Horse Portrait Artist – Anne West, Equine Art

Reiny Day - Horse Portrait Palomino Filly by Anne West

Here is Rein! She is a big, beefy palomino filly out of a paint mother. This custom portrait of Rein was one of two…

Rein's Playground - Commissioned painting of a Palomino filly by Anne West

I got to paint this cute little filly, not one, but twice! Boy, she is build like a brick you-know-what! Look at those hind quarters! She is going to be a big, strong husband horse!

This is Buckles. I think he is a Quarter Horse, but not sure. He is a really interesting color, kinda buckskin but with dapples and a dun stripe! Very cool! I had fun exaggerating the colors on him.

This painting is one of my ‘specials’ right now, which is an amazing value, actually. This horse portrait is on a 16″ x 20″ birch board (which are super nice! I like them way better than canvas) and only costs $200! We are talking a custom portrait of your horse by a professional artist for $200. It’s a steal. I typically charge $400 for a painting that size. So half off for paintings right now!

And hey, if you have been thinking of having me paint your horse, get it now for 2 reasons:

1. I am super cheap right now, but my prices will go up as I become more well known and busier.

2. When an artist becomes well-known, their earlier works are more highly valued.

So, purchasing a portrait or custom painting of your horse right now from me is a double-whammy as a great value AND good investment.

Isabella - Portrait of a Thoroughbred Percheron cross

This is “Isabella”, a 22 y/o TB/Percheron cross (the owner’s first horse) She is enjoying her senior years relaxing and going for a few trail rides here and there. She has been to shows, clinics, beach rides and her owner says, “I just love her to pieces.”

This was a fun portrait to do because of the strong lighting…it makes for a very dramatic portrait.

Solecita's Pride - Horse and Rider portrait

This is Solecita and her owner Dawnita. Solecita was a Peruvian Paso horse and she and Dawnita did many lovely things together, including giving Alzheimer’s patients buggy rides, parades and other exhibitions. I just loved the original photo when I saw it. The dress is so amazing and I could just see the love between these two in the picture. Solecita, unfortunately, had to be put down due to DSLD (Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis) which is an issue with some gaited horses. So I am very honored to have painted such a beautiful memorial to her for Dawnita.

I thought I would put this photo out there so that people can see what my art looks like in your house. These are two portraits that I painted for a patron in Canada. The first one, over the fireplace, was The Masters. He was a harness racing horse. That painting is 24″ x 24″ on deep gallery wrap canvas. It does not need a frame. Framing it would give it a completely different look, so framing is always up to you.

The other painting of the white horse is El Pine, an old quarter horse. That one is 16″ x 20″.

I paint custom portraits of horses, and also do portraits of horse and rider. If you are interested in a portrait, visit me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/westhorseart or email me at anne@westhorseart.com. Getting a custom portrait is very, very easy. Simply email me a few digital photos of your horse/s and I’ll look through them and pick one that I think will make a really good portrait. I always work from photos, so the better your photo is, the better chance I have a making you an outstanding portrait. Photos should be hi res, in good lighting (not all in shadow), in focus, and close to the horse.

This was a fun painting to do. I love draft horses and this is the first time I have painted one. I am working on a second one to go along with this one. This mare is such an interesting color and look at the star on that filly! I looks like a big ‘C’. And that filly has all these round swirls of hair on her face. So cute!

Here is ‘El Pine’ a lovely old quarter horse that belongs to a friend of mine in Canada. He is in retirement now, but what a lovely fellow.

I loved doing this painting! Sammy and his little gang of mustangs were so anxious for me to make them beautiful for their mommy! Aren’t these mustangs so cute. If you are interested in having a portrait of you and your horse, or just your horse, or a couple of your horses, please don’t hesitate to contact me. My prices are very reasonable and reflect our current economy. See my contact me page for my contact info.

Here is Hannocka, a 16H Egyptian Arabian. This was a custom portrait and part of my Spring Special.

If you are interested in my art and would like a portrait of your horse, please use my contact form to get ahold of me and we’ll get started! All I need are a few good digital photos of your horse in nice poses.

"Mr. Big Stuff" - portrait by equine artist Anne West

This is a portrait of a gorgeous chestnut horse named Gopher. I am not sure why his name is Gopher, I guess I’ll have to ask his mommy. Anyway, the reference photo was not that great, but for some reason, it ended up making a really powerful painting.

As an equine portrait artist, it is my privileged and pleasure to paint your horses for you. If you are interested in finding out how easy it is to have a custom portrait done of your cherished horse, whether living or past, contact me at anne@westhorseart.com to get started. All I will need is a few digital photos of your horse/s to get started.

