Laughing Elk Studio

Someone is FINALLY almost done! Updates coming next week...

(Traditional Ankle Biter, she will be a sales piece.)

This is your friendly PSA to wear sunscreen. And also a hat.

I grew up 7,200 feet above sea level, and was an impressionable teenager during a time in our culture when beauty was synonymous with being tan. Look how decidedly Scandinavian I am. Then do the math.

Not a good mix.

Ten years ago, I found my first basal cell carcinoma. It was just hanging out on my scalp, just chillin', being gross, slowly eating my head. You know, the usual for cancer.

I was twenty.

And last month, it came back.

I'm very lucky; we found it early, my surgeon was awesome, there'll be minimal scarring, and it remains just basal cell, which literally has a 100% survival rate. I am not dying; nobody freak out!

But I will carry the scars - and there will likely be more - for the rest of my life.

Let me be clear: I'm not looking for pity. I made my choices. Even as an impressionable teenager who just wanted to feel pretty, I knew tanning was bad, but I did it anyway. (There's probably another whole post in here about the beauty industry and the pressures girls and women face, but I'll save that one for another day. Or maybe I'll just write a novel examining those issues, since that's kinda my M.O. 🙃)

So this is my PSA today: please wear sunscreen. Please wear a hat. No matter how young or old you are, or what the color of your skin is, take care of it. It's your largest organ, but how often do we think of it that way? You wouldn't scar your heart, or your stomach, or your kidneys just to look good, would you?

So don't radiation-burn your skin.

Learn from my mistakes. Love the skin you're in, because no matter what shade of the human rainbow you are, you're beautiful. Don't let our filter-addled society tell you otherwise. ❤️

My commission books are open!

I have six slots available for summer 2026. If you have a model you'd like me to paint, please submit your idea here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeYWY55hNVjYEbo8oD60Mfi56jPO4EqMLmjJxH1RzxmlV3whQ/viewform?usp=dialog

Thanks for your interest!

Laughing Elk Studio Commission Submission Form My commission books are open for six models this summer! If you have a submission idea, please fill out the form below. I will choose the ideas that speak to me the most as an artist ... buuut if you have a big, hairy draft horse, an Iberian breed, a Stetson, a Herald medallion by SMB, a Thunderbutt...

That moment you realize you have dapples, because your artist finally made your finish work a priority! 😜

Traditional-sized Porthos sculpted by in progress. He's a sales piece, and will be available for offers sometime in May!

Also ... I'm opening up six commission slots this summer! If you have a nekkid resin or a Breyer/Stone that you'd love to see in a different color, please fill out the form featured on my profile! (Or just send me a message and I'll send the form link to you.)

This little Whirly is up for offers! Starting at $250; PM me if you're interested in placing one.

Whirlwind in grulla is everything I thought he'd be.

It took a few days (we had a small incident with a cat 🐈), but I did finally manage to get Whirly's pictures taken. I'm still having trouble with my camera (hence the fuzz in some of the pictures), but I'm getting less rusty by the day.

And most importantly ... painting and photographing is just as much fun - if not more - than it was before. That's what really matters!

He'll be up for offers on Model Horse Connection in the next few days. Stay tuned!

Lil' Stormy in progress, just lording over the neighborhood while his sealant dries. He doesn't care that he's only five inches tall 😉

Future sales piece - full pictures coming by the end of the week (hopefully!)

I'm doing something that makes me smile and signing up for NaMoPaiMo! I've never managed to pull off NaNoWriMo (I'm too slow of a writer, and I'm not sorry about that), but THIS is a one-month challenge I can do. Let's go 🐎

Sharif's official glam pictures are done! I'm a little rusty (it's been a few years since I've been serious about painting, and therefore photography), AND we were photographing in Wyoming's signature 50 MPH winds ... but we got it done. 😄 He's looking for a new home - PM me if you're interested!

Somebody's peeking around all my potted plants ... 👀 It's traditional Sharif - my first finished custom of 2026! Glam photos coming soon. (Also, with the demise of MHSP/MHP/MHC, where are people gathering to buy and sell model horses these days?)

Model horse friends, I know some of you have been waiting to hear updates on my book projects, so here goes! In short, the wait is over - Portlock's Kickstarter just launched! If you want to back it, the link is in the comments. 😃

I've had a few questions about what you get in return for pledging to the Kickstarter. The answer is: the books! 😃 Kickstarter is a retail platform, so you will get tangible goods for your money (eBooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, stickers, bookmarks, etc.)
If you don't want to touch Kickstarter with a ten-foot pole but still want to buy the books (and have a chance at winning the Alaska Dream Vacation 😍) you can order or pre-order books directly from my website as well!

Thank you all so much for your love and support. I've managed to write and publish a trilogy in three years, (and still paint model horses in my small amount of downtime) WHILE still being Mom to my two little boys. At first glance, that makes me look like a freaking superhero. But what it ACTUALLY is, is a reflection on how amazing you, my support network, all are. THANK YOU!! I've LOVED this project, but I'm also excited to get back into the studio soon ...

(And once again ... to anyone who's seeing this, I'd be forever grateful if you'd hit that 'like' button so that Facebook doesn't suppress this post.)