AUGUST 2018 THE RIDER /37 Interview with Ontario Artist Linda Shantz


By Ellen Schoeman Linda Shantz’s art-


work has touched and in- spired animal lovers across North America. She was one of eleven artists around the world nominated to paint Dubai World Cup winners for the Dubai World Cup Art Auction and Exhibition, and has won numerous awards including the Royal Winter Fair’s Fine Art Showcase. I was fortunate to talk with her about her journey as an artist, and her life balancing her love of art and her love of horses.


When did you know you wanted to be an artist? When did you decide you wanted to do this for the rest of your life? I have found drawings


that were done, in crayon, when I was four-years-old. I was always drawing grow- ing up, but I’ll be honest, as a career choice, it was a lengthy battle! Because I was also good at math and science, everyone assumed I would be a vet. I got as far as entering


the first year of BioSci at Guelph, but ended up with- drawing and “running away to join the circus” as I like to say, working with race- horses. A couple of years


to paint one of the past win- ners of the Dubai World Cup (the world’s richest horse race) and be part of the show, but to be invited, all expenses paid, to experi- ence the festival surround- ing the race was amazing. I still can’t believe it actually happened.


How do you balance your work as a painter and your work on your farm? When I was really


later a family friend sug- gested I start doing horse and pet portraits, so that’s when I really began to con- sider it as a job. I eventually went back to school to finish my BSc (switching to Biochem, and finally Food Science!) and worked in the field for a little while, but the horses and art kept drag- ging me back!


What is inspiration like for you? What motivates you to paint?


I am fortunate that I


also run a farm where I take care of Thoroughbred race-


horses at various stages of their lives. Being around them is constant inspiration. They’re all such characters, and I’m in awe of their ath- leticism, so I’m always hop- ing to create work that shares what I see with oth- ers. Horse people relate well to my work, of course, but it’s extra-special when one of my paintings makes a connection with a non-horse person.


As a self-taught artist, what has been your greatest chal- lenges? Being


self-taught,


credibility can be a struggle. I think it’s as much in my own head as it is judgment from artists with degrees, though that’s out there too. I’ve often questioned my- self, and as I mentioned, I’ve gone back and forth be- tween pursuing my art and trying to be “sensible.” Even now that I’ve had a fair bit of success, I still spend a lot of time doubting myself. It’s not an unusual thing among artists, appar- ently!


You are an accomplished artist and winner of many awards. Which of your achievements mean the most to you?


Hands down being


invited to Dubai as one of the artists in the first (and only) Dubai Art Exhibition and Auction in 2007. It was honour enough to be asked


busy, breeding mares and foaling and raising the ba- bies, it was pretty tough. I never stopped painting, but the marketing side of things, which is so vital, really fell off. Now that things have changed – my major owner client has vastly scaled down and is no longer breeding, so I have fewer horses, I actually like the way one balances the other. Half the time I’m taking care of and hanging out with


“Don’t hurt my right hand, I need to be able to paint!” Then, of course, I did break my right wrist one time, and spent six weeks drawing with my left hand!


Do you have a favourite horse you’ve painted? My own mare, also


my one and only homebred, affectionately known as Monster, should probably get that honour. She never made it to the races, but I have sold almost ever paint- ing I have done of her. She’s been a very expressive model. She’s eighteen now, and has more recently al- lowed my younger mare, Gracie, to take on more of the top model duties.


Can you tell us more about your journey as a painter? How did you go from pick- ing up a pen, pencil, and brush to becoming an award winning artist?


artist, I joined a few differ- ent artists’ groups and en- tered juried shows run by those groups and others. I was fortunate enough to have my work recognized with awards in both local and international shows. There were inevitably rejec- tions along the way, but that’s part of being an artist – your work is not always going to fit in to the view of those jurying the show. These days I focus on


providing work for the gallery that represents me, and building a more per- sonal connection with col- lectors


and followers through social media.


