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This years 2014 Sierra Art Trails open studio tour has many talented artists. The Sierra Sun Times will be featuring a sampling of area artists leading up to the show. Check back regularly to see who the next featured artist will be.

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Jennifer Fosgate
Mixed Media, Watercolor, Acrylic 

As long as I have been able to hold pen in hand, there has been art. Some good, some bad, but often, there have been recurring themes that inspire me over and over again. One is the continually exciting image of the horse. My love affair with art began with crude four legged beasts scrawled by a toddler which were slowly perfected over the years by a young girl; a young adult made fanciful drawings; a college student earning a degree in creative arts included them in illustrations, and a struggling artist trying to make ends meet selling paintings and drawings here and there still made quick sketches and doodles to steady the hand. Impressionist landscapes on large canvases eventually replaced my affection for the horse, and exhibits and awards followed.

Real live equines, big as life, rushed back into my life with hurricane force when my own daughter began riding. The artist became a horseshow mom, and a curious thing happened. Seemingly with a mind of their own, horses crept back into this artist's hand. One day, there one was, somehow appearing among the abstract brush strokes of a large landscape of the sea. The next canvas had two, and the next three. I passed them off as little trivialities not to be taken seriously. Then came dressage. Here was something that combined a lifelong love of the horse with that permanent passion called art.

As a working student, my daughter began learning the art of persuading her mount to perform the classical movements, and I learned how to see more than just a lovely horse moving sideways across an arena. Watching her and her mentor's flowing achievements on these enormous animals was a thing of beauty to behold. Then, in 2010, after we returned from two weeks as spectators at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, I knew what was next for me as an artist. I had witnessed Grand Prix Dressage at its pinnacle and the horse could wait no longer. After five decades of being pushed aside by other themes, the time had come to take seriously the elegance of the natural movements of the horse.

The Dancing Image Studio website (dancingimagestudio.com) focuses on this theme. All of the art of Dancing Image Studio began with a photograph of a real horse. Somewhere between the photograph and the final result, creativity has tumbled in. Mediums include watercolor, oil, acrylic, pencil and pastel. The website images are contained in eight different galleries: Abstract Impressions, Cool Impressions, Warm Impressions, Bold Highlights, Abstract Highlights, Cool Highlights, Warm Highlights and Portrait Highlights. Impression galleries are images of art in their original form. Highlight galleries include original art that has been computer enhanced.

Jennifer can be reached at her home studio in Mariposa: Call (209) 742-7961 or email fosgatejennifer@gmail.com. 

You can also visit Jennifer's website at: www.dancingimagestudio.com. 

Education & Experience: Bachelor of Arts Degree, Creative Arts, Commercial Artist - Graphics & Illustration, Professional Architectural Rendering Artist

Exhibits & Awards: 
 Atelier Gallery, Santa Cruz - Group Exhibition
 Bargetto Winery, Soquel - Solo Exhibition
 Chaminade Artists Series, Santa Cruz - Group Exhibition
 Davenport Resource Center - Solo Exhibition
 Del Monte Center, Monterey - Art Show Exhibitor
 Felton Arts & Crafts Show - Art Show Exhibitor
 Hollister Street Faire - Art Show Exhibitor
 Hornitos Enchilada Feed - Art Show Exhibitor
 Leal Winery, Hollister - Art Show Exhibitor
 Mariposa Art & Wine - Art Show Exhibitor
 Natures Cycles, Santa Cruz - Solo Exhibition 
 Artists Reception, 1996
 North Coast Impressions, Rancho del Oso - Solo Exhibition
 Ocean Art West Wing Gallery, Pacifica - Group Exhibition
 Riverside County Fair - Award Winner
 San Juan Bautista Arts & Crafts Fair - Award Winner
 Santa Benito County Fair - Award Winner
 Santa Cruz Art-in-the-Park - Art Show Exhibitor
 Santa Cruz County Fair - Award Winner
 Santa Cruz Public Library - Art Exhibit with Carol Setterlund
 Yosemite Renaissance - Group Exhibition, Award Winner