“HOOFBEATS AND HEARBEATS” by Peter Justl

Event Details

On September 7th, the public is invited to feel the beat! The opening reception of “HOOFBEATS AND HEARTBEATS”, new works by Peter Justl, will be held from 5pm to 8 pm at Mary Martin Gallery, 103 Broad Street, Charleston. The show will be on exhibit throughout the month of September.

Inspiration for the show came from a fund raising project for a non-profit organization, Spirit Therapies, which provides the mentally and physically less fortunate the experience of connecting with horses.

Justl found working with the therapy horses a joy; “From the start, I was taken with their beauty, power, spirit, grace and playful exuberance. I knew then that I wanted to learn more about these magnificent creatures.”

Further expresses Justl, “I hope that I have conveyed through my work how profoundly I have been touched by their nobility, the beauty, their strength and their spirit.” “Horses are said to have done more to change human history than any other domestic animal. They have carried explorers to new lands, taken soldiers into battle, plowed our fields, herded cattle, and performed countless other jobs. They provide us with sport, recreation, companionship.”

Descriptions and explanations as to the horses and their activities represented in each of Justl’s paintings will be available to visitors of the exhibit. As with oil painting, “Barrel Dancer”: TTechnically, this is barrel racing. But on this day, he appeared to possess the heart of a dancer, more graceful with his efforts at perfection than merely trying to win a competition where success is gauged primarily by whoever achieves the fastest time. Jazz dancing employs a refined, difficult move called a barrel turn but that’s different because people do it and it’s something, quite honestly, that’s almost impossible to do when one has four feet. But this horse with a dancer’s, passion, elegance, skill, and power might agree with Fred Astaire’s quote, “I’m just a hoofer with a spare set of tails”.

Born in Karlsruhe, Germany, the Justl family first immigrated to Canada and later settled in Texas. In the early 1990’s, after a successful and rewarding career as an architect, Justl began fulfilling his life-long dream of a career as a full time artist. Drawing upon his years of experience as a gifted architectural illustrator, Justl began painting commissioned works for private clients.

Justl has received multiple awards and continue to be featured in prestigious venues.
A member of Oil Painters of America, Justl’s painting “Beauty” was recently selected to participate in the prestigious annual Oil Painters of America 2012 National Exhibition in Evergreen, Colorado.

Justl understanding of the complementary qualities of composition, balance and light stimulate and energize his paintings which are widely collected nationally and internationally.