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“Cowboy” is the common vernacular when it comes to speaking of ranch hands, but these artists know the strength, capability, and joy of women on the range, having been there themselves. Enjoy this selection of work from Sandra Lee Kaplan, and view Wild and Wonderful, our current exhibition showcasing the wild, diverse, bold, refined, playful, and exploratory work of our women of the arts.
Sandra Lee Kaplan is a photographer based in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. Her decades of experience as a fashion photographer ensures that every encounter is captured with technical prowess and spontaneous images that lead the viewer to the moment. And yet she is most passionate about horses, capturing unique insights that portray their true character, beauty and individuality.
Kaplan is always reaching for something new for the sake of discovery. Whether she is discovering Spirit Bears of British Columbia, wild horses of Colorado, Moroccan stallions, printing on challenging surfaces like handmade paper, photographic papers, canvas, or aluminum sheeting, she is looking to push her own limits. When it comes to her subject matter, her preference — even passion — is for the animals, especially horses.
Regardless of the country she’s in or the breed, Sandy is emotionally moved by the power and strength of horses. Whether they are standing still or on the run, Sandy earns her way into their world and aims her lenses in search of their true character, capturing unique insights that portray beauty and individuality. Often placing herself in potentially dangerous situations, Sandy has been amongst stampeding wild horses, and in one-on-one “conversations” with a prized Lucitano Stallion. Her decades of experience as a fashion photographer ensure that every encounter is captured by the appropriate f-stop and shutter speed. The result: spontaneous images that lead the viewer out into the desert heat or cool morning fog to behold extraordinary equine magic.
In 1996 Kaplan took her journey and expertise to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado seeking freedom to experiment with life beyond human. Her cameras became her paintbrushes and the results expectations. Her shows in Colorado and New York have made her work sought after by collectors. The natural evolution of a gift such as hers is to share and to teach, which she is now doing part time at the Red Brick Center for the Arts, an Associate of Aspen Art Museum, and Colorado Mountain College, as well as in Door County, Wisconsin.
“‘Power‘ was taken in Craig, Colorado of wild horses being moved from the range in Spring. As these horses were being brought down, they broke free and raced towards me and my camera… I remained crouched down, eye glued to the lens, finger on the button, shooting away as the horses charged across the river towards me. ‘Power’ was the remarkable combination of nature, instinct, and years of experience culminating into one frame.”
sandra lee kaplan
