Artist Fred Stone to Exhibit April 27 & 28

Partners

Equine artist, Fred Stone of Agoura Hills, has a rare solo exhibit scheduled for April 27 and 28 at the Thousand Oaks Community Gallery in Newbury Park. Stone is world famous for his paintings of horses and horse racing themes. Among his credits is the world's largest equine mural in the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. But Fred Stone's best known work does not include any horses. It is a poster done to commemorate the heroism of the New York City Firefighters who died on 9/11. The poster, titled "Partners," has raised more than a half million dollars for charity and the families of 9/11 firefighters. In the words of local artist, Kathi Colman, the poster depicts a "weary and heartsick firefighter finding solace in the embrace of his loyal search partner -who has already experienced far too much for any one soul to hold." It is a superbly accurate description of the work, but, of course, the image conveys so much more. It is evocative of a moment in our history when all Americans felt a sense of loss, a sense of empathy and gratitude toward the selfless men and women who serve as our protectors, and, most of all, a deep sense of our connection to one another.

I encourage you to go see the exhibit on April 27 or 28. You will have a chance to meet Fred Stone and to see some of his remarkable work.