Untitled from the collection of Summit County Public Art

Untitled, 1998

oil on canvas

23 x 17 in

Location: Summit County Administration Building 60 N Main St Coalville, UT 84017 (Google map)

In Marcia Dent's oil painting, a star-faced horse runs through a velvety green meadow. In the background a jagged and severe mountain rises into the deep azure of the sky. The piece gives the feeling of freedom the horse's feet barely touch the ground, its tail is up, its head is high. It seems to understand the luxury of the space and the perfection of the summer day as it canters across the meadow. The artist gave special treatment to the horse, which is centered in the composition. She carefully renders the sunlight reflected off the horse's back and the details and contours of its muscles, while she lets the foliage be slightly looser, softer, so that the viewer's focus is on the subject in the foreground, though clearly the joyousness of the animal cannot be separated from the beauty of its surroundings.

1998 Council Award