Horse Art (Artful Home)

Werner Rentsch's devotion to his subject carries him up and down America's east coast. From Florida to Virginia, Maryland to New York, he tracks his equine models – race and Olympic horses as well as polo and work breeds – and captures them at rest in the familiarity of their surroundings.

"I always try to spend as much time with my subject as possible. I feel that the more I can study and learn about my subjects the better the final painting will be."

Though he works predominantly in oil, Rentsch has also exhibited some limited edition prints and works in charcoal. Commissioned to paint formal portraits of many race and show horses, he is equally well known for his images of horses in informal landscapes.

Ritch Gaiti's paintings are about change, evolution, and extinction--something emerges, something disappears. Painting in oils, often enhanced with mixed media including sand, Gaiti captures the sentiment of another time. He favors different degrees of impasto, and feels that the texture suggests the relief found on cave walls. For the artist, each painting is an evolution. Gaiti starts with a clear direction and, as with any journey, shifts as the painting itself dictates. Often the painting is far from what the artist originally envisioned. This increases his sense of adventure and mystique, making each painting a unique journey. Gallery and Studio magazine recently wrote "....no other contemporary artist captures the human/equine bond more sympathetically than Gaiti...."

Ritch Gaiti is self taught and ventured into painting after years in the corporate world. He has studied with Micheal Madigan, and developed his own style and sense of expression. He has been painting for over twenty years and only recently began to exhibit publicly. Prior to painting, Gaiti was an executive on Wall Street. "My goal is to put the viewer, not only in another time and place, but also in the subject's heart."

Shannon Bueker imitates the movement of her subjects by swiftly layering charcoal and fluid acrylic on her canvases. She captures the gestures and spirit of animals, conveying their full essence with her concise brushstrokes.
"I let the paintings make themselves initially, allowing water and ink to tangle together on paper. But art being what it is, I see reflections of my own life memories and dreams in the resulting shades and blues."

"I am fascinated by gesture and am challenged to see how much shape and power I can express with the simplest of lines."