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Artist Biographies
James L.
Crow
In the Bluegrass, when the subject of art and horses comes around it will ultimately embrace the well-known equine artist, James L. Crow. During his career, his work has been exhibited in prestigious galleries and museums around the world. On one of his latest works, “Turf Time”, gallery owner Chuck Starr says, "This is one of the few paintings that I can truly say I feel like I am in the picture and a part of it."
During the summer of 1983 the Lady Tavistock saw one of Crow's originals, "Summer Shower", while visiting Collectors Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky. The painting was sitting frameless on the floor. When she lifted it up for a better look she was moved by the expression on the faces of the mare and foal while weathering a storm in the spring rain. Lady Tavistock returned to England and now the painting is hanging at Woburn Abby in Bedfordshire, England, as part of the collection of the Marquess and Marchioness of Tavistock. She was so pleased with Crow's interpretation of the equine subject that she later commissioned him to paint a portrait of her mare, Pushy, and Pushy's foal, Blue Book.
All through the twentieth Century and entering the Twenty-first Century, thoroughbred horse racing has long been one of the most popular sports in America and the experience of the track is a visual narrative in Crow's artwork. Harness racing is another unique competition in the equestrian world and Crow's talent and skill is evident in his paintings as he easily transitions from one type of racing to another.
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David J.
Pavlak
David J. Pavlak has been painting for 34 years, over which time he has developed the realist style for which he is known and praised. Twenty years ago David became interested in harness racing and at about the same time, started displaying his paintings at Collectors Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1982 he saw one of his paintings used for the cover of Hoofbeats magazine.
David entered his first Harness Tracks of America art auction in 1983 and he continues to participate in this worthy fundraising event. Also during the 1980’s, he obtained his groom’s license and then a trainer’s license, training and breaking young colts at the Lorain County Fairgrounds. David has a keen interest in Victorian architecture and has lived in and restored residences in the historic district of Elyria, Ohio, and he has held the office of vice-president of the Elyria Landmarks Commission. His love and knowledge of architectural details can be seen in the meticulous renderings of homes and buildings in his artwork.
At the beginning of 1992, David moved to Wakeman, Ohio and converted an old abandoned barn into a home for himself. He also wanted to create a place for turnouts for the horses in the racing stable. It very soon turned into a 72 stall breeding facility where he did every aspect of the business, from breeding mares and collecting stallions to building fences. Four years later he left the horse farm and began working as an artist again. David also works at the Wellington Vet Clinic in Ohio as an embryo transfer technician, where he travels the state assisting in embryo transfer work at numerous beef and dairy farms and occasionally some horse farms. Through this job, David was asked by the owner of a thoroughbred farm to help her with her 1998 breeding season. He continued to be her breeder for the 1999 season.
The last three years have been very productive for David. He has been participating in many regional art exhibits and is represented by Collectors Gallery, who also publishes and distributes his prints. David no longer limits his subject matter exclusively to the equine; as he is specializing in life-sized portraitures. In addition, there is currently a healthy demand for his other lesser-known subjects such as dragons, as well as anything esoteric and mythological.
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Helen Hayse
(1913 - 2003)
Helen Hayse was born Helen Young in southern Indiana. Both her parents and grandparents were horse breeders and she was initiated early into the excitement of showing them. As a child she became acquainted with the leading showmen and women of the day. She sold her first horse painting at age ten.
After Helen married Walton Hayse, a third generation breeder and exhibitor of the American Saddle Horse, she concentrated on that breed for most of her career. Helen studied under the great George Ford Morris, and like her teacher, she was noted for her ability to capture the unique individual likeness for each horse that made them like no other. Helen was not only a great artist, but also a lifetime horsewoman and avid student of equine bloodline history. She was also intimately involved in the breeding and training of horses. To be able to produce a portrait acceptable to knowledgeable horsemen, an artist has to possess not only the technical skill but also the formal training and a thorough knowledge of anatomy. Helen certainly possessed those abilities from years of personal experience and by drawing and painting horses first-hand.
From the 1930's, Helen painted the leading champion show horses for America's most prominent breeders and exhibitors. Most of her work remains in the private collections of the families that commissioned them. She also saw a number of her lithographs of these classic champions published.
Mrs. Hayse's images are appreciated by both horse lovers and a much wider public. The equine subjects in her paintings are marvelously elegant and evocative of more gracious times.
