Poway artist Cherry Sweig is so passionate about her favorite subject, a disappearing breed of Hellenic horses, that she is breaking the first rule of gallery-going -- thou shalt not touch -- by encouraging her viewers to enjoy not only a visual, but a tactile interaction with her tapestry-style artwork of the pony-sized creatures.

Three of her canvas scrolls of the diminutive but powerful horses are on display in the fine arts section at the San Diego County Fair Del Mar (which runs through July 6). Visitors will find life-sized portraits of her beloved equines -- portrayed in the softness of oil with strong affection and obvious admiration -- cavorting against rough backdrops of crushed pumice and garnets.

"I am trying to place them in a historical context that links their ancestral background with today, so I set them against the stones of antiquity -- because these horses are connected to an older time -- with their wild manes, which make them look as if they are having perpetually bad hair days (sort of like dreadlocks), deep chestnut coats and dark, expressive eyes," Sweig observed, adding that in her paintings, the horses appear to be dashing through the centuries in a rush to be noticed, and preserved.

For, according to DNA testing, the breed is not genetically related to any of its modern-day counterparts but dates from at least the time of Alexander the Great. And Sweig said research supports the theory that it may be among the earliest of all European species of horses. This particular type of hipparion (the technical term for a horse of this size), despite having thrived for millenniums, is now in danger of becoming extinct.

The artist explained that she was first introduced to the Skyrian horse (named for the Greek island of Skyros, on which it was discovered running wild a number of years ago) and its plight when she went to Greece to paint in 2005. A lover of all things equine since she had owned a Welsh pony as a child, as well as a history buff who was Greek by marriage, Sweig first found herself fascinated by a frieze of the animal's putative forerunners carved on the Parthenon in Athens. Seeing Sweig's interest in the Skyrian horses, a relative told her about a nearby art exhibit dedicated to the promotion and preservation of the modern-day remnants of that proud lineage.

When she attended the art show, she met one of its artists and sponsors, Aliki Steen, whose family had founded an ongoing Skyrian rescue operation, The Silva Project, on their 50-acre estate on the Ionian isle of Corfu. Steen immediately invited Sweig to come and sketch the 40-plus beasts now grazing and galloping safely on their property. (That figure is up from the mere 10 or so that had been found in a rapidly degrading habitat before the program's inception in 1996, Sweig noted.)

When the artist first saw them, she recalled, it was love at first whinny.

"It was like being surrounded by a pack of golden retriever puppies -- they were so lovable and adorable. One, Isabella, who is the project's mascot and spokeshorse, has one light blue eye and one brownish-black one, and she came up to me and tried to nibble on my canvas. I was instantly moved by the stunning and prehistoric qualities of these horses that reflected their struggle to survive as an ancient breed."

For somewhere in that process they were domesticated, and for hundreds of years they were used successfully in agriculture. But eventually the small horses became obsolete, undervalued and ignored.

"The Greeks didn't seem to understand the importance of biodiversity and keeping the bloodline pure," the artist added, as some of the locals were beginning to breed the Skyrians with mules to make them more suitable for farming. (In fact, two of the original four horses adopted by the Steens were in a state of mixed-breed pregnancy.)

The Silva Project is run by Sylvia Steen, Aliki's mother, a special-needs doctor who finds the mild and sweet temperament of the creatures makes them natural candidates for hippotherapy (in which a person bonds with a horse for emotional support), Sweig said. A drive is under way to build a state-of-the-art equestrian center for the now-growing Skyrian population on what is currently a 25-acre kiwi farm, also on Corfu.

Finally, the horses are up for adoption; Sweig happily sends support money for her chosen steed, Icarus. "I hope more people want to become involved, especially college students who might be interested in learning more about endangered species," she noted.

To promote her cause, the artist travels to Greece each fall to paint and exhibit. As she has for the past two years, this fall she will again take part in the annual Horse Art exhibition in Athens at which she first found herself captivated by what has become her driving passion. (She is the only American to have her work shown there, accompanied by some 20 European artists.)

Sweig was also featured in the April issue of Horses in Art, a Jamul-based national magazine, in an article titled "Saving Ancient Hellenic Horses Through Art." And she is participating, along with 237 other painters from around the globe, in the creation of an online equine mosaic due for completion later this year. Her square will feature a portrait of Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's mount, in honor of his struggling descendants.

A graduate of UC San Diego whose work is shown widely, Sweig is listed in Who's Who of Women in American Art and recently exhibited at the Grand National Horse Show in San Francisco. She regularly donates a percentage of her profits to support charitable causes, including The Silva Project.

To watch Sweig at work, catch her at the fair Thursday, when she will be giving a watercolor demonstration from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the fine arts area.

For more information about how to get involved, check out thesilvaproject.org; for more on the annual art show in Greece, see horseart.org; to learn about the magazine, it's horsesinart.com; for more on the mural, see muralmosaic.com; and to learn more of her story and view her work, go to cherrysweig.com.