You Have to Start Somewhere…

Well, I found it – a photo of my first oil painting, of my favourite racehorse, Norcliffe.  I still don’t know where the original is.  Around here somewhere!  If I remember correctly, this was an 8 x 10 on canvas board. Considering it was my first oil ever, it’s not entirely embarrassing!  I think I got worse before I got better!

Norcliffe (Buckpasser-Drama School, by Northern Dancer) was 1976 Queen’s Plate winner and Horse of the Year in Canada, and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2005.  I never got to meet Norcliffe, but I did work for his owner, and looked after one of his daughters.  I’ll never forget the day I got to take her out to the turf course at Payson Park – but that’s as close as I got to the big horse himself!