The fire horse Year: I did not just paint it, I answered it.
Some years arrive and pass quietly, they slip into the calendar unnoticed. The Fire Horse is not subtle nor quiet; it’s a movement without apology. Freedom that cannot be domesticated. The Fire Horse has never been a quiet sign in my opinion and understanding. It carries a reputation for upheaval, burning structures that were rotting. I think we all need that, considering the state of the world. I feel like so many things…and people should be burning, but that’s another topic.
I’m here to write as a devotee, not a lecturer; curious, reverent, excited and self-aware. I’m not here to explain the Chinese culture; I’m here to honor it, learn from it, listen to it, and let it change me. This is what the year of the Fire Horse means to me. I’ve always felt that the Chinese zodiac speaks in centuries (if that makes sense), not headlines. It observes patterns the way nature does; patiently, brutally honest and utterly uninterested in your comfort. Where the Western zodiac often asks “Who are you?”, the Chinese zodiac asks “What cycle are you in and do you have the guts to move with it?”
On February 17th, 2026, a new cycle begins. One ruled by the Horse in it’s Fire element form within the Chinese zodiac tradition. Time is not linear but cyclical (a theory that always made more sense to me), moving through a 60-year cycle that combines the 12 zodiac animals with the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water). When Horse and Fire meet, the energy intensifies, a movement with flame.
And a flame is not easily tamed.
All of that is accompanied with the solar eclipse! The moon and sun will create a "ring of fire". This is not a coincidence.
Not the finished version, a work in progress! The painting will be ready by February 23rd.
The Horse: Movement, Freedom and a little bit of chaos.
In Chinese zodiac tradition, the Horse symbolizes vitality, independence, inteligence and forward momentum. It’s associated with speed, charisma and a sort of restless desire for freedom. The Horse doesn’t thrive in confinement, it desires motion.
The Horse is also linked to the earthly branch Wu, aligned with midday, the hour when the sun is at its strongest. This is not an accident, the Horse carries solar energy. It moves towards visibility.
It does not hide.
As someone who always felt slightly allergic to cages, artistic, emotional and societal - this sign feels less like a prediction and more like recognition.
Fire: passion, intensity, leadership and visibility
In the Five Element theory (Wu Xing), also known as the five phases, five movements, or five agents. Fire represents passion, expansion, illumination and transformation. It is associated with summer, the heart, joy and intensity.
When Fire combines with the Horse, it chaotically amplifies and intensifies the version of its traits:
Fierce independence
Bold decision making
Emotional intensity
Charisma that can either inspire or disrupt (im especially claiming this)
Transformation sounds poetic until it starts rearranging your life without warning. As if someone is rearranging and pulling your guts out of your arse. Transformation is rarely comfortable. And, it’s necessary.
The Fire Horse doesn’t ask whenever we prefer stillness, it assumes we are ready to move or stay behind in confusion.
The color red: Protection, prosperity and power
My Studio, Peter Steel in the corner and of course, some incense.
Those who follow me, know my obsession with the colour red. Red is the main character in most of my art, my Dark Elegance collection is a good example.
In Chinese culture, red is far more than an aesthetic preference. It’s protection, joy, celebration, vitality and warding off misfortune. It is worn during Lunar New Year not because it is beautiful, but because it symbolizes life-force, luck, prosperity and protection against evil spirits.
When i chose red for this painting (or any other artwork), it was not for drama! Although i do love a little drama here and there. But red, in this context, is armor, invocation and alignment with vitality and strength. And…visibility!
Why i painted the fire horse
I didn’t paint the Fire Horse for shits and giggles and the aesthetics. I painted it to invite it closer! Claiming the refusal to shrink, to run even when the terrain is unfamiliar. Besides, Red and Fire are my elements!
There is something about the Fire Horse energy that refuses smallness. It challenges hesitation. It has a reputation for intensity, especially in historical lore, where Fire Horse years were sometimes regarded as powerful, disruptive, and transformative.
This intensity does not intimidate me. It intrigues me.
As an artist drawn to myth, shadow, feminine force and the beauty of chaos (all of that will have its own blog someday!) the Fire Horse feels like kin. For me, it represents courage to move forward even when the terrain shifts.
The Fire Horse doesn’t care if we’re ready.
So i painted it not as a passive symbol, but a declaration:
I claim this energy,
I claim the refusal to shrink,
I claim the forward motion,
I claim the flame.
If this year is transformative, i choose to transform consciously. I’m prepared to be surprised and stressed.
A year of motion
The Chinese zodiac does not simplistically predict fate. It reflects patterns, cycles of energy that influence tendencies rather than dictate outcomes. Again, my understanding.
The Fire Horse year invites boldness, courage, emotional honesty and decisive movement (even indecisive, better than procrastination). It may illuminate what has been stagnant. Expose was has been hidden. Bravery might be needed, and bravery rarely feels convenient and comfortable. BUT it does feel alive!!
I believe whether this year burns quietly or ferociously depends on what we refuse to release. The Fire Horse runs either way.
The question is not whether the year will move, it’s whether we will move with it. I chose to run.