What has worked best for you to get your work out there and to get noticed? I’ve been selling my


art for over 30 years now –


Do you have any advice for inspiring artists? Persevere! It’s not an


easy journey by any means, but the rewards of following your heart and working for yourself are worth it.


so, pre-internet! – and things have changed drastically. It used to be I could put up a flyer in a tack shop or pet supply store, go to some local horse shows, put an ad in the local buy and sell paper, and I always had work. Now, most of my sales are from online con- nections. What has worked best for me is a balance of Facebook, Instagram and my mailing list. I really try to encourage people to join my mailing list, because they get special offers and content I don’t share with to the general public.


my models, as I call them, and midday in between chores I have time to paint and do the business stuff.


What are the major chal- lenges you face working with horses? As you know, young


horses have a penchant for finding trouble! I’m usually on my own with the horses, so the biggest challenge I would say is keeping both the horses, and myself, safe. I always joke that my goal with raising foals is to keep both them and me in one piece until they go off to start their training! I’ve often found myself thinking,


I credit all the drawing


I did from the time I was very young for giving me an important foundation – good drawing skills are vital to a successful painting. My first forays into colour were with coloured pencil and oil pas- tel, and for quite a while I was known best for my oil pastels. I had taken an oil painting course as a teenager from a neighbour who was an artist, but it wasn’t until several years later I switched to working in oil.


The first competitions


I did were fall fairs as a teen, and when I started consider- ing myself a “professional”


Equestrian Canada Takes Responsible Coaching Movement Pledge as Part of Ongoing Commitment to Respect in Sport


Ottawa, ON, July 13, 2018 – Equestrian Canada (EC) is proud to have officially taken the Re- sponsible Coaching Movement Pledge as the next step in an on- going commitment to protect the safety and welfare of all partici- pants in equestrian sport.


Responsible Coaching Move- ment Pledge


The Responsible Coaching


Movement (RCM) is a multi- phase, system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching As- sociation of Canada (CAC) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) that is a call to ac- tion for sport organizations to protect the health and safety of athletes, both on and off the field


of play. On June 25, 2018, the EC


Board of Directors unanimously resolved to take the RCM Pledge. As a member of the movement, EC is committed to providing the following training for certified coaches:


• Background screening • Ethics training • Open and Observable Coaching Environment (also known as the Rule of Two) – which stipulates that a coach cannot be alone with a child, and must have another re- sponsible person within eyesight at all times. EC will phase in the Rule of Two over the next 12 months. “The EC Board of Directors


is committed to promoting a safe equestrian sport environment,” said Meg Krueger, EC President. “Signing the Responsible Coach- ing Movement Pledge is an im- portant step in ensuring that all equestrians feel safe in their ath- letic pursuits.” This training comes in addi-


tion to a number of protective policies all EC National Coach- ing Certification Program (NCCP) Certified Coaches have been required to follow for many years, including: • Signing the EC Coaching Code of Ethics upon completion of the Making Ethical Decisions mandatory training and evalua- tion • Signing the EC Coaching Code


of Conduct • Submitting a police background check every five (5) years • Maintaining First Aid certifica- tion every three (3) years • Completing concussion aware- ness and return-to-play training • Respect in Sport: Ongoing De- velopments


“We are proud to support


fair and ethically trained coaches through the EC Coaching Pro- gram,” said Richard Mongeau, EC Chief Executive Officer. “Furthermore, we are committed to the ongoing development of education and resources to create and protect the safe and respect- ful environment that all partici- pants


deserve.” Further initiatives and re-


sources are currently underway and more details and resources will be communicated as they be- come available.


Resources for Recognizing and Reporting Harassment & Abuse Reporting is critical in cre-


ating and maintaining a safe en- vironment for all equestrian participants. It is vitally important for all


in equestrian sport


members of the equestrian com- munity to familiarize themselves with EC’s Code of Ethics and Harassment Policy in order to ed- ucate themselves on how to rec- ognize and report incidents of


harassment and/or abuse. Visit www.equestrian.ca


/about/re-


spect-in-sport or click the links below to access these documents:


• EC Code of Ethics • EC Harassment Policy


posted


Further resources will be to


www.equestrian.ca/about/re- spect-in-sport as they become available. For questions regarding


EC’s respect in sport initiatives, please contact:


Jennifer Eastwood Director, Technical Development jeastwood@equestrian.ca


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64