From The Studio - April
Dear friends and collectors,
Spring has finally arrived in the desert, and I look forward to painting out, walks on the plaza, time with friends and loved ones in the great outdoors, and enjoying the infinite sunshine that is the Southwest! This has been a busy month so far with lots of painting, getting ready for my upcoming show season, workshops, and horse showing. I just got back from a Western Dressage Horse show in ABQ last weekend and reflected upon this and more in my ‘musings’ section below. Please scroll down for what’s coming up, and click on the images to learn more. And as always, thanks for following along, and happy Spring from the studio!
Warmly,
Kathryn Stedham
Lark was a superstar at the Horse Show in ABQ, NM. The next stop is the World Show in Tulsa, OK!
Grand Canyon Conservancy
Grand Gathering and Celebration of Art
I am excited to share that the Grand Canyon Conservancy invited me to be a featured artist at their Celebration of Art to benefit the Grand Canyon. In addition to the Celebration and painting sale, I will be giving a painting demonstration at the Grand Canyon’s rim on Saturday, May 17th, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. for their Grand Gathering Event.
Upcoming Show at Blue Rain Gallery
New Paintings: Out West
July 25, 2025
I am happy to report that my annual show at Blue Rain Gallery is scheduled. Stay tuned for painting previews as they begin to roll off the easel!
April Workshop Sold Out!
Mountains, Clouds, and Critters
Adding figurative elements into the Landscape at Artisans Santa Fe
Thank you to everyone who registered! I look forward to painting with you during this sold out one-day workshop, which focuses on strategies for adding various forms into landscape paintings.
Sold Out!
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Sold Out! 〰️
Musings: Horses, Art, and Life
Last weekend, Lark and I showed at the Western Dressage Horse Show in ABQ. While I have competed on horseback before, this was my first time for this new sport. Three years ago, I made the jump from competing in Hunter/ jumper to riding western. While enjoying the change of pace, I had been considering showing again but in Western Dressage, so here we go! While getting ready for the show, I reflected on how similar this experience was to switching genres during my painting career—from figurative realist to expressionist and then to western with modernist leanings. I have found that changing things up can be challenging, even when you want to. I love learning new things, but I often find it humbling. I remind myself of the saying ‘a beginner’s mind is full of possibilities’.
Horses have always been my muses, even from the beginning. For me, without horses, there wouldn’t have been any painting. They were the reason I began creating art in the first place. And riding has only furthered this passion. To summarize my goals at this point, learn to be a better rider, learn to be a better painter. Plain and simple!
Although it was freezing cold, this weekend’s horse show was a blast. It snowed in April. It kind of reminded me of plein air painting, as it is always too cold, too hot, or too windy! Lark was a superstar, and I worked hard at remembering our patterns. Luckily it is the beginning of the season and so I have some time to refine what I have learned, but like painting…improvement is a lifelong pursuit. And we are in a process, whether it is painting, riding, or just flowing along in our lives.
Lark and I, riding Western Dressage at the ABQ Horse Show!
Thank you for being part of his journey! Please feel free to follow me on my social media and forward my newsletter to others who may enjoy my paintings and musings. As April continues, may Spring’s light, color, and texture linger in your life, and may inspiration arrive as gently as a distant hoofbeat, steady and sure.
