In honor of one of my FAVORITE TV shows called “Heartland” , which is on it’s 8th season  and just premiered this past Sunday.It will be  the longest running TV show in Canada’s CBC’s history!! I am featuring Diane Williams, an artist who  lives in  the Alberta Foothills and has her paintings hanging on the set of Heartland!!!

Heartland is based on the books by Lauren Brooke about a girl, Amy Fleming, who loses her mother in a fatal car accident  while rescuing a horse. Amy then walks in her mothers footsteps by continuing to take in abused and damaged horses on there 600 acre ranch, Heartland, along with her family. For many of these horses, Heartland is their last chance  of finding a forever home.

“We don’t whisper to horses; we just listen to them”~

Amy Fleming~

For more information on Heartland, check out there site at: http://www.cbc.ca/heartland

Have fun and enjoy the show:)

Diane Williams~

Location: The Foothills Of Alberta, Canada 

Site: http://www.dianewilliamsart.com

Diane Williams has a Masters degree in Art Education from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and has been teaching art and photography to high school students, illustrating children’s books, and painting for over twenty years. During that time she has continued to refine her artistic skills at the Federation of Canadian Artists, the Vancouver Academy of Art, and Sacramento’s School of Light and Color.

She began her art career at the age of five with Saturday morning art classes. She remembers painting large murals with vibrant colors during those early childhood forays into the world of art. Her passion for color and boldness remains one of her trademarks.

With her father, Norm as a master of photography and her mother, Alice a stained-glass artist, Diane developed an early fascination for light and its nuances. When she was twelve, horses entered her life, and she rode until she was sixteen. Twenty-five years later, following a series of severe injuries that made walking painful, she returned to riding horses, as a form of healing. As her body healed, she began to paint horses, uniting her two passions—her love of painting and her love of horses.

Diane’s artwork, both commissioned and self-directed, hangs in private collections throughout North America and Europe. Her work was presented at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta for the “Masters” and in Chilliwack, British Columbia for many years for the Canadian Andalusian Festival. She attended the World Cup Dressage Symposium in Las Vegas where she was commissioned to paint Lusitano stallions and be part of the Robinson Lusitanos booth. June 2012, Heartland, an Alberta T.V. series has installed the Giclees, Ancient Mare and Blue Spirit on the cabin walls of their permanent set.

Diane recently embarked on a journey from White Rock, B. C. to the foothills of Kananaskis, AB. with her two cats Sophie and Tazz, and Amos, her beloved horse and muse. Taking a permanent leave of absence from teaching, she found her creative place in a artisan log cabin on her Stardust Ranch. Her new Spanish mare, Lirica, has come into her life as her next artist muse and dance partner.

Diane divides her time between natural horsemanship~dressage~dance with her horses; and painting the spirit of horses, whether finishing a commissioned piece, or pursuing one of her own inner vision~

Here is some of Diane’s colorful and moving paintings….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diane had a magnificent opportunity to go and live with the wild horses of Sable Island! Her photographs are now in her book called “Journey” . Be sure to check it out on her site!

 

I Asked Diane Some Questions About Her Trip And The Sable Island Horses. For Those of You Who Aren’t Familiar  With These Horses, Here Are Her Answers:  

Q: Can you tell me how you got the chance to go and what year?
A: A special Permit and with a person who had gone 2x before. Only 50 or so people are allowed to visit the Island each year. Lots of politics at the moment…drilling for oil offshore and the question of what to do with the horses…should they not have horses on the Island. Will be a hot topic for a while.
Q:Did you stay with the park rangers in tents or in permanent buildings?
A: We stayed in a weather station barrack. Brought all our own food, sleeping bags, etc.

Q: What prompted you to go?
A: I was invited by a woman who has been 2x before. We photographed the wild horses in Sundrie (3 hours from Calgary) together for 2 days. Sable Island horses were different. No predators so very, very friendly! We were not allowed to touch them but they touched us all the time.

I would sit with a herd for hours and be integrated. The Stallions were watchful but not forceful with humans.

Q:Do the horses get any vet care at all?
A: No one is allowed to touch them.

Q: What is your opinion of the way that the rangers handle and take care of the herd?
A: They are wild horses so no one is allowed to interfere or touch them, their feet are sometimes very long as there are no rocks to wear them down. They are being studied with daily recording of how they live, numbers, conditions, etc~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed seeing our featured artist for Tuesday! Thank you Diane for sharing your images with us and explaining a little bit about your adventures with the Sable Island horses and your wonderful book!

 

Have a Happy Heartland~

Shya~