Old Friends begins sculpture work to honor Medina Spirit
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (WTVQ) — Old Friends has begun work to turn a nearly 100-year-old dying tree stump into an equine sculpture.
The thoroughbred retirement center in Georgetown commissioned artist Kiptoo Tarus to craft a Sycamore tree stump on the farm’s property to pay tribute to graded stakes winner Medina Spirit, whose remains are buried at Old Friends.
Tarus began work Tuesday and is expected to finish in a few weeks, according to a press release. Old Friends will hold an open house for an unveiling.
“I hope to capture the essence of a great racehorse here in the heart of Thoroughbred country,” said Tarus.
The idea of a sculpture came after efforts to save the tree weren’t successful.
About Tarus
Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Tarus earned a B.A. at the University of Nairobi for Design, majoring in illustration. In 2011 he established graphic design company King Concepts before being accepted to the University of Kentucky where he studied sculpture. Tarus developed an interest in equine art and his large-scale wood sculptures – often carved with a chainsaw –juxtapose classical equine art with those tribal and pastoral influences of his native Kenya.
Some of his most significant work in the Lexington area include the horse sculpture seen on the Henry Clay Estate, Sculpture 2020 Blues on Southland Drive, The Melting Pot Sculpture in Woodland Park and the memorial for Breonna Taylor at Lexington’s Carnegie Center for Literacy.
