Prairie Horse Studio
Hello and welcome! Faced in a new world of rebranding, Oquendo Studios has become Prairie Horse Studio starting in 2022.
Experience the West though Nicole Laposta’s eyes. She paints to show what it is like to be among horses in the great open country and as a means of capturing the blood and bone responses of the horse in images of speed, freedom, alarm, curiosity and exuberance. Nicole is a lifelong admirer of the equine. from endless studies to mindful reflections of the importance a horse is within her life. Her work transforms and transfixes a world that focuses on mental stability, inner calmness, self discovery, and a deeper connection to the world around her. Nicole recognizes our common nature and manifestation of what is within us is often hidden and complicated. She finds her subjects at rodeos, the sporting show-biz remnants of a practical past to the solemn quietness of the fields we submerse ourselves in.
Nicole’s bucking horse paintings show a world of adrenaline-born moments when both horse and rider are tapping into their primal resources. Fight and Flight. They are about hanging onto a rough ride, surviving, and welcoming the pressures of life, no matter how forced they may be. The cowboy images refers to that forthright, self-reliant, frontier-broaching man with a high moral compass to survival, strength and determination. It refers to living close to the rigors and rhythms of nature, a connection that has increasing value in a word that is getting smaller with easy communication, travel and all in the pursuit of happiness through convenience. As we are aware of the changes in the world we are also reminded of our own deep and instinctive connection to nature.
Nicole’s favorite times are exploring animal life on farms and ranches as well as the great outdoors absorbing the details of life.