The Vision 18 members have not been resting this winter. They have been traveling about the country creating some great new works. Look for new paintings from Terri Miller, new photographic art from Mary Cornelius and Marie Cobb, all from the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.

April Visel has been shooting her heart out in Scottsdale AZ at the world famous Arabian show...etc. so forth..

Amy E Riley, Cristy Cumberworth and Lynne Glazer's images are featured in a new Equine Photo-A-Day iPhone App called Horse Lover sponsored by Nose-It.com (an awesome horse toy). Look for it in the iTunes App store.

Kimerlee Curyl was signed by International Publishers Somerset Fine Art Publishing

Nancy McCallum has donated a few of her exquisite photos to C.A.N.T.E.R. for one of their fundraiser projects. C.A.N.T.E.R. is a non-profit organization that works to find new homes for Thoroughbred ex-race horses. More information about C.A.N.T.E.R. can be found at www.canterusa. org.

Melanie Snowhite's images were chosen for Intervet's 2009 "We're For the Horse" ad campaign representing such products as ReguMate, Banamine, FluAvert, FoalCare, PreveNile and EquiRab. This is the second year Intervet has used Melanie's images.

From Fingernails to Backgammon

I got to thinking about my grade school teachers today while I was filing my nails. The connection is logical: Mrs. Johnson (4th grade) had the most beautiful hands and nails, and I craved having fingernails just like hers: long and pointy. My nails were short and stubby, breaking off easily and tearing from too much mucking out. I was nine and played with horses a lot, so of course, the nails were usually ragged and dirty.

Nowadays, my nails are long, but the basic shape is kind of wide, so it's not a graceful look like Mrs. Johnson's nails had. So here's my point: when we're kids, we don't always see the whole picture. No matter how long my nails might get, I'm never going to have glamorous hands, but at the time, I didn't know enough to get that.

Mr. Wingate (7th grade) had been in the war (meaning WW II). He told us one day about receiving a transfusion in the field of battle. Did we know what a transfusion was? It meant, he explained, that blood was put into his body from a bottle. This was very suspect and unlikely, but he also described the feeling of the blood rushing in and filling his veins and was like nothing else he'd ever experienced. He felt himself coming back to life. The class was mesmerized with this concept and sat silently, absorbing it all.

Mrs. McGaughy (1st grade, 1944) told us about a dream she'd had. Her son, a pilot in WWII, was calling to her. The dream woke her up, and within a day or two, she learned that his plane had crashed in the ocean.

I saw Miss Cole (6th grade) in the grocery store once. I didn't know how to act. I never thought about the fact that teachers are people, too, and have to eat--which implies that they have to shop, too. It was wierd seeing her out of place. Another example of how kids don't always see the big picture. She never liked me very much.

We got report cards four times a year, and Miss Cole always checked the box that said, "Lacks initiative." What is initiative, I asked my parents. It means readily leading the action. Well, my parents had always said in direct words, in so many words, and in their own actions, things that showed me how inadequate I was, thus leading me down the path to low self-esteem. Therefore, it would be oh-so natural for me not to show any initiative. At least, that's how I interpreted life with my parents back then, 1949.

I think her name was Miss Hall (2nd grade), not really sure, but she was beautiful. She was so beautiful, that I would have done anything for her. Second grade started out very well, as I was eager to please her, but in a few months, she disappeared and someone else took her place. No one ever explained where Miss Hall went, even though I asked, but my desire to be a good student went with her. That's when I started getting bad marks on my report cards. Disrupts the class. That sort of thing, and of course, shows no initiative.

Mr. Frey (8th grade 1953/4) stands out in my mind as a real person. Perhaps because I was finally a teen and finally getting the concept of actions-leading-to-consequences, and it's all our own fault. Mr.Frey told us about a girl in our class who'd gotten pregnant and would be gone from school. What a scandal, back then, especially at age 13. And especially because the class was so small to begin with. That made a difference to us, somehow.

Getting the whole picture in 4th grade led to actions-begetting-consequences in the 8th grade. Being a slow learner, it was somewhat later in life that that actions/consequences thing really hit home. A friend taught me how to play backgammon (1979), where every decision leads to every consequence, win or lose. It's not the roll of dice that matters, so much as what you decide to do with the numbers that come up. You have to scope out all the risks and possible outcomes before making a decision on your moves.

I love how that works! :o)

____________
Susan Sexton
Arizona

Hold on to your cowgirl hat, Anky!

Life is full of interesting turns. I was able to photograph the kick off to the World Dressage Masters Series in Wellington, FL this past month. It was fun to catch up with photographers I only see a few times a year. But I was surprised at the number of friends I ran into from all over the world. The horse world is indeed a small world.
I also enjoyed watching one of the top dressage riders in the world do a reining horse demonstration. Anky van Grunsven came out in jeans and cowgirl hat, wearing a Dutch-orange western shirt. She was riding a little quarter horse, doing a few slow spins and gallops explaining her new hobby. They could not do the sliding stops as the footing was not appropriate. It was a beautiful fiber filled footing, great for dressage and show jumping, not so for sliding horses evidently.
It was a fun way to end a great show experience.

Marie Cobb

Barely Contained

This office is a mess. Things keep piling up.

Unfortunately, it's also a fair representation of my brain. The areas that do the cataloguing, sorting and arranging are barely glowing, so how can I expect myself to jump right in, whisk things around and get everything all tidied up and put away in an hour or two?

