2022 Summer Drawing Contest Winners by Saddle Up! Magazine

ChildrenandteensinthreedifferentagegroupsenteredourSummerDRAWINGContestforachance to win a monetary gift card.The owners of Saddle Up! Magazine chose three winners from each age group.All1st,2ndand3rdplaceDRAWINGSareprintedinthiseditionofSaddleUp!Magazine. Welovedseeingallofthedrawingsthatwereentered,thankyou~Bill&CindyCouturier,owners WWW SADDLEUPMAG.COM(2)SEPTEMBER 2022 • C & C PUBLISHING, INC. ©2022 7TH ANNUALSADDLE UP! MAGAZINE Summer ContestDRAWING Kid’s AGE GROUP: 6-8 YEARS OLD 1ST PLACE 2ND PLACE 3RD PLACE SimoneW. Lowell, MI | Age 8 VivienneB. RainerM. Mesick, MI | Age 8 Howell, MI | Age 5 Vivienne has won $20 & a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. Rainer has won $10 & a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. Simone has won $30 & a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt.

7TH ANNUALSADDLE UP! MAGAZINE Summer ContestDRAWING Kid’s WWW SADDLEUPMAG.COM(3)SEPTEMBER 2022 • C & C PUBLISHING, INC. ©2022 AGE GROUP: 9-12 YEARS OLD 1ST PLACE 2ND PLACE 3RD PLACE AbbyRoseL. AinsleyP.Holly, MI | Age 9 Davison, MI | Age 10 Abby Rose has won $30 and a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. Ainsley has won $20 and a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. JoyL.Laingsburg, MI | Age 11 Joy has won $50 and a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt.

7TH ANNUALSADDLE UP! MAGAZINE Summer ContestDRAWING Kid’s WWW SADDLEUPMAG.COM(4)SEPTEMBER 2022 • C & C PUBLISHING, INC. ©2022 AGE GROUP: 13-16 YEARS OLD 2ND PLACE 3RD PLACE SerenityM. RaeAnnH. Bay City, MI | Age 13 Grand Rapids, MI | Age 13 Serenity has won $50 and a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. RaeAnn has won $25 and a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. 1ST PLACE Katelyn has won $75 and a Saddle Up! Magazine Drawing Contest Winner commemorative t-shirt. KatelynV.Carleton, MI | Age 14

Is there a particular famous horse that you’d love to paint if given the chance?

I have always wanted to be a painter and was inspired by the Renaissance, impressionist, post impressionist and most of all, the Dadaists. Their careers and lives were always something that was worth reading about, and seeing we only have one life to live, I decided to become an artist, too. Currently my horses now have the title Dada after each of their names, for the origin of the word Dada comes from the way French children say “horse.” My horses are my living sculptures, and it all comes to one art form: Art Équestre.

What it’s like being a Professional Equine Artist

I have nine horses today with two in foal for next year I like to use German stallions on my French bred mares, to limit inbreeding and develop a more refined head, and a more chic look. My mares are descendants on the dam line of Le Sancy, the Thoroughbred sire of the grey jumpers, and a great, great grandfather of my childhood favourite, Moët et Chandon Gem Twist. I am particularly a fan of Air Jordan Z, for he always throws females and they are always bay or black. I have 5 fillies from this stallion and one more to come in 2023. I have also chosen Chellano Z and Columbus Z for their rapidity of the knees, their arabesque heads, and who can hide that we all love a nice grey horse!

You’ve combined your two loves, horses and art – are the horses you paint your own horses or horses that you know?

The sculpted white paint horses are typically images I find inspiring on the internet or in magazines, catalogues or brochures. I’m really into painting horses in movement and therefore I am very passionate of Muybridge’s work as well as polo competitions and dressage movements, which can be seen extensively throughout my work in white. As I do have the techniques of portraiture, I could not resist doing portraits in colour of my own horses, as well as commissioned portraits of horses in colour as well.

You’ve loved art since you were a child as well – what led you to become a professional artist?

There were many horses I loved growing up: Man O’ War, Secretariat, Milton. However, as I mentioned before, Moët et Chandon’s Gem Twist was my favourite horse growing up Deceased for many years and cloned, I prefer the real Gem Twist and I would have been honoured to have been asked to do his portrait while he was still alive.

You rode as a child and eventually moved from the USA to Normandy to breed show jumpers – can you tell us a little more about your equestrian background and journey?

