Featured Art Gallery

Maria D’Angelo is a nationally recognized artist whose passion lies in capturing the spirit, soul, and individuality of her subjects. She is known for her deeply expressive and highly realistic pencil and colored pencil drawings of horses—works that seem to breathe with life and spirit. Born in the state of New York, Maria developed a passion for horses early in life, and that love has remained the soul of her art. Whether galloping across a misty landscape or pausing in quiet reflection, the horses she draws are more than subjects—they are stories rendered in pencil and emotion.

While Maria is accomplished in multiple mediums, she is most at home with a pencil in hand. She has refined her craft over years through study and experimentation, blending technical precision with a sensitivity that invites connection. Her ongoing mentorship with renowned artist Krystii Melaine has further enriched her skills and vision.

Equine art and private commissions are at the heart of Maria’s career. She finds immense joy in creating custom portraits that honor the bond between horse and human, and she approaches each piece with a sense of reverence and responsibility.

“To me, there is no greater reward than creating something meaningful for someone—especially when it celebrates a beloved companion,” she says. “I want each horse I draw to feel alive, as though it could gallop right off the paper.”

In addition to horses, Maria’s portfolio includes a wide range of wildlife subjects, brought to life with the same attention to detail and emotional depth. Her drawings are created on archival hot press watercolor panels and sealed with a protective clear coating, allowing for elegant display without the need for glass, giving the final work the appearance of a fine painting.

Maria's work is represented by Mountain Trails Gallery (Sedona, AZ), Going to the Sun Gallery (Whitefish, MT), and Legends of the West Fine Art (Santa Fe, NM). She has exhibited in prestigious national shows including The Russell at the C.M. Russell Museum, Small Works, Great Wonders at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum,  Western Roundup at the Museum of Western Art, Kerrville and America’s Horse in Art at the AQHA Hall of Fame and Museum.

If you'd like more info on how to commission a portrait of your horse, please visit Maria's website: www.mariadangelo.com. She would love to work with you to capture your horse's spirit on paper.

Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Cathy Choyce is primarily a self-taught artist. Her extended hands-on experience with horses, dogs and other animals shines through in her work, enabling Cathy to show their grace and strength with accuracy and attention to detail.

“I want people to view my work and feel the same emotions they get when they see their animals in person," Cathy says. "To evoke that same feeling of love tells me I have accomplished my goal as an artist.”

Art in one form or another has always been close at hand in her life. Drawing from the moment she could hold a crayon, her favorite subjects were always horses. Her great love for them was instilled by her father, who was in the last cavalry division in WWII.

Once out of school and then pursuing a much dreamed-of career as a horse trainer, which became her vocation for over 30 years, Cathy was able to continue to use her artistic talents by doing equine portraiture in oils. Working so closely with these magnificent horses enabled her to develop an ease at capturing their expressions on canvas. She was first commissioned to paint several portraits of Olympic horses at the United States Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, NJ, where she was working at the time.

Experimenting with various mediums, her focus turned toward sculpture and she was contracted by a model horse company to produce several different breeds of horses, which were produced in resin and became very popular. She also produced several in bronze. Always in search of ways to improve her artistic abilities, Cathy has taken several week long workshops offered by The American Academy of Equine Art, studying with renowned artists Kathleen Friedenberg, Karen Kasper and Barbara Oelke. Years later, she found herself working more exclusively in pastels and also colored pencils; their rich pigments and tactile form being a good fit for the style in which her paintings have evolved.

Her work is noted for its realism, attention to detail and emotional impact. Cathy’s ability to capture the unique qualities of her commissioned portraits has become a hallmark of her work, endearing her paintings to those who own them. Her work is internationally collected and has won numerous Best in Show and People’s Choice awards for her pastel and colored pencil work, The Draft Horse Classic Art Show, twice winning Best In Show for Sculpture, and her Connemara pony sculpture was featured on the cover of The American Connemara magazine.

“My artistic goal is to capture each portrait or original piece with vivid emotion and expressiveness. My love of animals, especially horses, is very evident in each work I create. I can never imagine my life without animals or my art. It would be like not breathing," Cathy reflects.

When she is not working on art, Cathy enjoys hiking trails with her Doberman, as well as competing her in obedience shows. She also continues to trail ride her Quarter Horse gelding, Tulsa.

Artist's Perspective on "Sticking The Landing": "Light, color, drama, and connection -- these are the main components that I always strive for when I am creating a piece of art," Cathy says. "I am pulled toward a painting's subject by the connection and feeling I initially get when I am in front of the easel. What emotion am I able to convey with this piece? Does the light and color create drama and feeling for the viewer? In creating 'Sticking the Landing,' I wanted to capture the energy of the equine spirit and show the unbridled joy of running, bucking, and freedom."