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Bill Straus
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Bill Straus is recognized as one of the country’s premier equine photographers. His interest in photography began shortly after his 1972 graduation from Western Kentucky University. After a few years shooting on a part-time basis generating clients, he worked at a Lexington television station and an advertising design firm. In 1978 he began his own business, which has continued to steadily grow.
His photograph of Affirmed in the 1978 Kentucky Derby launched Bill’s equine career, and he has photographed every Derby since. Bill has photographed major races around the country including several Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, initially serving as one of the events original official photographers. Since 1981 he has been the official publicity photographer for famed Keeneland Race Course. As a result, his images have appeared in countless publications around the world including over 250 covers.
Bill’s efforts at excellence in capturing the majestic Thoroughbred have resulted in his being honored with the both the1984 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Photography in Thoroughbred Racing , and the 1986 George B. Featherston Photojournalism Award. Additionally, he was selected to be Queen Elizabeth’s personal photographer during two of her private visits to Lexington. His work has been featured in many one-man exhibitions including a solo exhibit at the International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park.
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Doug Prather
The incredible growth of Doug Prather's work has been profound. His prints have been given as gifts to U.S. Presidents, English and Middle-East royalty, to international dignitaries, leaders, and corporate presidents. State and regional public relations liaisons use his prints as presentation mementos for visitors coming to Kentucky. His work has been published in all the major Thoroughbred horse publications. For Doug, his photography is a work of joy and love of his subject... the horse at home in his paddock.
Doug Prather is a native of Georgetown, Kentucky, just a few miles North of Lexington. Growing up in the small town of Georgetown, Doug always had a camera around. "My father died when I was young and I had inherited his Leica 3F 35mm camera. I learned early on how to use it and I can recall taking pictures as young as eight years old. In high school study hall, I could look out the windows and watch horses running in the paddock of the farm directly behind the school. I'm convinced these images, while I daydreamed in study hall, had a significant impact on my future work and imbedded my love for the horse in it's natural setting that Kentuckian's see every day”.
Prather graduated from Georgetown College with a degree in Fine Art. However, before he even graduated he was hired as an art director for the countries largest advertising agency that exclusively serviced the Thoroughbred industry. In order to add some new designs for their clients, he was able to use some of his own photographs on advertising pages in The Blood-Horse and Thoroughbred Record (now the Thoroughbred Times). These ads were well received and he was encouraged to photograph and develop more ads.
Doug started his own business in 1976. He regularly photographs horses for clients and continues to do race track photos, horse conformations, yearling sales and stallion promotional photography.
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James Archambeault
For more than 20 years, James Archambeault has worked as an independent photographer specializing in capturing nature and landscapes. Archambeault has produced photographs for four large format coffee table books: KENTUCKY 1982; KENTUCKY II, 1989; and KENTUCKY III, 1999; all by Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company, and THE GIFT OF PLEASANT HILL, A SHAKER COMMUNITY INKENTUCKY, 1991; by the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill, Harrodsburg, Kentucky .
Archambeault also photographs and produces two annual wall calendars: KENTUCKY, a beautiful photographic journey through the Bluegrass State and PAWLEYS ISLAND, a visit to the historic barrier island off the coast of South Carolina. In addition to his books and calendars, James also publishes and distributes a series of fine quality note cards and limited edition posters. His note card subjects include Kentucky - with its natural scenic beauty; Celebrating the Horse - horses in their natural setting; and By The Sea - views of coastal areas in the U.S. and elsewhere.
James Archambeault's work has appeared in many national publications including Architectural Digest, National Geographic, Time-Life Books and the Smithsonian Guide to Natural America, to name a few. His photographs have been exhibited in many premier American art shows including at the Ann Arbor, Michigan Fairs; The Atlanta Arts Festival; The Plaza in Kansas City and at Winter Park, Florida. James is a former Peace Corps Volunteer to the Philippines and holds a B.A. in Communications from Duquesne University in Pennsylvania.
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Jane Ward
Kehrt
Jane Ward Kehrt is a native of Kentucky, Lexington in particular. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Kentucky and continued her studies at Southeast Missouri University, in Cape Girardeu, Missouri, then on to Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Jane has been fortunate to have studied with some of America’s best watercolorists including Tony Couch, Judy Waggoner, and a colleague of Grant Wood. During a week-long workshop she took with Tony Couch, the brightness that she calls a “glow” began to surface in her work and this has since become a trademark of her watercolor paintings.