Submitted by Brooke Major | http://www.brooke-major.com/en/ I started riding when I was three. My grandfather lived in the mountains and there were trail horses available, so I would take a horse every time I went to see my grandparents. I purchased my first horse when I was six and started riding and showing hunters in Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 14, I wanted to show all of the time, so I started catch riding I rode all throughout high school and started giving lessons for income over the summer. Since I had always been fascinated by the Selle Français breed and France in general, I decided to apply to a University in Paris, where I studied International Relations. I took riding lessons at the Veterinarian School in Paris to obtain my showing licence in France and upon receiving it, I fell in love with Normandy and moved near a stud where I could learn all of the ends and outs of breeding sport horses. I was very lucky to make this decision for I was able to learn from great instructors, as Normandy is the birthplace of the Selle Français breed and home to many Olympic riders. I then moved from the Calvados to manage a stud and live in a castle for six years. This was a very important move for me for I was able to manage 7 broodmares and the sports careers of numerous young horses of whom one (Ultimate d’Iso (Joyau de Bloye x Lou Piguet)) went on to win the French Hunter championships in Fontainebleau in 2013, another (Urzo d’Iso (Number One d’Iso x Viking d’Oria)) won numerous 4 and 5 star grand prix, another one (Seringat: (Chef Rouge x Guillaume Tell) placed first twice in the nations cup in Ocala and finished 3rd in Hermès. Today there is a fabulous mare that I bred and raised (Déesse d’Iso (Air Jordan Z x Vas y Donc Longane)) who is placing first at almost every 140-145 class amateur elite. I am very dedicated to breaking and training young horses and participating in the hunter ring at 4, 5 and 6 year old, ensuring proper training on the flat and preserving their bones and joints by jumping small fences while they are still growing. I became so involved with the horses that I had a hard time juggling my paintings and the horses. I sold a large portion of my horses, keeping three of my favourite mares. Today I breed on a smaller scale and I have time now to travel, paint and spend time with my family

Do you still have horses today?

Many drawings were submit via email and snail mail. If only we could have more winners! My husband Bill and I, the ofﬁcial summer contest judges, had a wonderful time looking at all the submissions sent to us. Thank you for your support and patronage, Have suggestions for a different type of contest in the future? Feel free to email me at: saddleupmag@gmail.com

In 2023, our summer contest will once again be a drawing contest. If you won a place this year, congratulations! If you entered, but didn’t win, know that your entry was appreciated and that we realize that a lot of effort has gone into your entry. Please try again next year!

Thank you Brooke for adding your story to our Summer Drawing Contest winner’s section. 2022 Summer Drawing Contest

All artwork is available on my internet site: http://www.brooke major.com/en/ as well as Instagram: brookeseeart. Commissions are available upon request. My work can be purchased/seen in Galerie Rollin in Rouen, France and The Whiteside Gallery in Cashiers, North Carolina. What does your average day look like as an artist and horse lover, or are no two days the same?

Each year, since 2015, Saddle Up! Magazine has been running a summer contest for kids 16 years and under. There are monetary prizes offered in three different age groups, ﬁrst through third place winners. Usually our summer contest has been a writing contest. Last year I received a letter from one of our young readers, and she asked if I could do a drawing contest instead for 2022. I thought, why not, that would be a lot of fun!

Cindy L. Couturier, owner/editor

SADDLE UP! MAGAZINE

I am a great fan of French and antique architecture. The bas relief found on the walls of cathedrals, castles and monuments have been of great influence to my work and I decided to make transportable bas relief sculptures into paintings. This technique is a mixture of sculpture and painting, which I started at first by scraping in the images into a very thick layer of titanium white oil paint. I gradually changed the way I applied the paint creating thickness to produce light and shadow I mix the paint in a large container with a paint mixer, adding turpentine and a drying agent for oil paint to allow for the paint to dry quicker (2 months instead of 4 to 5 months). I use palette knives, sculpting tools, and sometimes cutlery to make these images and I work in an enclosed area with natural sunlight or natural light lamps. Do you have artwork for sale? Do you do commissions?

You have a series of pieces using sculpted titanium white oil paint, can you tell us a little bit about this technique, e.g. how you discovered it, what you love about, how you actually create these works? Is your art currently exhibited and if so, where? I wake up and thank the world for everything I have, I ride 5-6 horses a day to keep in shape and paint at night. Every day is different, but every day I try to make the most memorable day of my life. I choose to only do things that I love, making sure that I live life to the fullest.