BreyerFest 2024, Part 1: Hagen-Renaker Fellowship

One of the comments I get most often about this blog is that I need to post more often. And my intention for years has absolutely been to be a more prolific writer here, but I have a tendency to let research for my posts spiral out of control, and they end up being dissertations instead of more simple articles. I really enjoy hunting down minutiae. It's fun! But it also results in this blog being way too quiet for months at a time while I chase sources and fall down research rabbit holes. So that said, I'm going to attempt to write more bite-sized posts in between the novellas. My goal for now is to try to post once a week, and if I can find the time to write more frequently, I will.

I know we're about a month out from BreyerFest now, so I hope this won't be boring content, but reentry after BF is always an adjustment, especially when you throw in a 50 hour work week and problematic sleeping habits. But there are shiny ponies to be seen here which has to count for something!

My sister Sarah and I kicked off BreyerFest week with a trip up to Hagen-Renaker Tennessee to commune with our fellow clinky lovers at the Hagen-Renaker Collectors Club Fellowship get together. Held at the Ceramic Animal Museum, the educational wing of the working pottery that is HR TN, Fellowship was a low-key event where club members could do a little shopping, catch up with friends, and see the sensational ode to American animal figurines that Kristina Lucas has carefully curated and displayed in the museum.

Sarah and I got into town the evening before just in time to grab a late dinner which we ate while sitting by the hotel pool, soaking our feet and enjoying utterly perfect weather. The sunset that evening was spectacular.

The following morning, we got up early to take advantage of our budget hotel's complimentary breakfast. We're used to staying in slightly less budget hotels that at least have the basics like eggs, fruit, cereal, and yogurt for breakfast, but we were very underwhelmed to find only plain oatmeal packets, no hot water for said oatmeal, and the tiniest, most pathetic coffee cups for the sad beverage that passed as coffee there.

We headed out, thus unfortified, but at least with the knowledge that there would be real food and coffee available at HR TN.

This was the first Fellowship event since before the pandemic, and the turn-out was terrific---around 40 collectors from all over the country visited. It was wonderful to see old friends and to meet a few longtime online friends in person for the first time, too.

The Ceramic Animal Museum is (not surprisingly) mostly devoted to the work of Hagen-Renaker, particularly Maureen Love's incredible body of sculpture. It also features Maureen's work from other ventures (Maureen Love Originals, Made With Love, etc) as well as pieces from related artists like Robyn Sikking, her daughter Laurilyn Burson, and fellow California artist Dorothy Kindell.

A peek inside the museum (featuring Heather Mays!)
(Photo by Kristina)

Just inside the front door is Sue Nikas' personal painting booth exactly as she left it when the California factory closed at the end of 2021. Sue was the daughter of Hagen-Renaker's founders, John and Maxine Renaker, and she ran HR for many years before passing the torch on to Kristina.

A poignant bit of Hagen-Renaker history

The first museum cases hold an interesting sampling of Hagen-Renaker history as well as ware from related and neighboring potteries. Here is just a small sampling of the delights to be seen!

The mold book!

This sweet pair is by Dorothy Kindell, a southern California potter best know for her tiki ware and ceramic nudes. She made a number of horse figurines as well with distinctive mottled glazes in several colors.

The museum also features a large exhibit of Robyn Sikking's work. She is best known to HR collectors as the artist behind the Designer's Workshop Chatter squirrel family and their mini counterparts, but she was also a prolific artist who made many collectible animals, angels, and other cute figurines for her own ceramics business. Robyn's daughter Laurilyn Burson learned the pottery craft from her mother and also worked for Hagen-Renaker. Later, she partnered with Maureen Love for several projects including Made With Love and Molds From Maureen's Garage. Laurilyn is particularly well-known for her innovative raku work.

The museum has some very interesting displays showing the behind the scenes work of running a successful pottery---molding samples, slip milling consistency examples, and many tiles showing how glazes look once fired. The photo below shows a sampling of these trial pieces along with a variety of unfinished ware. The initialed tiles were included in the kiln by the artist who worked on each batch of ware. If something went wrong or needed to be fixed in the next batch, the artist could be identified to correct the issues.

The Performing Misty mold

Many examples of Maureen's horses and animals made by Hagen-Renaker are on display. This shelf is a memorial display for late HRCC member Jayne Kubas.

There are also many examples of ware tested by HR that never went into production for one reason or another. Collectors call them "Never Mades." The pieces below were created in a similar vein by Maureen and fellow HR artist Helen Perrin Farnlund for a venture of their own. 

My favorite displays are the many birds (and other small animals) Maureen made for her Maureen Love Originals line, made as gifts for friends and family, or finished in the same style on HR waste castings. Her water birds in particular are my absolute favorites. Someday, I hope to own one of her lovely herons or egrets.