Jane taught watercolor at the Community College in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, in the late 1970’s and now as a full-time working artist, she continues to teach private classes in both painting and drawing. Jane is a member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsman, in Berea, Kentucky; the Kentucky Visual Arts at the Market Program, Frankfort, Kentucky; and a past member of the Kentucky Watercolor Society.
She is represented by Collectors Gallery in Lexington, KY; Heritage Gallery, Chicago, IL; Barbara Stewarts Interiors, Bowling Green, KY; and Upstairs Gallery, in Berea, KY. She also exhibits and sells her work in juried shows and from her studio. Jane’s artwork is in numerous private and corporate collections across the United States as well as Russia, Argentina, Ireland, and Guatemala.
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Roger Bain
Roger is a landscape, wildlife and equine artist who resides in Lexington, Kentucky. A native Kentuckian, he graduated from the University of Kentucky and attended the University of Louisville School of Law. Roger worked as a Certified Fraud Examiner in the Federal Medicare Program and later as a consultant for the University of Kentucky School of Medicine billing organization. Since his retirement in 1996 he has spent the majority of his time pursuing his painting interests, playing golf and attending horse events.
Acrylic is Roger’s medium of choice and he paints in a realistic style. He has studied with several artists including James Crow, Pat O’Nan and William Zappone and he maintains memberships with the Lexington Art League, Scott County Art Guild, and the Equine Art Guild in Canada.
Over the years Roger’s artwork has been shown in many exhibitions including Art and Wildlife inKentucky and the Audubon Society, both in Lexington, KY; the Ward Foundation-American Museum ofWildlife Art in Chrisfula, MD; and both Federal and State Duck Stamp Competitions. In 2003 Roger had a solo exhibit at the Central Gallery of the Lexington Public Library, and more recently he has shown at the Scott County Regional Art Exhibit in Georgetown, KY; The Horse at Gratz Park, Lexington, KY; Very SpecialArts-Louisville; and at the Lexington Art League.
Roger is of Scottish descent and is a member of the Clan MacBain and the Scottish Society of Louisville. During his travels in Scotland to sketch and photograph various subjects (and play a little golf!), he met the owner of the Vennel Galleries and they began to carry his original paintings and prints of their local landmarks. In addition, his prints of the historic Roxburghe Hotel are now offered for sale at the Roxburghe Golf Course Clubhouse, also in Kelso.
In addition to Collectors Gallery, Roger is represented by Vennel Gallery in Kelso, Scotland; the Leroy Galleries, Frankfort, KY; and the Equine Art Guild, in Canada.
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Jeff Rogers
Jeff Rogers was born in the city of Corinth, Kentucky (population 250!) and educated at Transylvania University (B.A. Art; Lexington, Kentucky), he and his wife Sally, live in a house overlooking the Kentucky River with two Jack Russell Terrors and a fat cat. When not working or pitching tennis balls, he can be found tinkering on his 1963 Chevy Corvair convertible.
In 1988 Jeff Rogers began photographing Kentucky – its people, products, culture and business – for editorial, advertising, commercial and corporate clients. His work can be found in regional and national markets thanks to his versatility, use of current technology and aesthetic gifts. His people skills extend from pleasing photo editors and art directors to making his subject comfortable in front of the camera.
Jeff holds memberships in ASMP (American Society of Media Photographers), CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts), Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.
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Yvonne Todd
Yvonne has been selected as “A Top 100 Artist” in the prestigious Arts for the Parks competition in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and her landscape “Behind Our Barn” was selected for inclusion in Kentucky Visions 2003. Her artwork has been shown in several national juried exhibitions including the 2005 Equine Art Classic; the Annual Invitational Sporting Art Show at Aiken, S.C.; the Kentucky National Art and Wildlife Exhibit where she won a purchase award; the National Oil and Acrylic Painter Society’s Best of America 2003, and she exhibits frequently with the American Academy of Equine Art at various locations throughout the United States. Her painting “The Start”, now in the Ashland, Inc. corporate collection, was selected as the official image for the 2002 Ashland Stakes print. Several of her paintings have graced the covers of The Thoroughbred Record, and the Chronicle of the Horse. Yvonne is also an accomp-lished illustrator, with many of her illustrations having appeared in national magazines such as The Blood-Horse, Thoroughbred Times and Wildlife Art as well as in museum catalogues for the block-buster exhibits “Imperial China: The Horse inChinese History” and “All the Queen’s Horses: The Role of the Horse in British History”.