Below is the reference photo for this painting. It was an ‘accident’. The rider’s mother accidentally zoomed in too close and shot this picture. Even not so good photos sometimes will make great portraits. Try to get your horse well-lit, with a nice balance of light and shadows.

Reference photo to Mr. Big Stuff horse portrait by Anne West

Portrait of a buckskin horse "Poppy's Paradise" by Anne West

Here is a nice little portrait of a buckskin horse named Poppy. She was such a sweet little horse and very helpful as I painted her. If you would like a portrait of your horse, or to give a portrait as a gift, feel free to contact me anytime to discuss. I work from digital photographs that you provide, and try to capture the spirit and personality of your horse in your portrait.

Casino - 8" x 10" by Anne West Portrait of a Horse named Casino

Here is Casino! I tried something new, which was painting small. This is on an 8″ x 10″ canvas covered board and I can offer these little paintings for only $100! I will pick the size and shape of the canvas, you simply supply a good, clear digital photo of your horse. I won’t be able to do horse and rider on canvas this small, just a part of the horse. I will be getting some 6″ x 12″ panels just for this. A horse face fits great on a canvas that shape, so if you have been wishing for one of my portraits, but can’t part with $300 for a bigger one, this is a great option. Email me if you are interested at anne at westhorseart dot com.

Elisha and Rebel - a portrait of a girl and her horse by Anne West

I have been working on a couple paintings this week and here is the first – Elisha and Rebel. I love this painting! It was a great photo to work from with such fun lighting. This painting is 18″ wide by 24″ tall and is on deep gallery wrap canvas so the painting flows around the sides, which I think looks really nice. Elisha is a lucky girl to have such a gorgeous horse (Andalusian, I believe) and be able to ride out in the desert.

The reference for this painting was one of the runner-ups in my latest Facebook contest for best photo of ‘Horse and Rider’. I love the relationship between the rider and the horse here; so intimate, so natural, so much respect. I’m calling this one “After the Ride”.

When I was growing up in Santa Barbara, CA. my sister, Linda, and I used to surf near our house on the Mesa. I miss surfing and am working to get in good enough shape to get on my board again. I would like to do more surf art as it takes me to a nice place remembering what I was like to sit on the board for hours, staring out to sea, watching the play of the light over the ever-swelling ocean. Water is not blue — it is green, and purple, and orange, and peach, and sometimes even gold. It reflects everything around it, and sometimes colors show up and you have no idea how they got there. That is the miracle of the ocean to me. Let me know what you think about my surf art.

Fire in the Sky - acrylic on canvas by Anne West

Golden Evening at Hendry's Beach - acrylic on canvas by Anne West

I got my new website up and running. It is still a work in progress as websites often are. Before I started painting horses I was doing a lot of landscapes, but I really loved doing sunsets. Here are a couple examples of my work. ‘Fire in the Sky’ is quite large, I think it was 24″ x 36″. My dear friends, Tom and Marq in Santa Barbara, purchased this painting and it looks awesome in their house. I like to paint on deep gallery wrap canvas, which means that the canvas wraps around the side of the painting and that the sides are about 1 1/2″ deep, so I paint the sides of the canvas too. This makes a really nice, modern look and then you don’t need to frame the art.

‘Golden Evening at Hendry’s Beach’ is 18″ x 24″ (SOLD). Hendry’s Beach is one of the favorite ‘locals’ beaches in Santa Barbara. It is a great place to watch a sunset. The funny thing about Santa Barbara is that the coast runs east and west and NOT north and south like you would think on the west coast of California. So, as you can see, the sun is setting behind the point of land, which can get very confusing for visitors to Santa Barbara. This was the middle of the summer so the sun is setting in its fartherest north location. This evening was like a light show with an ever-changing sunset that gave me loads of great material to work with. If you ever get to visit Santa Barbara, be sure to plan a low tide walk on Hendry’s beach. You can walk for miles in either direction and there are some amazing tide pools at low tide all along that section of the coast.

If you would like a sunset painting, please contact me at anne at westhorseart dot com

Rose the Rottweiler

I worked on a little quick study of Rose, my friend Kellie’s, rottweiler. Trying to get loose and just use the brush strokes to create the image. It was fun. I am going to do something like this every day to force myself to focus on my art more.

Waitin on the Drive Georgie and Ches

In 2010 I held a contest on my facebook page for Best Horse and Rider photo submissions. The winner would receive a free portrait of their photo entry. I am please to introduce my painting of Lori Faith Merritt’s winning photograph of cowboy poet Georgie Sicking and her horse, Ches, titled ‘Waitin on the Drive – Georgie and Ches’.

To Purchase Prints or Original Art by Anne West – Click Here!