Horses have been part of Matt Josef’s life since childhood, growing up around them in Purcell, Oklahoma.

This collection began in a pivotal season after returning from his Taos, New Mexico studio in 2014. At the time, Josef was focused primarily on abstract and floral works. When business slowed almost to a halt, he found himself back at the ranch, trying to figure out how to get back to Taos. Instead of forcing the next step, he began to accept that he was there for a reason.

One day, he walked out into the pasture to spend time with the horses and remembers asking them, “Would it be okay if I painted you guys?” He went back into his barn studio and began painting horses over a large abstract canvas. One painting led to another, then another. After sharing the work online, inquiries came in almost overnight from around the country.

That moment changed everything.

The horse paintings helped shift Josef into being recognized as a Western artist, opening a path that continues to shape his work today. While he moves freely between series, styles, and subjects, horses remain one of his favorite and most meaningful subjects.

These works carry movement, spirit, memory, and connection. They are not just paintings of horses, but records of a turning point, a return home, and the quiet force of listening to what the land, the studio, and the animals had to teach.