderful horses in a carriage competition held in Pittsford at the Walnut Hill Farm, but that was many years ago!
Jacquie Germanow at Main Street Arts with her painting " Innocence on The Run"
Our friend, Jacquie Germanow has a beautiful and evocative acrylic painting in this show and we stopped to admire it and speak with the artist. Her painting of a horse/unicorn is surrounded by waves of color, and if you look closely there are arrows pointing in the air giving this animal a very vulnerable appeal. We spoke about the fact that she had just varnished the painting, and I had to ask her why... she said it had many layers of old paint and some colors were lost and needed refreshing!
"Abundance" by Ann Clarke ( textile collage and embroidery )
This show also has remarkable variations, and a fabric collage caught my attention. This work is called "Abundance" and the artist is Ann Clarke. In this artwork, the horse image comes along with a panoply of other focus features, and I just thought that the embroidery and composition must have been a real challenge to put this work together!
"MoonShadow" a painting by Valentina Yannotti
If you visit Main Street Arts, be sure to go upstairs ( you could even take the elevator! ) to see the art on the second level because there are some fine pieces like this painting above, by Valentina Yannotti. Right nearby there is a wonderful photo ( is it printed on glass? ) called "Black Knight" by Diane W. Dersch. This black and white photo has a terrific texture, and really captures this alert animal!
"Black Knight", photography by Diane W. Dersch
Upstairs there is a fabric collage by Beth Brown that I think you might enjoy! All told, this show is fun, and it brings home the wonderful variety of approaches that artists can take with a subject that is certainly NOT ordinary!
