Meet Cholla (pronouced 'Choya') an artist from Reno, NV who, at the age of 24, is already winning awards at juried art competitions in Italy and getting solo exhibits from San Francisco to New York. Oh, and he's a horse. Apparently he miraculously 'picked up' painting after he got into the habit of following his owner around when she painted the fence outside his corral. Eventually, she saw his potential to make money and gave him a paintbrush, watercolors, and a piece of paper. The rest, as they say, is history. His work has been (unironically) compared to Jackson Pollack and Resnick, and his paintings have sold for up to $2,200. Which clearly must make his owner and "assistant" Renee Chambers very, very happy. Shit, I'd be happy too if I had a horse that paid his own rent.
Art lover and critic John Yimin said of viewing Cholla's work on video: "I saw intelligence, purpose, and a differing vision exposed to me for the first time. I was and remain awed."
Fun fact: a horse has a brain comparable to the size of a large walnut!