The museum is also home to an incredible collection of Maureen's two dimensional art, from cards she made for family members as a child to sketches of the real horses and animals her sculptures were inspired by to exquisite finished pastels like this one.

When Sue Nikas passed away in June 2022, Kristina Lucas inherited full ownership of the Hagen-Renaker company and has carried on producing ware from the original molds in her studio in Tennessee. Several displays feature models from this new era of HR.

Just a sampling of the extraordinary work created by Kristina for HR TN

Hagen-Renaker had factories in several cities in California over the years---Monrovia, San Dimas, San Marcos---and while Tennessee is a bit further afield, the company continues there in Kristina's capable hands. At the moment, most of what is being created are smaller runs geared toward collectors rather than giftware, but I highly recommend joining the Hagen-Renaker Collector's Club for more news on that front. Exciting things are always afoot with HR TN!

Next up will be pix from the Breakables live show! Thanks for reading!

The New Stone Age

In mid-May, I got a slightly panicked message from my friend Erin asking if by any chance I could fill in for a judge that had to cancel her trip to Stone Horses Country Fair at the last minute. I just so happened to be desperately in need of a vacation and some quality time with friends, so I jumped at the opportunity. Luckily for me, public transit here in Chicago is great, so I hopped on a train that would take me most of the way to Shipeshewana, IN, where the Stone factory is located.  Despite living within a few hours drive (or train ride) of Shipshewana, I had never been, and I was excited to see the town and the factory.

As I'm sure most people know by now, Shipshewana is largely an Amish community, so horses and buggies abound. It's also the home of the Riegsecker family that created multitudes of flockie models back in the 1980s.

Though I attended the first few Stone breakfasts back in the late 1990s when Peter Stone started up his new company after leaving Breyer, I had stopped buying Stones around 2012 because I just couldn't keep up with the prices anymore. (Quick note for those who don't know: Peter Stone's dad Sam Stone co-founded the Breyer Molding Company with a partner in 1943. Peter was the main champion of the plastic animal line, and eventually took over the company. It was sold to Reeves in 1984, and Peter eventually left to start a new model horse company in 1996.) Because of the higher price point, I had largely stopped paying attention to Stones, and I thought I was safe from anything on offer at SHCF. How wrong I was! I have been missing out all these years. I was blown away by the artistry and quality of the models on offer.
 
The host hotel for the event was huge and had what was essentially a second lobby next to the convention space (the red barn in the photo above). All of the event sales models were on display there, and the eye candy was off the charts. I am especially enamored of the new-ish mule mold sculpted by Maggie Jenner-Bennett.

These Bunnies were sold via raffle on Sunday and were wildly popular.

Some of the best offer one-of-a-kinds from that weekend. These are pretty mind-blowing paint jobs and customizations for OFs!

Just look at the details!

On Saturday at the show, I judged Stone and Other Plastic collectibility. The caliber of models in both divisions was absolutely bonkers. My favorite class was probably the Stone Halloween models class---I took a ton of pix, but here are some of my faves.

I'm not normally a fan of zombie models, but the exposed
skeleton bits on this one were so well sculpted.

I adore this little rearing pair, and the green guy in the background
was hilariously named Gelatinous Cube. This DnD fan approves!

My overall Stone champ and reserve were this stunning pony by Jess Hammill and this lovely appaloosa ISH.

The Other Plastic division was full of terrific models as well---vintage decorators, BreyerFest raffle models, rare chalkies, and more. These were my overall champs.

A rare showcase box with a Palomino FAM

Frankenstein Mustang from the VRE event in 2008, only 21 made

 Have you really been to a model horse event if you don't go out for Mexican food?

On Sunday, the factory was open for tours, a barbecue, visits with the guest horses, and more sales. The tour was particularly interesting because it really drove home the fact that Stone is a small, hands-on company, not a giant, faceless corporation. The models are injection molded here in the USA not far from the factory, the paint is also American-made, and all of the seam cleaning, prepping, customizing, masking, painting, and finishing are done in-house by a small but wildly talented group of artists.

Sales and display models in the lobby

Erin leading a tour (photo by Maggie Jenner-Bennett)

Ellen Robbins (painter) and Dock Holliday (model and real)
(photo by Maggie Jenner-Bennett)

Jess Hammill (painter), Maggie Bennett (sculptor),
with Red Hot Color and his mini-me
(photo courtesy of Maggie Jenner-Bennett)

The following day, Erin and I returned to the factory to look through an archive of papers that had belonged to Chris Hess and which Peter had entrusted to Erin's care. I'm going to devote a whole post to the neat things we found, but here's a little taste. Yes, those are Chris' hand-written sculpting notes on the head shot of Lassie from the early 1950s. I had goosebumps!

