Margaret Culver loves horses and she shares that passion with others through her artwork depicting these majestic creatures.

“That’s what speaks to me and I think when you’re an artist, you have to find what speaks to you,” said the Oxford Township resident who lives on a 40-acre farm.
Culver’s acrylic paintings of horses can be found hanging in homes across the United States as well Canada and Sweden.
Last year, some of her work was displayed at the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Florida and will be again, this winter.
One of her paintings, entitled “Esprit” (shown on Page 11), was transformed into a streetlight banner and is currently on display along Vero Beach’s Miracle Mile. “That will be there for probably another nine months,” she said.
As an artist, Culver believes she has “a fairly unique voice.”
“My horses are not what the average person expects to see in a horse painting,” she said. “My paintings are for the modern equestrian. They’re a mixture of impressionism and realism.”
Culver explained “most” horse paintings are “like portraits” in that they’re “much more realistic” in appearance.
Her paintings are different in that they try to capture “the spirit of the horse” through “movement” and “emotion.”
She wants her paintings to be the artistic equivalent of looking straight into one of these animal’s eyes and truly understanding what it’s thinking, what it’s feeling and what it means to be a horse.
Culver often begins a painting with a specific idea, but then the work “starts to take on a life of its own.”
“It talks back to you. It tells you what it wants to do, where you should be going with it,” she explained. “Other things don’t speak to me like horses do.”
Culver has been painting for about 15 years. She started in her late 50s following her retirement as a special education teacher with Farmington Public Schools.
She studied with Frits Van Eeden, an internationally-recognized Dutch artist who has a studio in Melbourne, Florida.

“He inspired and mentored me,” Culver said. “He has a passion for horses, also. He just was very helpful in getting me started and very supportive of what I was doing. Very encouraging.”
Culver also studied with Diann Benoit, a nationally-known painter based in Michigan.
“She’s been just a wonderful teacher and mentor,” she said.
Although she’s lived in Oxford since 1997, Culver has been familiar with the area since she began riding horses at Win-A-Gin Farms (3610 Delano Rd.) in the early 1970s.
“I didn’t get my first horse until I graduated from college and got my first job,” she said.
She started riding with trainer Tim Wright in the late 1960s and continues with him to this day.
“I’m his longest continuous customer,” she said.
Culver spent about 20 years competing on horseback and was “fairly successful,” winning some medals and championships.
“I still ride, but I ride now more for pleasure,” she said. “I don’t compete anymore. I haven’t competed in several years.”
She used to take part in foxhunts and is a longtime member of the Metamora Hunt Club.
Culver currently owns a 14-year-old Belgian warmblood mare, who’s formal name is Field Mouse and barn name is Mouse.
Her name is quite ironic considering her massive size.
“She is 18 hands (tall), which means her back is 6 feet off the ground,” Culver said.
During the fall, Culver’s art can be viewed and purchased at The Classic Horse Equestrian Jewelry Collection (4010 S. Oak St.) in downtown Metamora. Her paintings are gallery-wrapped, so they do not require frames, and they can be made into coasters and glass cutting boards for everyday use.
To learn more about Culver and her artwork, please visit mlculverart.com.