OCH Happy Hunting with Malcolm Matheson

OCH Happy Hunting with Malcolm Matheson is a painting by Gail Guirreri-Maslyk.

"I took thousands of photos of Orange County Hounds (OCH) when departing from the fixture Chilly Bleak, our barn of 6 years. I had never lived in hunt country let alone on a popular fixture. Following hounds in my truck in any weather was a thrill. Trailers rolling in by the dozens early in the morning and the sound of hounds waiting for the day to begin even got my breeding horses excited with anticipation. As riders mounted all would gather for a warm welcome from MFH Malcolm Matheson. It took me quite some time to decide which photo I would use for reference since I have so many. I ended up combining a few thoughts in my final decision. Actually quite a few compositions in the show Tally HO Holiday are combined compositions; fairly new to my process. Most important though, I wanted to capture Malcolm's radiant smile."

"As I have talked with art collectors and artists from outside of our hunting community I realize they don't understand our lifestyle or sport at all. They worry for the fox that we know is likely two steps ahead. They see hunting as frivolous and we don't live in reality. But when hunting we are up before dawn, breathing crisp air and seeing beautiful views that bring tears to our eyes compared to the expected normal of sitting in traffic for hours. Friendships are spread far and wide through hunting in a community that crosses the ocean and languages. Hunting also gives us healthy strong exercise with our noble creatures that keeps us driven to keep up. If you ask me, this is much more one in reality than a city life. I hope my art can help outsiders understand through emotional compositions why we love fox hunting and the open space that allows it. This painting helped me realize this thread running through my decision in compositions I seek to paint."