Me geeking out (photo by Erin Corbett)

After that, we headed to the painting room to let our creative juices flow. I've been an airbrush artist for almost 25 years, and a collector for even longer, so getting to paint at a model horse factory was pretty much a dream come true. I usually listen to music or audiobooks while I paint to keep myself entertained, but I was so in the zone that day that the hours just flew by and I was barely aware of it. I. Had. A. BLAST!

Trial run on a hairless ISH

I could not resist the cabinet full of decorator colors! Copper Boom!

Have I mentioned how much I love this mule mold?
The Pebbles scale version is so freaking cute!

Messing around with masking

Painting at the factory was the icing on the cake of an already wonderful trip. It is so good for the soul to spend time communing with fellow artists and collectors, and I was just so impressed by how well-organized the event was, how kind and helpful the Stone crew were, and by how determined everyone involved is to put out a superlative product for discerning collectors. Stone Horses fill a unique niche in our hobby for 100% American-made, highly detailed, small run or one-of-a-kind plastic OFs, and I am officially hooked again.   

This picture of Dolly Parton hangs in a well-trafficked part of the factory, encouraging everyone to tumble out of bed and pour themselves a cup of ambition. I feel like those lyrics perfectly embody the spirit of excitement and determination at Stone Horses these days, and I can't wait to see where Erin and her team will take the company.

Dolly keeps everyone motivated and inspired

Boosting the Signal: Helping Jennifer and Olive

Jennifer Buxton is the hobby's most prolific blogger---her Braymere Custom Saddlery blog has thousands of informative posts going back to 2007, and it has more than three-quarters of a million hits. Jennifer started out blogging about tack making and showing, and for the last few years, her blog has largely been dedicated to her wonderful adventures on horseback, especially with her beloved Mustang mare Olive.

Unfortunately, Olive colicked badly last night, requiring surgery. It went well, but she's not out of the woods yet, and not surprisingly, the vet bills are going to be enormous. Jennifer has given SO much to the hobby through her blog, through NaMoPaiMo, through her unfailing enthusiasm, and so much more. Please consider helping her out in her time of need. 

A GoFundMe has been set up here: Help Jennifer with Olive's Recovery

Also, the Stone Company is auctioning off a portrait model of Olive with 100% of the proceeds going to help Jennifer with the vet bills. The auction is here. Thanks for reading!

Galloping Grail: Marilyn Newmark's Man O' War

All of my life, I've been a Man O' War fangirl. I grew up reading C. W. Anderson's horse stories and Walter Farley's wonderful fictionalized biography of the great horse. The awe both authors felt for the original Big Red undoubtedly influenced my interest in horse racing, the history of the sport, and the interplay of important pedigrees through the centuries. Even more than 100 years after his birth, Man O' War casts a long shadow over the Thoroughbred breed. He is still spoken of as the benchmark against which other great horses are measured. And while his sire line is sadly fading out, his blood can still be found carried forward through the generations by his outstanding daughters and their get.

Over the years, I have made pilgrimages to various places where important parts of Man O' War's story played out. I have driven past what was once Nursery Stud, his birthplace (now developed, alas) and visited the barn at Faraway Farm where his sire Fair Play and dam Mahubah lived and are buried. (Apologies for the less than great disposable camera pix.)

Faraway Farms in the early 2000s (before restoration)

I've visited Man O' War Farm next door where he stood at stud for most of his stallion career and where he was originally buried.

His stall (before restoration)

I pay my respects at his burial place every summer (going on 35 years now) at the Kentucky Horse Park. Someday, I hope to travel to Saratoga and Belmont Park to see where he ran so many of his races.

 Not surprisingly, I own a lot of Man O' War models, books, and memorabilia.

This is just the tip of the iceberg

For my 8th birthday, I was thrilled to receive a Breyer Man O' War, my most coveted model at that time. I remember cuddling him, pointy ears and all, while rereading C. W. Anderson's Another Man O' War. I don't have a photo of him handy, but he is a lovely rich red mid-1980s version. Once my family learned about the joys of model horse hunting at flea markets and antique malls, he was followed by numerous other older variations of Hess' traditional sculpture as well as by many copies of Maureen Love's smaller Classic scale model. I eventually also learned about the Hagen-Renaker origin of that piece and acquired several of those as well.

In the early 2000s, collector Liz Bouras shared some photos of models at a show she'd attended on the now defunct Breakables Yahoo Group, and one of them was a stunning bronze of Man O' War by Marilyn Newmark. I remember Liz saying she had lucked into the piece on eBay for a very good price. I saved her photos on my computer and hoped I would someday have a chance to own such a wonderful piece. (Liz had exquisite taste in models, and I was very much inspired by her artistry and collection. I promise a blog on that subject is forthcoming!)