Yvonne has had successful solo exhibits at Paris Artworks where she teaches group classes on a regular basis and the MetroLex Gallery, both in Kentucky. Currently represented by Gallery B, and Collector’s Gallery, both in Lexington, Kentucky, she continues to exhibit in juried shows around the country, and executes animal and landscape commissions by request. A board member of the American Academy of Equine Art, she previously served on the Kentucky Horse Park Commission as well as the boards of the Lexington Mounted Police and the Lexington Art League.
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Cindy Seng
Horses! Never far away…always in the mind and soul of artist Cindy Seng, a lifelong equestrian and resident of Illinois who transformed her passion for all things equine early on in life to her sculpture; and recently to her paintings. Her expressive bronzes and lifelike oil paintings were born from a deep and steadfast love of the horse.
Cindy’s art began with a western and wildlife theme; then she grad- ually began adding thoroughbred and standardbred subjects due requests from her Midwest patrons. At the 2004 Midwest Horse Fair, her bronze “It’s Closing Time” was named Best in Show. Cindy has participated since 1995 in the annual Harness Tracks of America juried show and auction. She produces the Governor’s Cup Trophy for the Illinois Harness Program, as well as the Supernight trophies for Balmoral Race Track. She also designed and produces the annual awards for the Illinois Horseman’s Council and Illinois Racing Industry Charitable Foundation. Cindy’s work has been exhibited at the Kentucky Derby Museum, The International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park and is available at Collectors Gallery.
Cindy is currently working on a life-size bronze memorial of three soldiers standing in a field, which will honor fallen soldiers, and it will be installed at the newly dedicated “Heroes of Freedom Memorial Park” in Gurnee, Illinois in 2006. In addition, Cindy is planning to publish her book titled “Christmas Stories for Horse Lovers” also in early 2006.
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Andrea Harman Steiner
An avid equestrian sports fan, reference sojourns take Andrea to various events including horse racing, steeple chasing, fox hunting, polo, harness racing, as well as other equine activities.
Andrea’s work is in collections throughout the United States, Canada and Europe including the Menlo Polo Club in California, and the Ontario Jockey Club in Toronto, Canada. She has exhibited her paintings at the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs; the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky; the National Museum of Polo in Wellington, Florida; The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California; the Wildlife Experience Museum in Denver, Colorado; and the Northern Westchester Center for the Arts in New York. Andrea has participated in a large number of juried exhibitions around the country where she has won numerous awards.
Andrea’s artwork has graced the covers of Polo: Player’s Edition; Equine Visions Magazine and The Chronicle of The Horse. In addition, her artwork has been pictured in Spur and The Draft Horse Journal with feature articles on her work in Sidelines; Equine Images; Michigan Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association; Equine Vision Magazine and Hoof Beats.
Andrea Harman Steiner is a Signature Member of the Women Artists of the West and an Associate Member of the American Academy of Equine Art.
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Ken Lewis
Ken grew up in northeast Ohio. He attended college at the University of Kentucky and graduated with a B.S. in Journalism. He also holds a Masters in Business Administration from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio. He works fulltime as a district sales manager for a Fortune 500 corporation. Ken has had an interest in photography since age 10 when he received his first 35mm camera.
Ken has been a resident of Lexington, KY for over 15 years. Living in Lexington has allowed Ken the opportunity to combine his passion for photography with the natural beauty of the state of Kentucky.
Throughout his years in college at UK, Ken honed his photographic skills using black and white photography. To this day, Ken continues to process and develop all of his own work in both color and black and white. Ken has expanded his work to include a variety of subject matter including thoroughbred horseracing, nature and landscape photography. Geographically he focuses on the beauty of Kentucky and many locations in North America.
Ken enjoys taking his weekends and vacation time to identify and capture interesting subject matter. He routinely takes his camera with him on camping, hiking and fishing trips always in search of photographic opportunities. He sincerely hopes that you find great enjoyment in his work.
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C. Marcus Stone
C. Marcus Stone has painted professionally since 1985. Known for her realistic paintings of animals, she has been commissioned by such well-known groups as Anheuser Busch, Inc., the Belgian Horse Corporation of America, the Clydesdale Breeders of the United States, the Percheron Horse Corporation of America and the United States Horse Shows Association.
Stone studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in Philadelphia. Her work is generated from photographs and real-life sketches and she paints in oil, acrylic and pastel. A diversified painter, her depictions of animals, landscapes and scenes of everyday life are in the following museums: The International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park, in Lexington, Kentucky; the Michigan State Museum in Lansing, Michigan; and the Van Andel museum of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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