Kym Day

I paint using traditional oil glazing techniques first developed during the Italian Renaissance, working on either canvas or wood panel. Each piece begins with a monochromatic underpainting that establishes the composition and values, followed by multiple translucent layers of color. These glazes build luminous depth and rich saturation. My imagery reveals the lovesick daydreams and restless imagination of a horseless horsegirl. As a child, I watched my mother sculpt horses from clay, and through her hands, they became vessels for emotion and spirit. That early experience shaped the way I see both animals and art: as mirrors for our inner lives. Horses quickly became a lifelong symbol in my work, of freedom, longing, and self-recognition. My work preserves the absurd imagination of my childhood, nourished by myth and mystery literature throughout. In these imagined worlds, dreamy horses beckon the viewer to climb on and wander into a luminous dreamscape. Some walk through the sky, collecting stars on their coats as they pass through clouds, while others yet take a seat while they wait, majestic yet endearingly awkward. These horses act as mirrors for our own becoming: both noble in growth and tender in vulnerability. They are the living myths a proverbial horsegirl longs to stumble upon. When paired with the disciplined techniques of Renaissance oil glazing, this contrast invites the viewer to look twice, to see both the mastery of tradition and the rebellion within it. The result is a fusion of reverence, reverie, and the sublime. I find great joy in merging beauty with absurdity.