This kind of job takes any normal person--me, in this case--months just to get going. That is because the self-starter button in the brain is jammed in the off position. As a result, the projects that can be put on hold are put on hold as frequently and for as long as possible. It's the only way to stay sane.

Take my cousin, for instance. If I were more like her, I'd drive myself crazy. I'd get a lot done, and filing would cease to be the abominable headache it is, but at the end of it all, I'd still be crazy, so how much good would that do!

She is jam-packed with energy, shrewd intelligence and loads of self-discipline. It oozes out of every pore. Her organizational skills are supreme, too. I could go on and on, but it's beginning to make me nauseous just reading what I've already written about her. Maybe I should pay her to come out here and tell me how to create a filing drawer, with all the tabs and folders in all the right places.

See, that's what the blockage is all about: decisions. That part of my brain is equally as somnolent as the self-starter part. No wonder it's hard to get anything done.

The first decision is: should I keep stuff in a drawer with a hanging file folder for each topic? Or just buy one of those telescoping file folders with lots of slots, and keep it handy under my work station, so all I have to do is lean over and drag it out when it's time to file away a few more receipts? Why get up, when leaning over is so much easier and efficient? Being efficient is a sublimely good thing. Therefore, I'm a good thing. See how that argument goes?

And here's another thing: some of the file folders I've already bought come with letters on the tabs. I find this very convenient. But then they went and muddled things up by putting words on there, too, and they don't match up with the alphabet. For instance, the "R" slot says "Receipts, and the "S" slot says Rent/Mortgage.

Since I'm a small business (and steadily shrinking, right along with the rest of the economy), it's easier to sort the receipts as bills are paid and purchases are made. That's why it's important for me to get all the little details worked out ahead of time. Otherwise, I'll be filing and refiling till I get it right. Filing the first time is bad enough, so why add to it? Do it right the first time, if you can. It's easier in the long run, and more efficient. See how that goes?

Simple to do; it's the getting going that's the real challenge, and who has an answer for that?

And here's another other thing: when I file the receipts, do I put them in front of the "C for car," or behind it? Why?

Susan Sexton

Spanish Quadrille Painting - Terri Miller

Several readers have asked questions about the painting “Spanish Quadrille” which I used on my Christmas card.

The inspiration came during a trip to Spain in the 1980’s. I was doing some photography work for the Spanish Tourism Bureau, and the assignment on this trip was the Feria Del Caballo in Jerez de la Frontera. (Jerez was the site of the World Equestrian Games in 2002.) This feria is all about Spanish horses, Spanish wine and Spanish dancing…. Talk about a peach of an assignment, huh? Did I mention that most of the Spanish horses were ridden by handsome Spanish men? During the day there was a big, multi-faceted horse show going on, with classes for breed horses and carriage classes for everything up to a six-horse hitch. (Continued Here)

Newest member Kimerlee Curyl has released a 2009 calendar. The images in her calendar are from an ongoing body of work called "The White Collection". All images are taken at Return to Freedom, American Wild Horse Sanctuary located in central California. The sanctuary is a safe haven to over 200 wild horses who are allowed to live in their natural herd environments. For the second year now Kimerlee will be teaching alongside with her friends Tony Stromberg and Neda DeMayo. The three of them have cultivated a unique and heartfelt photography workshop. Kimerlee will also be hosting wild horse tours at the sanctuary this coming year sharing her personal experiences at the sanctuary, herd and genetic information, as well as current wild horse issues as they arise.

Horses, Friends, Beautiful Light & Models!

Every year, and sometimes twice, v18c member extraordinaire, April Visel, hosts a grand photography workshop with Sherron Sheppard.

The dates are set, the hotel is reserved, the models are in the works and art is in the air!

This year we set the dates for the DIGITAL ARTISTRY IN MOTION “Equine Photography Workshop” in Santa Ynez Ca for May 15-20, 2009.

This Photoshop and photography workshop will provide numerous carefully planned horse photography shoots with riders in authentic costumes featuring some of the most beautiful and majestic equine photography subjects in the world, on location in once in a lifetime settings. This year the plan is to have more naked horses doing liberty and to add a little “couture” into the mix with great fashion and beautiful models.

I have been working hard on a using a ranch that raises broncs (bucking horses) for the rodeo. These horses live in large herds together, relatively untouched. The idea is to have some (good looking) cowboys move them around for us, allowing for a more authentic AND DUSTY wild herd feeling!

We often have Andalusians, Arabians, Luistanos, Paso Finos, Peruvian Pasos, Morgans, Welsh Ponies, Quarter horses and more. This year will be no different!

When we are not on location we will have a full schedule of hands-on Photoshop creative art training with Master photographer, and friend, Sherron Sheppard at the amazing 4 star Royal Scandanavian Inn in Solvang Ca.

Expanding on the basic knowledge you already posses. Our unique creative art approach will help you learn to merge the reality of a photograph with the artistic expression of traditional art mediums producing an entirely new creative style. Several styles of fine art will be explored in Photoshop as time allows.

To see more images from these workshops over the years click here. To register for the workshop click here. See work by April Visel or Sherron Sheppard.

Come enjoy the Santa Ynez Valley, good friends and, best of all, amazing horses! See ya soon, April