Description
Gray Ghost
2002—2018
“When he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
How appropriate this quote about Romeo and Juliet for this well loved and revered stallion who is now twinkling in the night sky! To many he was their Romeo! Some called him the Unicorn or the Gypsy, or for me he was just Gray Ghost. The ever quiet, steadfast and beautiful wild stallion who lived from Paddock Creek to the southern boundary of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Gray Ghost became a face in heaven sometime the fall of 2018, his health had been deteriorating for many months. I will leave speculation to others, as I choose to remember him for what he was. He lived his life wild until the end. Jamie and I were with him in May of 2018 and we both knew it may be the last time we would see him alive. Then in August during my Artist in Residence, Jackie and I were able to witness him defending his band against that upstart Ranger, an exciting morning to see this wild stallion who was rarely animated come to life, to do what he was intended to do and had been doing since becoming a band stallion, protecting his harem! This harem he inherited after Gary changed worlds, having lost his original harem in 2015 to those two, bachelor brothers, Teton and Wild Rye.
I went back to the spring of 2017 to find this image of Gray Ghost. He had a beautiful, robust harem who are just off the frame of this image. This morning, two roaming stallions, one a bachelor, one a band stallion, were traveling the area that Gray Ghost had now adopted near Ridgeline in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Gray Ghost’s new landscape he now called home, was controlled by the harem left behind by the late band stallion Gary’s mares. Those mares that were now being searched out by rival stallions the morning of this image, bringing Gray Ghost to life and animation as he made sure Circus and Georgia’s Boy did not abscond with one of his pretty girls!
Gray Ghost was one of the first stallions that presented themselves to me back in the early 2000’s in TRNP—I had yet to meet Blaze. I couldn’t get enough of him. Since, on each trip to the park, he was always at the top of my list to find and hope for a moment of backlight on that beautiful mane, or witness him defending his harem! As many, many, many have hoped the same! Gray Ghost was and will always be the favorite of sooooo many! He will be forever missed! He leaves behind a son and daughters to carry on, and maybe one day there will be another handsome, iridescent gray stallion with a wavy mane to remind us of that unicorn like spirit, Gray Ghost!
For me, Gray Ghost, will be one I will often dig into the archives, to find the images which will show his beauty, his tenacity as a band stallion, and so he will be immortalized in art.
This one of a kind 24×16 limited edition print is professionally framed to protect your investment for the next generations. Printed by a master printer this fine art piece is framed with a black wood frame, white archival mat, and archival UV acrylic. Includes an added professional look to give the artwork more depth when viewing. Signed, titled, and numbered by the artist with a graphite pencil and includes a Certificate of Authenticity (COA).
We are donating a portion of this sale to a non-profit in the state the image was captured who advocate for wild horses through education or therapies, or who work directly with the BLM or NPS in providing on range management or ongoing adoption solutions.