Meet Myla Pearce | Equine Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Myla Pearce and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Myla, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Myla Pearce, of Half Fast Farms Studio. I am a farm girl, born in Pennsylvania in 1959. I grew up on the Menzie Dairy draft horse farm in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. My father trained and drove their six horse hitch. I was closely involved, but felt I had to spend way too many hours polishing harness! The upside of that were the detailed drawings I was able to do of them. The farm also had five gaited American Saddlebreds, and I had two horses of my own that I showed in driving, pleasure and hunters. One was a very special palomino Welsh pony named Queen, who was my best friend until the day she passed on. Queen had been a retired pulling pony. Queen taught me so much, including that was that there were many ways to dismount. The other horse was a beautiful flea-bitten gray gaited Arabian cross mare named Specter. She had a ground covering running walk that was just spectacular, and what a delight on trails.
In 1977, I went to Indiana University of PA art school, got my BA. I also rode for the university Equestrian team all four years. After college I worked as freelance artist and in art galleries as an art consultant for several years while still riding and showing horses. In 1985 I wanted to live in the west and work with horses so went through farriers school in Jackson Wyoming. After that I worked as a horseshoer on ranches and polo fields around Jackson WY, eventually moving to Colorado (Telluride). There I also worked in art galleries and shoeing horses. Soon I was shoeing full time and traveled extensively in the four corners region shoeing, training, and drawing and painting horses.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel like everything I’ve learned in my life and all my life experiences have led me to the career I have today as an equine artist. Not only do I paint and draw horses, but mostly my career now is about “model horses”. These are highly accurate scale models that are sculpted by top artists, cast as limited editions of about 50 pieces in white resin, then sold as “blank canvases” to be painted by artists like me and sold to collectors. Although models can be painted any color from fantasy to reality, extreme realism is prized and highly sought after among collectors. The really amazing thing about model horse collecting is that there are model horse shows where collectors bring their models and the pieces compete in classes. The owner showing the work does not have to be the person who painted the piece like in a traditional art show although artists do compete with their own work. Artists whose work consistently wins at these competitions are sought out and usually have long waiting lists for commissions. There are also companies who mass produce plastic versions of model horses, the Peter Stone company and Breyer bring two of the more well known in the USA. Breyer has been around since the late 1950s and as a child my parents bought me model horses which were my first introduction to model horse collecting. I was fascinated by their realism and beautiful colors, and still have my childhood collection. Looking at them now I have to laugh because several of them I tried to repaint myself. Little did I know how telling of my future those attempts were!
In the year 2000 decided to retire from shoeing horses as I had a torn rotator cuff. At that time I owned my own horse farm in Colorado named Half Fast Farms and had been so busy shoeing, breeding, showing and training horses that I wasn’t doing much art. I had been playing around with painting a few model horses as I still collected them but with the shoeing part of my business gone and having to take time off while my injury healed, I took up my art again. It was about this time I found out about model horse shows and attended a few. I was so inspired to try my hand at seriously painting them and competing. At my first show my models placed.very well and suddenly I had customers commissioning me to paint their models. Since then my work has won top awards both nationally and internationally! Yes model horse shows are worldwide. I have my personal work in 23 countries. In 2005 I was honored by The Peter Stone Company requesting me to paint model horses at their factory as a guest artist. I painted a limited signed and numbered edition for them and again in 2006 then earlier this year I spent a week at their new facility painting several one of a kind pieces, and a small signed edition of 9 Appaloosa mules. Breyer also saw my work win at their annual Breyerfest show and have asked me to design horses for their Collector Club web special and their Premier club.
Isn’t it amazing how it all ties together? And my college education, I took photography, which I use daily photographing my work, all the painting and art classes, riding on the equestrian team, all of it. And my equestrian lifestyle with my years of hands on experience allows me to bring all of that to every piece I create.
I won’t say it’s been easy but it’s like it was all predetermined the way the pieces have fallen into place. I even shoe my model horses so bring that facet of my life into my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I lived in the Falcon area for the longest time so the Springs was where we went for fun then. I’m now living in Pueblo West so I’ll start here. I love the reservoir with the beautiful mountains in the distance. A hike around the lake and then for the evening head to the River Walk and the lovely shops and eateries there. The Pueblo Art Guild is another stop. I show my work there and they exhibit several wonderful artists. The building is really cool too with its Santa Fe style architecture and being in the park. Since we’re south here then we would have to hit the Royal Gorge and then further south to the Great Sand Dunes. No trip south is complete without experiencing the incredible Bishop’s Castle! Since most of my friends are horse loving people we would have to go visit my friend Daryl Boller and her family and critters on Saddlerock ranch out in Calhan. To me there is nothing like the open expanses of the prairie looking back toward the mountains like they have on their ranch. In the Springs, the Pikes Peak rodeo is always entertaining and when that’s over Cowboys is fun for the line dancing and music. A trip to the top of Pikes Peak is something I’ve always wanted to do so I’d have to put that on my itinerary. Then 7 falls! Now that is an awesome experience. The hike up through the canyon to get to the falls is beautiful and the restaurant at the base of the falls is a wonderful experience. The falls is o erebelming! I’m not brave enough to go up the stairs o er the falls but did take the elevator up for the view. Breathtaking!
Next is Garden of the Gods for the day. We would have to ride horses through it. Dinner at Phantom Canyon. Great food and atmosphere.
There’s so much to see and do I could ho on forever. Those are a few of my favorites.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My father, Ray Klipa, was an amazing horseman. Growing up on the farm with him and watching him take the lines of a six horse hitch and drive them was pretty incredible. I learned his love of horses. When I was young before I had my own horse I would draw pictures of them and that was where I got started with my interest in art. Along the way I had several wonderful art teachers in school but one really stood out, Mrs. Irene Patrick. She opened my eyes to so many ways to see the world around me and taught me how to really look at things. She helped me hone my skills and was so encouraging. I’m blessed in that we are still in touch today and I hope I make both her and my dad proud of my success in my work.

Website: www.Halffastfarms.Net

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/half_fast_farms_studio/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/HalfFastFarms/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/MylaPearce