Used with kind permission of Susan Q Byrd, photographer.

Anna Cher is a multidisciplinary artist with a rich and diverse background in the arts. After completing her higher art education, she worked as an interior designer in Moscow before moving to England in early 2000. While there, she graduated from the Cambridge School of Art to pursue a career in illustration. Anna successfully worked as an illustrator for a few years and published several books in Europe, the UK, and the USA (under a different name). However, her true passion lies in painting, and a few years ago, she devoted herself entirely to this art form.

For Anna, breaking free from the limits and dogmas of academia is an important evolutionary process as an artist. She works quickly, spontaneously, and intuitively, and her paintings are an expression of her inner work on her own fears of "mistakes" and imperfection. The acceptance of imperfection also manifests the diversity of life, which Anna celebrates through her art.

Her medium of choice is acrylic, with its fluidity and quick-drying properties. This allows her to follow the flow and let go of the animal and primitive within herself, creating a unique harmony on canvas. Each new canvas becomes a therapeutic session for Anna, where she explores the Joy of life in its beautiful and aesthetic manifestation.

When she's not in her studio, Anna can be found at the gym with a barbell on her shoulders or figure skating at the icerink. Her dedication to physical fitness and movement is reflected in her art, which is characterized by a sense of fluidity and spontaneity... Ultimately, Anna aims to create art that brings joy and beauty.

To learn more about Anna and see more of her joyous work, visit her website or follow her on Facebook.

Born in Kerry, Southwest Ireland, O’Connor studied fine art at Crawford College of Art & Design and also gained his higher diploma in art education. Today, O’Connor works at his Cork-based White Tree Studio, creating ever more sought-after pieces of art.

With a disciplined approach in his study of horse anatomy, O’Connor puts a great emphasis on technical execution. As with much of his work, the void of background and simplicity of the pieces serve to highlight the natural physical perfection of these animals. The result of O’Connor’s innate aptitude for draughtsmanship and his lifelong passion for horses is a body of beautifully evocative paintings that capture the unique power, grace, and nobility of the equine form.
O’Connor's love of horses stems from his childhood. Some of his earliest memories are those of his grand-uncle, Mossie, working in his dark smoke-filled forge, shoeing local horses and ponies. Influenced by the Renaissance Masters, O’Connor takes his style of drawing from the Silverpoint pieces of Da Vinci and the drawings of Michelangelo. His work now forms part of many private and corporate collections worldwide. Additionally, O’Connor has hosted several Master Class Workshops and has embarked on an exciting new venture as Resident Artist at the Equine Art Retreat in Oklahoma, America.

Thrilled to have lifted two awards through the prestigious Ex Arte Equinus International Art Competition, O’Connor was also awarded the Best Creative Equestrian 2013 in the Equestrian Social Media Awards (ESMAs) and Best Creative Equestrian 2014 - this time, winning both the Judges’ Choice and the People’s Choice.

For more than 40 years, Joni Monroe Beinborn of Joni’s Ponies has captivated viewers with her ability to produce pastel paintings that come alive in depth, light and character to produce exact likenesses of her subjects.

"I believe that when a drawing is created well in detail, it can elicit emotion that is far different than a photograph," said Beinborn, who resides in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. "I strive to bring what is beautiful of the horse; strength, softness and a sense of wildness. I often look to my own horses to feel and sense the true essence of the horse to incorporate into my work."

Self-taught and highly collected, Beinborn has enjoyed many well-deserved accolades for her work. She served as the official artist for the 2010 American Paint Horse Association Summer and Fall World Championship Shows. In 2014, the American Quarter Horse Association presented her with the Steel Dust Award for overall quality and depth in her body of work in the America’s Horse in Art Show and Sale. In 2017, she was also named the Signature Artist by AQHA. She is the only person ever to receive both the Steel Dust and Signature Artist titles. In addition to being showcased in the May/June 2017 issue of Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Beinborn’s work has been featured on the cover of AQHA’s America’s Horse and in the Equine Chronicle, Western Wisconsin Horse Show Association Handbook, Minnesota Paint Horse Directory and in the 2010 American Paint Horse Association summer and fall World Show publications. Most recently, the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida, has chosen Joni’s portrait of A Sudden Impulse to promote their 2021 futurities named for the stallion.

Beinborn specializes in custom portraits of your horse, dog, or any other favorite beast in pastel, oil, colored pencil or graphite. To learn more about Joni Monroe Beinborn, visit jonisponies.com or follow her on Facebook @jonisponies.