In 2017, for the 100th anniversary of Man O' War's birth, the Kentucky Horse Park put together an interesting exhibit about the great horse's life and his importance in a post-World War I America.

The exhibit was a bit light on original artefacts, but it was full of terrific information on display boards.

One of the centerpieces of the exhibit was a copy of Marilyn Newmark's stupendous bronze of Man O' War. It was the first time I had ever seen one in person, and I remarked to my sister Sarah how much I loved the piece and hoped to someday be well-enough off that I could afford to buy a copy of my own.

The sculpture was issued in 1977 (I haven't been able to find the edition size), and while they come up for sale on occasion, they're usually well out of my price range. Not to mention I would also worry about shipping such a large, heavy item balanced on two thin fetlocks. During the pandemic, one came up for sale from an estate company in the Chicago suburbs which I could have picked up, but auction prices were sky high, and I was quickly and very decidedly outbid. C'est la vie. It wasn't meant to be.

Fast forward to a few of months ago. I was chatting with a friend online about grail models, and they asked if I collected any bronze pieces. I said that I had never really given a lot of thought to buying them, but if I ever did, my holiest of holies would be a Newmark Man O' War. But it was very much an on-the-back-burner kind of grail. Or so I thought.

My parents, sister, and I joke about being able to manifest rare models just by talking about them enough. Obviously, we can't really do that, but sometimes it does seem like certain things pop up on eBay or at estate sales when you've had them on your mind a lot. A couple of weeks ago, I got this text from my sister.

Needless to say, I about fell over. Sarah remembered how much I coveted this piece, and this particular one was practically in her backyard. And at a fraction of the price it normally sells for at auction to boot! By the time I talked to her that afternoon, Sarah had already contacted the seller to get the ball rolling because she knew the price and location were just too fortuitous to pass up. Happily, the owner was very motivated to sell it, especially with a potential buyer so nearby, and they offered it to my sister for an even lower price. I was so ecstatic I Paypaled her before she was even done telling me about it!

After a week of coordinating, Sarah made the short drive to pick it up, and she drove home with Man O' War wrapped in foam in a large box safely seat-belted in her front passenger seat. She told me the seller really wanted to be rid of the sculpture because it didn't match the rest of the things he was selling in his antique mall booth. How this piece ended up in the middle of nowhere Georgia I'll never know, but I'm grateful that the racing gods smiled and the stars finally aligned for me.

I'm not entirely sure when we'll be able to trailer him home to me in Chicago, but I'm just thrilled to finally own such a remarkable piece of sculpture after so many years of admiring it. I'm so very lucky to have the most amazing sister ever! I can't wait to see her in July and visit with my Man O' War.

Remembering Andrea Gurdon

Longtime hobbyist and fellow model horse history nerd blogger Andrea Gurdon passed away on Saturday after a battle with cancer. While I didn't know Andrea well, we chatted a bit over the years at BreyerFest, and my sister and I always made a point to pick up her Morning Glory Ranch Sampler newsletter. 

Andrea at BreyerFest 2023

(photo by Shaun Basch)

Andrea began collecting in the 1970s, and by her own account, dabbled in a little of everything related to the hobby---showing, customizing, pedigree assignment, and even tack making. Her chief interest over the years became Breyer history, and since 2009, she regularly posted to her Breyer History Diva blog. She shared interesting tidbits about Breyer history as well as stories of her own collecting journey. 

Andrea was a regular at BreyerFest, participating in room sales, the live show, the hobby information booth, and the costume contest in particular. Sewing and quilting were another of her favorite hobbies, so it's no surprise she regularly excelled in the latter.

Clockwork Andrea 
(photo by Shaun Basch)

Some years ago at BreyerFest, I arrived earlier in the week than usual, and while wandering around the CHIN shopping in the middle of the day, I found Andrea's room. She had acquired some of Marney Walerius' photo albums, and we spent a fun afternoon flipping through the photos and exclaiming over the fascinating test run models pictured within. Andrea was such a font of knowledge, and it was a blast to talk to someone who enjoyed discussing odd minutiae as much as I do. 

Andrea's MGR sampler from BF 2023

Andrea's close friend Shaun related that what Andrea feared most was being forgotten. Though she has left us too soon, Andrea's blog is a tremendous repository of information and a window into her quirky sense of humor. So many hobbyists have read it over the years, and I hope we can find a way to preserve her posts to honor her contributions to the hobby and her memory. I am hoping (with permission of course) to scan all the MGR samplers I've picked up over the years and add them to the Model Horse History website I have been very slowly and haltingly building as a repository of hobby publications and ephemera. It's a small thing, but I hope it would make Andrea happy.