Page 196 - Speedhorse February 2020

THE LIGHTER SIDE
CAROL HENDRIX
Equine Artist
by John Moorehouse
For Carol Hendrix, painting has been a lifelong pursuit and passion. It wasn’t until after she spent an extended period of time
being around and working in the Quarter Horse industry that she started choosing racehorses as her subjects.
Hendrix started out raising her own Quarter Horses, during which time she worked with trainers like Leo Wood, Jerry Trammel, and Roy and Ben Barrington. Hendrix then took a job working in the racing office at Lubbock Downs. That’s when she started getting offered commissions to photograph and paint horses.
“When I started, I did not anticipate I’d be here today but those days in Lubbock gave me lots of valuable experience to build on and keep going to see it develop,” she said. “Which reminds me of another saying: ‘In
your hands you hold the seeds of failure or potential for greatness.’”
Now living in Las Vegas, Nevada, Hendrix receives commissions to create portraits of
all types of animals, as well as florals and landscapes. Her work has been featured in
the Paint Horse Journal, Texas Agriculture Magazine, The Corner Post, the Valley Horse News, the Appaloosa Horse Journal, and the Paint Racing Review. A member of Women Artists of the West and the American Academy of Equine Art, Hendrix has held exhibits in both Lubbock, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada, and also had her work shown at major tracks like Ruidoso Downs, Remington Park, and Sam Houston Race Park.
“Painting is a passion for me, which means that I HAVE to paint and I’m very hard on myself,” Hendrix said. “I will always do the very best to produce a painting of your horse that you will be proud to hang.”
Hendrix provided additional insight on her life in the latest installment of our Lighter Side feature.
Q: Where were you born?
A: I am Texas born and raised. Born in Galveston, Texas, raised in Houston, went to Texas Tech and lived in Lubbock for 26 years.
Q: What are your hobbies outside
of art?
A: Who has time for an outside hobby?
I’m pretty much afraid that I don’t have
any hobbies outside of art because I work full-time for the State and paint on the side. I’m waiting for the day when I can say I paint full time and have a hobby on the side. I’m trying to become famous before I die, not after.
Painting by Carol Hendrix
Q: What is your favorite movie,
and why?
A: I have several, including the usual big
ones like Gone With the Wind, The Sound of Music and Star Wars, but I really like the movies of the 50s and 60s. They actually have good acting plots and stories without violence and sex overwhelming the viewer, and they appeal to the better natures in us.
Q: Do you have a nickname and, if so, what is it and how did it come about? A: Yes, and it is DeDe. My younger sister couldn’t say Carol, so, I became DeDe. Seems I’ve never outgrown that nickname, but I also go by Carol Ann to those who know me well.
Q: What is the strangest
personality quirk you have
ever seen in a horse?
A: I don’t remember our horses having personality quirks, but they all had unique personalities - a lot like the kids. I think if you were training, the first thing you’d try to figure out is what kind of personality a horse has.
194 SPEEDHORSE, February 2020
“Ask yourself a question:
Is my attitude worth catching?”