We are delighted to announce Elise Genest’s vibrantly dynamic “Teal and Gold Xerex,” has been selected as the official image of Equine Affaire’s 2021 events.

Born into a family of artists, Elise Genest works her inimitable magic to create awe-inspiring paintings that bring the very essence of her subjects to life from her studio in Quebec, Canada. Utilizing a variety of techniques, Ms. Genest’s paintings feature one or several horses that are highlighted by a contemporary play between shadows and light and exude her subjects’ souls.

Traveling extensively to become inspired by different places and settings, photography plays an important role in how Ms. Genest creates her paintings. Some of her photographs are masterpieces in and of themselves, not needing to be revisited with brushstrokes while others become references for her future paintings. Ms. Genest’s creative process includes a long period for reflection and research, followed by intense and spontaneous painting sessions. Once she starts to become what she calls “creatively possessed,” her paintings come to life in less than 24 hours.

Ms. Genest was first recognized for her incredible talent when she presented her paintings to potential collectors and began offering her services to create portraits for horse owners locally and abroad. Ms. Genest was presented the 2014 Calgary Stampede Best New Artist award and today exhibits her work at major equestrian events throughout North America and Europe.

An active social media enthusiast, Ms. Genest regularly showcases her most recent paintings, masterpieces in progress, and her thoughts on her art and subjects. She fosters close connections with her ever-growing fan base, which includes both horse and art lovers. Explore www.elise-genest.com for more information and additional samples of her phenomenal work.

Equine Affaire is pleased to announce the selection of Gretchen Almy’s “Caribbean Horse” as the official image for the 2020 Equine Affaire events. This colorful, dynamic artwork will be featured on our event programs and will be available for purchase at the events.

Ms. Almy has a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (now Randolph College) in Lynchburg, VA, and spent a semester studying art in Florence, Italy. Having spent most of her life working with horses in all disciplines, Ms. Almy has always had a natural connection to the animals she has gotten to know. This special bond aids in her unique ability to capture her canine or equine subjects’ soulful personality in a variety of styles.

Ms. Almy is also a gifted photographer, and contributed extensively to the book “Unbridled Passion”, for which she captured many of the up close and personal shots of famous show jumping riders and their mounts. Out of her studio in Plymouth, MA, Ms. Almy produces an extensive gift line utilizing her artwork, ranging from greeting cards to custom photos to fine art handbags. Beyond taking custom requests, Ms. Almy has recently been exploring her own unique style of equestrian art that meshes abstract expressionism, bright colors and lively brush strokes to capture the equine form in a way like no other. She is also exploring her love of nature through her new series of landscapes. Her work has been shown locally in Southeastern Massachusetts, as well as in Boston, and collected worldwide. Other works by the artist can be seen at www.galmydesigns.com.

Paul Van Ginkel's dramatic image, "Dust & Deliverance," was selected as the official image for the 2019 Equine Affaire events. Mr. Van Ginkel was educated at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from Syracuse University in New York. In 1990, after working for six years as an illustrator, he began specialixing as a fine art painter of western themes. He is a member of the Oil Painters of America and was awarded the commission to paint the 2007 Calgary Stampede poster.

Paul Van Ginkel is internationally-recognized for his depictions of the native peoples of North America and the western lifestyle, as well as one of its most iconic symbols, the horse. He has received many awards and distinctions for his work, including four Calgary Stampede Best of Show awards. He was also selected by Fresco Fine Art Publishes in Albuquerque as on of the top western artists working today. Visit www.PaulVanGinkel.com for more information and samples of his other paintings.

Equine Affaire is proud to once again feature on the cover of the event program and on the official 2018 limited edition print a soft pastel drawing by the phenomenally talented artist and friend of Equine Affaire, Sheila Rieman. Ms. Rieman demonstrated her initial talent for art at an early age - a talent that took her far in her chosen career. She studied art at North Dakota State University, and it was there that she discovered her affinity for the pastel medium. Sheila Rieman's pastels are distinguished by her unique use of vibrant color. The subjects of her art come from her rural lifestyle in North Dakota and from her experiences in owning and riding horses for nearly 30 years. Though her chosen medium was pastel, she worked equally well in acrylics, oils, and pen and ink. She also sculpted. Sheila Rieman's art has been shown in and received awards in many national and juried exhibitions throughout the United States. She has also been an invited artist in numerous national exhibitions, and her work hangs in many private and corporate collections across the country.

