They say that a person knows from an early age what they are destined to do in life. I am no exception. I think the first real drawing I ever did was a picture of a white mare and foal sometime around the age of four and I have never looked back. My mother was a trained artist and she made sure that we had plenty of art supplies to keep us busy. She taught us basic composition, color use and many other techniques. We spent many hours in the backyard sketching flowers, rocks or whatever was out there. Horses were a natural subject for me. Although I grew up in the city of St. Paul, I was a frequent visitor to my great grandmother's farm. There, I was fascinated by the big team horses that were used to work the farm. My first rides were sitting straddle legged on the broad back of a big old brown draft gelding. He would walk around the farm house and when he got tired of the attention would head for the clothesline, wipe us off and saunter back to the barn. Because they raised Herefords, my great uncles needed horses to work the stock and these were mustangs from the Dakotas. Regularly, a boxcar headed to the cannery would be purchased and the horses brought to the farm and broke. Most were eventually sold as riding horses, but a select few were kept as cattle horses. Watching how these wild horses were handled and gentled and riding them was an experience that I often wish I could relive, only this time, bring a tape recorder and a video camera. There was so much knowledge and information there that a child could not grasp. Even so, I must have learned something, because I used many of those techniques in later years with success. My other grandfather had also at one time raised draft horses and to sit with him, look at photos and hear him talk about how he worked with the horses was one of my favorite pastimes. I learned so much. The depth of knowledge he had and the intuitive natural handling of his horses still impresses me today, after all those years. Driving the teams during threshing was always a big thrill too, even if the weight of the reins alone threatened to pull us youngsters off the wagons. What a trip it was to have control over that much power!
Needless to say, I ached for my own horse and I filled many sketchbooks with horse of all kinds. When I was 12, my family moved to a bigger house in the country and my dream was finally realized when there was a horse at the door on Christmas morning. We had a large family so the "horse nuts" among us had to share, but we didn't care. That one horse eventually led to quite a few, from grade trail horses to registered stock and horse shows.
Over a period of years, I owned, rode and showed Quarter Horses, Arabs, Saddlebreds, a Standardbred and ponies too. I showed in all kinds of classes from Saddleseat to Reining and many, many western events, from third level Dressage to Eventing at the preliminary level. I still have many of the trophies and ribbons from those years. I even trained professionaly for a while, taught riding and held a few judges' cards to boot.
All this time, my art was part of my life with horses. I went from drawing to painting and worked very hard at sculpting, my favorite thing. There came a time when my children were small, my arthritis was getting worse and my art career was taking off that I stopped showing and working with horses in a professional way. I never stopped owning them, instead choosing to raise my own for riding pleasure and the fun of having them around. I can"t imagine not having a horse or two in the back yard. I have kept in touch with the many people I knew in the business horse world and they are valuable friends and contacts. I have also made many new ones through my art. Because I come from a similar background, my art has credibility and they know my heart is in every piece. Now I look into the backyard at the "fuzzy wuzzies" in their winter coats and can't wait for another spring. Ah, the dreamer in us artists never dies!
I attended the University of Minnesota and studied Veterinary medicine for two years. The anatomy I learned there is invaluable in attaining reality in my artwork. I also studied art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the Minnesota Center of Arts and Education. I also take ongoing classes to keep fresh and current through the Scottsdale Artists school. Some of my teachers include noted sculptors Lincoln Fox and Bruno Luchesi.
I teach conformation, Form to Function classes at clinics to 4H leaders and judging teams, Saddle Clubs and Sheriffs Posses around the region. I also teach drawing and sculpture to these same groups as well as special needs and hearing impaired students.
