CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. (Delmarva Now) — Chincoteague artist Kevin McBride wanted to create something out of the ordinary for this year's Pony Penning poster, because it is his 35th consecutive year creating artwork for the annual poster.
"It was definitely something I wanted to make something special for," McBride said.
He started work on the project in January. Each year he creates an original painting featuring the wild Chincoteague ponies to be used especially for the poster series.
At first McBride planned to do a painting with perhaps a half dozen wild Chincoteague pony stallions.
When he researched the subject, he found there are 14 stallions in all in the Virginia herds on Assateague Island — and he decided to include them all in the piece.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and cares for the Virginia wild pony herds.
It took McBride around two months of research to get all the information he needed for all 14 stallions, so that he could depict each accurately.
"I wanted to do somewhat of a dramatic scene of them running out of the ocean with the splashes — the whole nine yards," he said.
The resulting artwork is stunning, featuring two rows of wild stallions.
Pony Penning 2018: Everything you need to know about this one-of-a-kind Virginia event
It was McBride's wife who suggested the title for the painting, 'Band of Brothers.'
The name refers not only to the stallions themselves, but also to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and the Saltwater Cowboys, he said.
"So it was the perfect title for this painting, which pays a tribute to not only my 35th year, but the firemen, the Saltwater Cowboys, the stallions — just everything that Pony Penning is all about," McBride said.
The many visitors who make the trek to Chincoteague annually to participate in the events of Pony Penning week "just respect everything about Pony Penning," he said.
He wanted to reflect that respect in his artwork.
McBride said he feels blessed to have been able to create the Pony Penning poster each year for 35 years now.
His paintings "have gone all over the world," he said, including one last year that was sold to someone in Australia.
This year, in honor of his 35th year of creating art for the Pony Penning posters, McBride plans to put in the display window at his art gallery, Osprey Nest Art Gallery on Main Street on Chincoteague, a rendition of the painting he created for Pony Penning back in 1985.
The piece is called 'The Legend.'
McBride began painting wildlife at an early age in his hometown of Emerson, New Jersey, and earned a degree in fine arts from the University of Rhode Island and a second degree in art education from Montclair State University.
He later moved to Chincoteague and opened the art gallery.
"I've been on this unique island for 37 years and have tried to depict everything about this island," he said.
McBride's hope is that his art helps spread the word about the unique Pony Penning traditions of Chincoteague.
"I hope that my paintings help to bring that message all over the world," he said.
The 35th Pony Penning poster and other Pony Penning-related artwork, including 14 one-of-a-kind giclees, prints and more, are available at the Osprey Nest Art Gallery at 4096 Main St. on Chincoteague. Call the gallery at 757-336-6042.