Prior to her passing in a tragic accident in 2011, Sheila Rieman not only painted prolifically but also taught workshops for other artists and loved helping others - whether it was by donating art for auctions for worthy causes or painting houses or dog sitting. She had an enormous heart and a zest for life that was contagious. Those of us at Equine Affaire who were lucky enough to have known her miss her remarkable spirit, her friendship, and, of course, her extraordinary talent.

A limited edition print of "Faithful" will be available for purchase at the Information Booth at each of our 2018 events.

The official image selected for 2017 was a watercolor titled “Chestnut” by Susan J. Snyder of Saint Marys, IA. Susan Snyder is a multi-talented individual who wears many hats...as an equestrian, a wife and mother of three, a physician, and an artist. She began riding at the age of 10, showed hunters through her junior years, and continues to indulge her passion for horses today through the discipline of dressage. Dr. Snyder received a Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and then attended medical school at Ohio University.
After meeting her husband and getting married, she moved to Wyoming where she completed her residency in family practice and then practiced medicine and raised three children over the next 20 years.

In 2008 the Snyders moved to central Iowa where Dr. Snyder continued with her medical practice and also pursued a new avocation “just for the fun of it:” painting. She and her oldest daughter decided to explore the world of art through acrylics, pastels, and watercolors. After months of frustration trying to overcome the challenges of watercolors, Susan fell in love with the medium. Unlike most professional artists, she is completely self-taught having developed her skills only through books, a few videos, and many hours of practice at the kitchen table. She appreciates the watercolor medium because of its fluidity and transparency that result in luminescence.

Susan Snyder has been painting professionally since 2013. During the past five years her work has been presented at the annual exhibitions of Watercolor Societies in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Kentucky, Illinois, and western Colorado and at the Iowa State Fair. She has participated in the Western Spirit Art Show & Sales in Cheyenne, WY, and her work was just recently presented at the FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha, NE. More information on Susan J. Snyder and her lovely watercolors can be found at www.sjsnyderart.com.

The image that appears on the cover of the 2016 event programs is an acrylic painting titled "Stampede" by Michelle Grant of Calgary, Alberta. This image, along with several other paintings by Ms. Grant, were selected as the "official images" of the 2016 Equine Affaires and were showcased in the marketing materials for the events and at equineaffaire.com. Ms. Grant has been working as an artist in the realist style since the mid 1990s. She received her formal education in art at the Alberta College of Art where she majored in drawing, and she currently works in many mediums including oils, acrylic, and graphite. Her exquisitely rendered equine images have been commissioned and collected by both private and corporate clients worldwide and been published in many books and magazines.

Michelle Grant's work has been showcased at open and juried exhibitions throughout Canada and at prestigious venues in the United States as well. During the past 20 years she has amassed numerous awards and accolades for her drawings and paintings including the 2012 Artistic Achievement Award for the Calgary Stampede Western Art Show. She has also been commissioned to design various commemorative coins such as the Calgary Stampede's 100th year gold and silver coins for the Royal Canadian Mint.

In addition to her own artistic pursuits, Ms. Grant also teaches art lessons and workshops, and many of the students she enthusiastically mentors and encourages are successful artists in their own right. Her work is on display at the Gainsborough Galleries in Calgary, Alberta, and The Avens Gallery in Canmore, Alberta.

"Vigilance," along with several other outstanding paintings by Carole Andreen-Harris of Tucson, AZ, were selected as the "official images" of the 2015 Equine Affaires.

Ms. Andreen-Harris was raised with horses near her home in Minnesota, and it was her fascination with horses as a child that initially drove her to put pencil to paper. When her family moved to Arizona in 1983, she was finally able to have a horse of her own and she quickly became involved in the local horse community. She experimented with pencil, pastels, and acrylics in creating images of horses and found herself setting up at various equine events receiving commissions to portray show horses.

Ms. Andreen Harris began studying graphic design and illustration at The Art Center of Tucson in 1987 and received an Associate degree in art advertising in 1989. She and her artist husband, Lemorris Harris, created their own design business through which Carole became an experienced digital designer and desktop publisher in addition to being a painter. By 2002 the Harrises decided to end their graphic design business and devote their time to their personal artistic pursuits.

During the past dozen years Carole Andreen-Harris has had the freedom to paint the subjects that she has been moved to paint - and horses have been at center stage. She has built up an impressive body of work that has been showcased in exhibitions and juried shows and at equine-related events across the nation. Ms. Andreen-Harris's paintings have found their way into the art collections of both private collectors and equine organizations and have been showcased in a wide range of prominent horse industry magazines, books, and directories. She has also amassed numerous honors and awards for her exceptional paintings which so effectively capture the beauty of horses of so many breeds and disciplines as well as their personalities and "presence."