Wistful Dreams Studio

This is Will Ford, a commission I took close to a year to finish. He was the main reason I quit taking customs! After Dorothy Gunzel purchased my Shire Filly Resin Rebekka's Dandelyon, she and I got to talking and became good friends. She asked me if I would be interested in doing an Old Timer Custom for her. I agreed right away, since the Old Timer is one of my all-time favorite molds. I received the OT body in April of 2005. Of course one thing led to another, and he did not get started for a month. I took my time on him, and let HIM tell me what he wanted done. I know how much Dorothy loves this mold, so I wanted to make subtle changes but good ones. Originally I had the idea to drop his ears to the side, but after MUCH deliberation, they stayed where they were. So, he had his ears, jaws and heel bulbs carved; the seams were removed from his harness; the old mane was removed; part of the cheek was resculpted with muscle; new mane added in the split style of the New York Carriage Cart horses; a new forelock sculpted; his gelding parts finished nicer; his tail was removed and wire reinforced before being resculpted, but was so heavy it still had to attach to his leg; and he had fine feathering added to his ankles. He was then handpainted in acrylics to this Black Bay. I probably spent a month looking for the right color. I was trying to find older horses with grey in the muzzle, but almost every older horse I found HAD NONE! So he got painted as realistically as I could make him! I then added an extra special touch! I added Cicada's to his blinders and hat. Dorothy's farm is called Cicada Hollow because they have swarms of them. I know she is fond of the little critters, so I thought it would be a fun touch. His hat took another long deliberation, and was a few different colors before we settled on the white with burgundy and black. This guy holds lots of meaning for me, and is the first GOOD traditional I have ever done. I am happy to say, Dorothy is VERY happy with him, too! Owned by Dorothy Gunzel of New York, officially, as of January 2006.